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04-04-2007, 06:27 AM
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#1
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,032
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Do you mow?
Now that I have a house in suburbia and summer is near I need to make a choice.
Do I mow my own lawn (1/3 acre lot) or hire somebody to do it? I would probably be the only person in the entire town who cuts their own grass, but I don't care.
Lawn mower (Honda) would cost me about $400 (with my 10% off moving coupon from Home depot which somebody here referred me to so thanks)
Lawn service would run about $60 a month.
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04-04-2007, 06:30 AM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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Re: Do you mow?
Mowed the first two years after moving, then found a mowing service for under $16 a week, if I pay for the full season up front. Working twelve hour days, the LAST thing I want to do after w*rk is mow the lawn, especially if it's 110F outside...
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Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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04-04-2007, 06:38 AM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Re: Do you mow?
1/3 acre? Buy a push mower for under $100 and get a little exercise.
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"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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04-04-2007, 06:42 AM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,072
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Re: Do you mow?
Yup! We have 1.5 acres. about .5 acres is wooded in back. I mow 1 acre. The yard has some slopes in spots. I use a riding mower. It takes about 1 hour to mow. trimming takes about 15 minutes.
Mowed for the first time this year last Saturday.
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04-04-2007, 06:43 AM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 10,252
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Re: Do you mow?
I mow. I find it therapeutic and relaxing, much like playing my guitar, riding my bike, watching my aquarium and working at my job.
Get brewer to mow your lawn for free. A push (no engine) mower will be a PITA and take you 5 times as long. I got one for free from someone who tried it. I also tried it.
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04-04-2007, 06:49 AM
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#6
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Dryer sheet aficionado
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 35
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Re: Do you mow?
I mow a couple of acres and it’s my mini escape. I mix up a nice adult beverage, light up a cigar, fire up the John Deere and get to it. For me it’s like therapy…
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04-04-2007, 06:52 AM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Charleston, SC
Posts: 13,566
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Re: Do you mow?
Four acres...Yanmar diesel tractor with a 4 foot mowing deck (finish mower).
Takes about 4 hours total. DH actually enjoys it, in a zen sort of way, like LOL! mentioned. He won't even let me do it, it is a "man job". I spent enough time on big tractors on Dad's farm, so I'm good with that. I had to mow big fields and the ditches, so mowing around trees is a bigger hassle.
How funny to live somewhere where you'd be the only one mowing your own grass...
Oooh, Spark, a John Deere, I'm jealous! But we got a great deal on the Yanmar diesel.
Sarah
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“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.”
Gerard Arthur Way
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04-04-2007, 07:05 AM
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#8
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 315
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Re: Do you mow?
Yes, I mow, on a 10 year old Sears riding mower - takes about 2.5 hours. I have it serviced every year. I'm counting on DSO to plant enough gardens that I can replace it with a walk behind when it will no longer run - less grass area. I'd rather mow than clean house. Sometimes I take a beer along, but no cigar.
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"Retirement isn’t really a switch you flip at a certain age anymore," the Schwab report states. "It’s a financial state that allows for the flexibility to make work optional."
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04-04-2007, 07:13 AM
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#9
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,005
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Re: Do you mow?
I mow. $129 mower (el cheapo) from Home Depot. 1/3 acre. Takes ~1 hr (with a couple short cuts). Trimming, done occasionally, takes 15-30 minutes. It's good exercise. It does suck to mow in 95-100 degree weather and 100% humidity.
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04-04-2007, 07:20 AM
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#10
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,677
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Re: Do you mow?
DH enjoys mowing, so much so that he does my dads yard next door too. A lot of times it's a game to see who can get to the mower first, dh or dad. End results for me is a well manicured lawn all summer long I don't even mention wanting to do it, I'd never get a chance.
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Dogs aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras
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04-04-2007, 07:26 AM
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#11
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 577
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Re: Do you mow?
Yes, I mow. Dad gave me their old 1970's mower when I bought my house. It sill works. When I got "eco minded" I bought a reel mower, the push kind, but it's still in the box.
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04-04-2007, 07:26 AM
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#12
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 5,105
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Re: Do you mow?
I was a city boy who wanted to try living in a house in the suburbs - so I got the house on .5 acres and tried the mowing and tree care thing - no gardens.
