My Lawn Guy Just Finished

[38Chevy454]

My lawn guy just finished mowing. He does a good job, but being retired has plenty of time. He doesn't get paid, since he says he has enough. I buy the gas and do all the maintenance on the mower and other equipment, to help offset the fact I don't pay him anything. Once in a while when it's hot, he will get a cool drink from the house; it's the least I can do. With all the rain and high temps we have lately, the mowing needs to be done about every 6 days to stay on top of it. Sure glad he can mow during the day when many neighbors are at work, instead of having to do it when they get home from work. Lawn always looks nice when he is done, see picture of the backyard.

Well, I need to go now, time for the gardener to get working; he is retired also. DW says she needs his help on some of the plants around the house. Then my wife says the pool guy has a small project that needs to be done. Good thing all of these guys are retired, so I can have my evenings free.

 

[old medic]

I might have had the same guy working around my place.... But then he quit doing stuff around here.... heard he had a motorcycle wreck. sure hope he recovers and gets back to work.

 

[Kings over Queens]

He does a nice job.

Has anyone mentioned to him that there are people who you can pay to do that?

I cut my own grass for YEARS, until one day I didn't.

My kids freaked out and wouldn't let the lawn guys in the yard. "no way, my DAD always cuts the grass." My wife had to tell them to stand down.

I love when they come do my grass.

 

[street]

Beautiful!!

 

[CaptTom]

I've got the same guy. But there are some new neighbors around me who are now having a paid service do theirs. I bet it wouldn't be a huge deal for the landscapers to swing by my place before they leave. Would make traveling much easier. Hmmm.

 

[O2Bfree]

He cuts that grass for free? Is his name Forrest?

 

[MarieIG]

Very nice job!

 

[marko]

I'm 71 years old. I've seen lawnmowers and I know what they do but I literally, and I mean literally, have never touched one. I almost put my hand on one at the Home Depot once but didn't want to spoil my record.

I know absolutely nothing about caring for grass and have no intention of learning.

Francisco and his team come every Wednesday to cut, fertilize and do whatever else they do. I send them a check at the end of the month.

 

[Palmtree]

I didn't get an allowance growing up. When I was around 11 or 12 my mother bought me a red push mower. Gas powered but not self propelled. I mowed the neighbors yards for 50 cents up to $2.00 depending on the size. Mowed our grass my entire adult life except for a few months I was side-lined with two broken legs. When we retired to our present house, I wanted no grass. We now have lots of river rock, mulched areas and woodland but no grass.
BTW, the wife turns 60 in about a month. She's proud to have never mowed a single time in her life!

 

[Aerides]

My check to my lawn guy for $90 is the best money I spend every month. If it was JUST the mowing I'd get a small rider and probably enjoy it. But it's the edging and trimming and blowing and every darn week-ing that gets me.

 

[JDARNELL]

As a kid I cut so much grass. Now I have a lawn guy. It’s my last holdout due to all the trama as a kid. Lol. I figure I am supporting the local economy.

 

[Walt34]

Mowing lawns was my first job when I was 13 or so. And no taxes! And until I had a couple of stents put in it never occurred to me to hire someone - mowing was just part of the deal when you bought a house. And as I suspected, when I had to hire it out I didn't like the way the guy did it, never, ever changing the pattern and the big commercial grade machine was wearing bare spots in the turns. And so when the doc said "the best thing you can do for yourself is exercise" I told the lawn guy I was going back to doing it myself and what the doc said. He's a nice guy and I saw no need to burn that bridge and I might need him back.

I'm still thinking about a Milwaukee electric mower but the Toro gas machine works just fine so I can't really bring myself yet to set it out on the curb with a "FREE" sign on it.

 

[38Chevy454]

Mowing is a good way to get outdoors and some exercise. More if you have a push or self propelled mower vs a riding mower. With my 2.5 acres, the lawn guy has a 60 inch zero turn. Trimming and blowing require some work. It's good I don't have to pay the lawn guy, because it would be around $90 each time.

As a kid I used to mow neighbor's lawn, it was nice cash money. I don't mind mowing, it's good mindless effort and I like the appearance end result.

 

[Time2]

Mowing is a good way to get outdoors and some exercise. More if you have a push or self propelled mower vs a riding mower. With my 2.5 acres, the lawn guy has a 60 inch zero turn. Trimming and blowing require some work. It's good I don't have to pay the lawn guy, because it would be around $90 each time.

My wife mowed the lawn this afternoon, I figured out how not to be able to do a good with the zero turn mower. Well, just not as good as her. I started weed whipping, but both batteries died, mañana .

 

[LateToFIRE]

Haven't touched a mower since I was 13. I don't know how much our lawn guys charge per mow, but I do know the total yearly landscaping bill is around $10K which includes mowing, trimming, blowing, trimming tall hedges, mulching, spring clean-up, fall clean-up, etc. plus some various lawn treatments. I have guessing around 2 acres of yard/grounds (+ several more wooded acres). They work hard. Love the zero-turn mowers. Only complaint is they get grass in the pool no matter how many times I ask them not to.

