Cutting your expenses/trimming your costs

[Mr._johngalt]

I have posted a bit about my lawnmower adventures
recently. Here are the lengths I go to to save a nickle.

I had a beater riding mower which I swore I would not use another year. Put in a new battery ($27) and sold it for $250 which I think is what I paid 3 years ago.
Then, I went to an auction and bought a similar
(but larger) mower for $125. Add delivery, tire repair
and new blades and I'm up to $195. Used it yesterday
and it works excellent. So, I'm $28 ahead. Then, I picked
up a similar mower beside the road with a "FREE"
sign on it. Lots of great parts. I will sell that mower
for at least $50, which will drop my primary mower
investment to $145. (This mower sells new for around
$900). My trimmer mower was bought at a junk shop for $15. Nice unit.

Just think. I used to work on million dollar deals and now I
get just as big a kick out of saving $50 on a lawnmower
(maybe more). No stress either. ER, you gotta love it

JG

 

[Cut-Throat]

John,

I retired from lawn mowing in 1986.

I hated lawn mowing more than I hated working. And that is saying a lot!

 

[RockMiner]

JG,

I like your zero cost lawnmower upgrade. I also dislike cutting grass and a cheap lawn service is one luxury I indulge in. After ER I plan to downsize to a house with a lawn small enough for a putt-putt push mower...no bagging, no raking, no trimming, no blowing, thus no sucking

My idea of a great lawn is sand, gravel, and a few cactus like you see in Tucson, Arizona.

 

[unclemick]

Louisiana swamp is good also. But it does require hiring a bulldozer to clear the 'driveway/high ground' after a hurricane comes though.

I have a really big Shindawa with metal blade to thin the sides of the 350' driveway when the swamp cane gets rowdy.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I took a different approach. Sold my half acre mcmansion, fired the gardener, and bought a house with a 10x12 patch of grass out front and landscape fabric, wood chips and shrubbery all around the rest of the house.

I do have to go trim the hedges once or twice a year. Takes about 25 minutes. What a pain...

 

[parnass]

Most folks in my neighborhood do their own yard work.

I bought a new John Deere tractor and mowing deck 19 years ago and it has given faithful service ever since. My next door neighbor and I let a nearby farmer grow crops in our back fields so we don't have to maintain them. The farmer does all the work and we sit on the porch and watch the corn and soybeans grow.

Yard work is not my passion, but I don't mind mowing the other acreage myself. Just finished trimming the apple trees this morning.

 

[Martha]

I love yardwook and can't wait for spring. I like to mow, though our lawn takes only about 15 minutes to mow. I like trimming bushes and tress. I love my leaf blower. I like pulling weeds. I like planting flowers and seeing them grow. My crocuses are finally in bloom.

And, because we live in our own rental property the money I spend on plants is partially deductible!

I have spring fever bad. Snowed yesterday and a little today.

 

[Caroline]

What's a "lawn?"

Drought-tolerant plants all the way.



Caroline

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I have spring fever bad.

Me too. To combat it, I recommend having a nice beer on the back patio with a baby

Sorry...

 

[wabmester]

We bought a place last year that was built on converted farm land next to the water. Cows would graze in what is now our backyard. The neighbors would joke that those cows had the best view on the island.

This grass grows tall quickly, and it's almost always wet, so mowing can be a major pain. I'm seriously considering borrowing a few neighborhood sheep to help out.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I'm seriously considering borrowing a few neighborhood sheep

(cough)

 

[wabmester]

(cough)  

Hey, I said *borrowing* them, not dating them.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I wasnt thinking about any long term relationships, but I'm glad you've ruled those out.

(by the way, my wife wants to know what i'm laughing my ass off about. I'm not telling.)

 

[laurence]

Nice pick, TH! My daughter is seven months now, and she keeps grabbing the beer bottle out of my hand! Now I know she's mine, that Irish blood calls out for the stuff!

