Comments on: Sometimes It’s Worth Paying

By: Luke

Luke — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:53:14 +0000

I do my own lawn work but only because I have the great luck of having a father who upgrades things regularly and I got his downcasts…so I have all the fancy tools. Home security, I have covered with great insurance, digital and paper photos of everything of value that may be a target, and a doberman, or worst case scenario a Glock .357, in case it happens when my family is home. Car care, I take no chances with I have a regular mechanic who services all my vehicles…my wifes new van, my old truck, and my older jeep. I don’t have to worry about pool service because I have 6 months of winter!

By: Meg

Meg — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:03:12 +0000

Hmmm… you are tricky with the set-up, but great blog – could not be more timely.

As someone living in Manhattan, I have no car or pool or yard. I also have no time. So the money I spend on my house cleaner is completely worth it to me. I want a clean and apartment and I am willing to pay someone to ensure I have one. This year I also used a CPA for the first time after years of doing my own taxes. He saved me $1500, making his fee more than worth it.

By: Paul K.

Paul K. — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:31:45 +0000

Ten hours per week to care for your lawn? Where do you live, Augusta National? Takes me about two hours per week to mow and trim my 1.1-acre lawn.

Paying for lawn care and swimming pool care is excessive. It’s easy to do and doesn’t take much time.

By: Devyn

Devyn — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:25:18 +0000

The lawn and shrub service depends greatly on the size of your yard. Certainly, if you have a smaller yard, such as we do, I would feel wastefull to have someone drive out to work on our small yard. That said, some of our neighbors do just that.

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:22:31 +0000

For the most part I agree with you. I too have a home security system and the cost more than pays for the piece of mind I have, especially when I am away from home. For me, this is the most important of the items you listed. The other items, such as lawn care and auto maintenance, we do ourselves in these tough economic times.

By: Native Sun

Native Sun — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:44:39 +0000

I cringed when I read the following:
“Tony is (i) a great guy, and (ii) my

By: spicoli

spicoli — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 18:12:49 +0000

i use some of the same sevices you do and i have a “Tony” of my own.

By: Bobbi

Bobbi — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:03:34 +0000

My sister has a pool and used a service. She decided to go to the saltwater method. The initial cost up front is expensive, but she barely has to touch it & none of those pesky chemicals. It is awesome!

By: Persephone

Persephone — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:44:15 +0000

A housekeeping service is a good idea if you work a lot (though my husband would disagree). My husband, though usually a practical person, thinks that a cleaning service is a waste of money. When I did work professionally, I worked over 60 hours a week. Coming home to a dirty house was overwhelming at times. Add children to the mix and at times I was downright depressed. I should have spent the money on a housekeeper to at least clean the bathrooms.

What do you think? Are there situations that justify the admittedly huge expense of a cleaning service?

By: Annie Jones

Annie Jones — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:17:14 +0000

I disagree with most of your points. I can’t imagine we’d ever pay someone to care for our lawn and it takes him about 10 hours a week, not 20 In fact, my husband isn’t a “yard guy”, but he has been hired by some of our friends to care for their lawns, too. He also cares for our trees and shrubs and does our pest control.

He does all the basic maintenance and some of the more substantial repairs to our vehicles, but we do take them in if it’s a repair he thinks is over his head or one that may void a warranty (although now all of our vehicles are past warranty).

In the past we’ve had small “easy-set” pools and either of us were able to handle both the cleaning and the chemical adjustments.

We don’t have a security system and don’t plan to get one. We do have outside motion sensor lighting and a security camera in place, all of which my husband installed.

We don’t hire out our housework (I do the bulk of it) and if there is aesthetic or structural remodeling to be done, my husband and I do it together. The only job my husband would “hire out” would be major electrical work. He does minor electrical work, however.

For us, to hire out these things when we are capable of doing them ourselves would be a waste of money.