Finally switched from paying for lawn service to doing it myself after 7 years

I used to pay a crew $150 a month to mow and edge my yard in Cleveland Heights. They came every week rain or shine but I noticed they were rushing through the job after a while. Last spring I caught them scalping my lawn so bad it took months to recover. I decided to buy a decent self-propelled mower for $400 and started doing it myself. Now I actually enjoy being outside and I can control the cut height and pattern. I figure I saved about $1,800 in 8 months. Has anyone else made the switch from hired help to DIY yard work?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_webb18d ago

Scalping is exactly why I fired my crew too. But here's what I'm wondering - did you notice any change in your neighbors' attitudes once you started doing it yourself? lmao. My next door neighbor actually came over and asked if I lost my job because he saw me mowing my own lawn for the first time in years. I had to explain that I was saving money and actually enjoying it, but he still looked at me like I was crazy. The weird social pressure to keep paying for lawn service is real in some neighborhoods.

susan64918d ago

I mean the scalping part really hit home with me. I had the same exact problem with my crew in Columbus, they were ripping through my lawn so fast it looked like a golf course rough after they left. Switched to doing it myself two years ago and honestly I wish I had done it sooner. The $1800 you saved is basically what I saved too, and that paid for my mower plus a trimmer and blower. Idk what it is but there's something satisfying about being the one in control of the lawn height and pattern. Plus you get a little exercise and fresh air which I never got sitting on my porch watching them rush through it.

phoenix_grant3416d ago

@blair_webb that's hilarious because my neighbor literally did the same thing lol. He came over and was like "everything okay?" just because he saw me pushing my own mower for the first time. I told him I saved almost two grand and actually liked doing it, and he just nodded but I could tell he thought I was downgrading my life or something. The weirdest part is now I see him out there trimming his own edges too sometimes, but he still pays a crew for the main mowing. I don't get it.