 

[kz]

I love to cut lawn. It takes me approx. 75 minutes to do our yard.
And I just worked out a deal with the neighbor where I'll cut his yard and he'll put an air cleaner on my furnace and clean the central air conditioner.

 

[deserat]

Count me in the "I hate mowing the lawn" crowd- unfortunately have one now...thinking about some serious concrete installation. Like Rok - rocks and cactus, which is what I had in Tucson. Went out with Roundup every now and then to get the weeds. Loved it.

B

 

[playaman]

To eliminate three hours of yardwork each Saturday (regardless of the season it seems), my wife and I bought a house in a subdivision of small lots facing a common park.

We have flower-beds and a big New Orleans-style courtyard and a tiny yard (the homeowner's association takes care of the park).

I consider that the best of both worlds.

 

[haha]

I cut my Dad's grass until I escaped to college. For the next 15 years I lived in apartments. Then I bought a country house with a large yard, and I have been cutting it for longer than I want to think about. Like Wab's situation, it is always wet, and grows fast. I have cut 10 times already this year. I like walk behind mowers, 'cause at least I get a little exercise. I pretty well ignore everything but cutting.

Last year I did finally get a mower that was well adapted to this area, an Ariens. It has made grass cutting much less frustrating. I try to see it as a discipline- not a big deal but something that might even be good for me. I can't say I like it though.

I do enjoy growing vegetables and fruits, because I am really into eating.

Mikey

 

[LovesLife]

After reading how most of you hate lawn mowing I have come to the conclusion that I am an inconsiderate wife. Here I sit reading the web while my husband attends to our 2 acre yard. He hates to mow and our yard has a steep hill. However, I fell "in love" with the place with its pretty gardens and yard while he is the one who takes care of it all. I should have listened when he told me so. Now I feel really guilty (but not enough to go help).

LovesLife
P.S. I have never mowed a lawn in my whole life. Had 2 brothers growing up.

 

[Cut-Throat]

After reading how most of you hate lawn mowing I have come to the conclusion that I am an inconsiderate wife.  Here I sit reading the web while my husband attends to our 2 acre yard.  He hates to mow and our yard has a steep hill.   However, I fell "in love" with the place with its pretty gardens and yard while he is the one who takes care of it all.  I should have listened when he told me so.  Now I feel really guilty (but not enough to go help).

LovesLife
P.S. I have never mowed a lawn in my whole life.  Had 2 brothers growing up.

Here is a great gift idea for the Husband - Get him a lawn service - Neighborhood kids are hit and miss on reliability. - It'll cost a few bucks, but he'll like it.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

This is interesting. I love to cut grass. Could do it all day. Very enjoyable passtime for me.

JG

 

[Zipper]

The key is don't listen to the experts and shovel on the fertilizer at the first sign of spring.

All that does is force lush growth that needs cutting a couple of times a week.

Lay off and put down an ultra slow release formula. Then spot spray for weeds and enjoy the summer. :

 

[LovesLife]

Cut-Throat,

I think that is a great idea but the hill is really steep. It is a liability issue. There is a 1/2 pond at the bottom of the hill. The previous owner rolled his mower twice into the pond and the second time he was trapped under his mower until help arrived.

This is definately not the home we are going to retire in. Way to big and too much upkeep. However, I have seen the light. Smaller home, less yard = more time for fun

LovesLife

 

[haha]

After reading how most of you hate lawn mowing I have come to the conclusion that I am an inconsiderate wife.  Here I sit reading the web while my husband attends to our 2 acre yard.  He hates to mow and our yard has a steep hill.   However, I fell "in love" with the place with its pretty gardens and yard while he is the one who takes care of it all.  I should have listened when he told me so.  Now I feel really guilty (but not enough to go help).

My sons ex-wife felt the same way.

Mikey

 

[haha]

I think that is a great idea but the hill is really steep.  It is a liability issue.

Confucius say dead husband easier to replace than money paid to satisfy tort judgment!

Mikey