Looking out the window today it seems like every house on the block but mine has paid a lawn service to come in and rake, mow, and leaf blow. It's like this all summer long all through my neighborhood.
We make a decent living, but I still feel too poor to pay for lawn service. Then again, if I had a million bucks I'd still rake my own leaves and mow my own grass.
It seems wasteful to me to pay someone to do something you are perfectly capable of doing yourself.
Am I missing something?
Do you pay for lawn service??
November 6th, 2008 at 05:08 pm
November 6th, 2008 at 05:12 pm 1225991540
November 6th, 2008 at 05:21 pm 1225992070
November 6th, 2008 at 05:30 pm 1225992622
My husband works about 2 hours from home. He takes the train, but he's still gone from 5:30 am until 7:00 pm. (That's another story, but it's definitely worth it money-wise to pay for a train ticket because he can make a lot more in the area he commutes to! And he spends his time on the train reading, sleeping or working, all of which he needs to do!)
So, he is not home much except for the weekends. And on the weekends, we have swim meets, soccer games, other around-the-house projects... and while we have a couple of teenagers who are capable of mowing the lawn (other kids are too young), one has severe allergies and the other is a senior who is overwhelmed with SATs, band, choir, swim team, cross country, babysitting, etc etc etc.
When we signed up for "Mr. Magic Yard Man," as we affectionately call him, we decided ahead of time what price would be worth it. He quoted us $25 per month less that what we thought was reasonable (and of course, we are cheap and conservative with our money), so we took the deal.
It is a huge relief, I must say. I don't know that we'll keep it up forever, but it's working well now.
November 6th, 2008 at 05:31 pm 1225992665
November 6th, 2008 at 05:51 pm 1225993872
Yep, I/we pay for a lawn service. While my front yard is average size, my back yard (considering I/we live in the 'burbs) is HUGE. When I tell people who know me/my yard, what I pay, they are shocked that I am having it done "so cheaply!" IMNSHO, the price I pay is more than worth my time and/or effort. Most of the neighbors on my block do cut their own lawns, however, most of them are also retired, so . . . . . . .
November 6th, 2008 at 06:44 pm 1225997084
November 6th, 2008 at 07:06 pm 1225998409
I mow our home, my DH mows the rental property. He has also mowed for our old nextdoor neighbor (next to the rental propety), but that house has been on the market for over 20 months. He don't cut that one next year because the children of the owners who have since died paid a pittance.
My DH has a fear of heights, so I do pay for gutter cleaning.
November 7th, 2008 at 02:00 am 1226023250
Of course, I could care less what the neighbors are doing. I think I added 10 years of my life to be rid of the stress.
I can work overtime to pay for him. I would rather work 2 hours extra a week than do the yard work. I guess what it comes down to for us. I don't feel that way about anything else. I think it gets sticky when you hire everyone for everything. Then it becomes Joneses territory (unless you truly have the means). For me it's just one of my few, and BEST, luxuries. & our yard looks a hell of a lot better than if we did it ourselves. We just don't have the garden/lawn gene. I Can mow, but that's about it. & I am allergic to grass to it is a miserable experience anyway. The stress came from our nasty and picky HOA.
I also don't necessarily think we will keep the gardener much longer. The kids can help. IT was WAY more an issue when we had infants and no one had any time for the yard. & it didn't help it was the LAST thing either of us wanted to do. Now that we can make it a family activity I have less issue with the whole thing. But I hesitate to let him go in case we regret it.
I would have NEVER hired a gardener before I had kids. So things just change. But yeah, I don't think I necessarily want the kids to grow up with that as like the "norm", so is another factor why we will probably let him go in the next few years. But I will hire him back when the kids are grown, for sure!
November 7th, 2008 at 03:06 am 1226027212
November 7th, 2008 at 03:50 am 1226029826
November 7th, 2008 at 04:16 pm 1226074605