It was a pain in the but - mowing is only one part of the cost
Fertlilizer
Weed control
Clippings disposal
purchase of mower
purchase of gas
purchase of mower oil
weed wacker for trimming around things & edging
rental of bush trimmer
Loss of hearing from all the noise ... priceless
Pay someone to do it for you.
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Sometimes death is not as tragic as not knowing how to live. This man knew how to live--and how to make others glad they were living. - Jack Benny at Nat King Cole's funeral
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04-04-2007, 07:31 AM
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#13
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 362
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Re: Do you mow?
Mow my own and always have. Those on my street with young children have yard service. Gee, maybe I could cut their yards..........nah.
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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
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04-04-2007, 07:33 AM
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#14
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,490
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Re: Do you mow?
don't water, don't fertilize, don't grow, don't mow.
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04-04-2007, 07:43 AM
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#15
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 577
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Re: Do you mow?
1/3 ACRE, MOW IT. I CUT THE GRASS A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR DW DOES MOST OF IT. SON JUST TURNED 12 (WAS ON AN APPRENTICESHIP THE LAST TWO YEARS) WILL BE TAKING ON MORE THIS YEAR. iF WE GET BEHIND, BUSY VACATION ETC... WE HAVE THE NEIGHBOR KID GET IT FOR US.
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I highjacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold - Bon Jovi
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04-04-2007, 07:46 AM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,321
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Re: Do you mow?
Bad back - haven't done my own mowing in 10 years. Current lawn service costs a lot but includes fertilizing, mowing, edging, mulching, etc. I pay $104 per month for a 10 month "season".
Grumpy
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...you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...
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04-04-2007, 07:48 AM
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#17
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Posts: 138
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Re: Do you mow?
DS (dear son) has done it since he was 12. I'll have to do it this year til he comes home for the summer from college.
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"Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time."
"It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis” Margaret Bonnano
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04-04-2007, 07:50 AM
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#18
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Re: Do you mow?
Quote:
Originally Posted by saluki9
Do I mow my own lawn (1/3 acre lot) or hire somebody to do it? I would probably be the only person in the entire town who cuts their own grass, but I don't care.
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I got lucky and married a woman who thinks mowing is fun.
What about planting a 1/3-acre garden or xeriscaping?
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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04-04-2007, 07:54 AM
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#19
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 699
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Re: Do you mow?
1/40th of an acre. It would be embarrassing to hire somebody else to do it.
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04-04-2007, 08:02 AM
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#20
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Crownsville
Posts: 3,746
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Re: Do you mow?
I have a lawn tractor that I use to cut my yard and my grandmother's, across the street. Of my 4 1/4 acres, I'd say that maybe 1-1.5 acres actually gets mowed. The rest is either forest, driveway, structure, etc. My grandmother's yard is about 1 1/4 acres, but once you account for the house, driveway, garage, fenced in area for the dog, etc, it's probably down to under an acre.
To do it all probably takes about 2 1/2 hours. My Granddad bought the tractor back in early 1990; probably paid about $1300-1400 for it. Considering it's going into its 18th season, I'd say we got our money's worth out of it! It needs a new battery from time to time and an occasional belt, and some suspension work here and there.
I can actually get most of the grounds with the tractor, so I don't use the push mower that often. There are some spots I can't get, such as the dog run area at my grandma's, or a courtyard area at my house, and I'll usually hit them about one a month. I try to hit the parts of the grounds with the tractor every two weeks, although sometimes I get lazy and put it off. And sometimes the grass grows fast enough that even two weeks is too long.
I have no idea how much a lawn service would cost. I think my neighbor pays about $50 per visit. But they do everything...tractor cutting, push mower cutting, edging, trimming, etc. She complains about the cost, but I think it's a pretty good deal. Heck, I wouldn't do all that for 50 bucks! I told her I'd cut her back yard area, which I can hit with the tractor in about 20-25 minutes and not charge her anything, but then that would leave her with all the other trimming and such.
I think I was 9 when my Granddad started letting me drive the tractor. Back then, we lived down in Southern MD, about 40 miles from my grandparents, and every other week during mowing season, he'd load that tractor up on the back of his truck and bring it down to cut our grass. I remember how exciting it was as a kid, getting to drive that tractor. The novelty wore off fairly quickly, though. Seems like when it's something new and different, it's fun, but once you realize it's just another chore, it loses its charm.
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