 

[athena53]

I wrestle with the idea of farming out this work. If my current mower dies and can't be repaired (it's 8+ years old), that may clinch it. I live on the side of a hill and it takes me 45-50 minutes. I do the hilly part from side to side rather than up and down but it's WORK. (Hills are hard on me due to a heart condition but my cardiologist assures me that exercise is VERY good.)

The company I use to apply chemicals is good and reliable except that, as someone else noted, those heavy stand-on mowers can scrape the grass right out if they turn and the soil is wet.

 

[jollystomper]

I find mowing the lawn either relaxing (on the riding mower) or good exercise (pushing the walking mower). With just over an acre of mostly level ground to mow it does not take that much time. As long as I am fit I am fine with doing it. I did look into a lawn service a couple of years ago, but what they wanted to charge was the equivalent of buying a new basic riding mower every year or two.

Growing up without a lawn, it was always my dream to have a house with a lawn. Perhaps that is why I enjoy mowing it so much .

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

As a kid I cut so much grass. Now I have a lawn guy. It’s my last holdout due to all the trama as a kid. Lol. I figure I am supporting the local economy.

That sounds familiar! My parents made me use the manual reel mower when I was a kid, and I don't ever remember them having it sharpened, so I had to make sure that thing was spinning fast! I've always hated the heat, and when we first bought our house we were living extremely frugally, but I sprung for a gas mower, at least, but not self-propelled, which was miserable but at least felt like a step up. After 3 years in the house we had a baby, my in-laws paid for lawn service for us as a gift, and we have been using that for 20+ years now. I cannot imagine sitting outside in temps close to 100 degrees (which is the high much of this week) and high humidity, even on a riding mower.

If we ever move, I want a condo.

 

[Midpack]

I will mow my own lawn as long as possible, I’m sure there will come a day I can’t - night coincide with when my mower bites the dust. In the meantime, why pay someone to do anything I can do myself, and the outdoor exercise is good for me. That said, I don’t enjoy it until I’m done, then there’s some satisfaction that I’ve done it, the lawn looks nice, and I’m off the hook for a few days. Simple pleasures.

 

[Dawg52]

I usually just wait until a nice man comes by and offers to mow it for free.

 

[Amethyst]

I have a yard guy, too, except he's a gal, and it's me.

I do hire out the lawn, but everything else is on me (sometimes literally - I have been known to jump in the pool to get the clippings off me!)

Some people imagine that their lawn should behave like a carpet; their trees, shrubs, and flowers like so much furniture. Me, I sort of enjoy getting in the middle of the insane rivalry born of a variety of plants, all competing for light and water and trying their best to get rid of one another. Being retired, I can do this work at times and days of my choosing.

 

[Amethyst]

What is that little tufty clump doing in the middle of that vast, perfect green carpet?

My lawn guy just finished mowing. He does a good job, but being retired has plenty of time. He doesn't get paid, since he says he has enough. I buy the gas and do all the maintenance on the mower and other equipment, to help offset the fact I don't pay him anything. Once in a while when it's hot, he will get a cool drink from the house; it's the least I can do. With all the rain and high temps we have lately, the mowing needs to be done about every 6 days to stay on top of it. Sure glad he can mow during the day when many neighbors are at work, instead of having to do it when they get home from work. Lawn always looks nice when he is done, see picture of the backyard.

Well, I need to go now, time for the gardener to get working; he is retired also. DW says she needs his help on some of the plants around the house. Then my wife says the pool guy has a small project that needs to be done. Good thing all of these guys are retired, so I can have my evenings free.

 

[LateToFIRE]

I usually just wait until a nice man comes by and offers to mow it for free.

That's a pretty awesome mower he's got there. If I ever go the DIY route, would get me one of these for sure.

 

[isisdave]

My check to my lawn guy for $90 is the best money I spend every month. If it was JUST the mowing I'd get a small rider and probably enjoy it. But it's the edging and trimming and blowing and every darn week-ing that gets me.

Wow, I hope your lawn is tiny as mine costs $60 per mow, which is weekly from mid-April through September.

And worth every penny... it takes two guys (one on a big riding mower) about 25 minutes, and yesterday it was 90 degrees and 80% humidity.

 

[PatrickA5]

I did my own lawn for around 30 years. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I didn't think anybody could do it better than me. I finally gave in and started hiring it out about 10 years ago. I still do a LOT of yard work, just not mowing. I get great enjoyment out of watching the yard guys mow the yard - especially on days like yesterday when the temperature hits 102 (and feels like 118).

It might be a generational thing, but none of my kids (or spouses) mow their own yard. And, none of them seem to care what their yard looks like, either. It was always a sense of pride for me.