Meaning: tend to it before it gets much worse
Rewrite 1: a dime in the meter now saves a $20 ticket later
Rewrite 2: a drip patched now avoids a flood4 bailed later
Rewrite 3: leaves1b(1) blown away today avoid piles of leaves raked1 later
Rewrite 4: you can manage it today while it's small or handle it as an emergency tomorrow

Comment: Just ask yourself, "What can I do today while it is a small matter that if I put off until a later time will seem more difficult or unmanageable?"

More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”
• The Sports Cliché List by TicketRetriever.com. Lots of different categories of sports clichés, like “factor” clichés – clichés with “factor” in the phrase.