Should we get rid of our lawn service?

[lakeview]

We have a lawn and garden service come in twice a month to take care of our yard. it's something that I would like to stop because it would be nice to put the money toward other things I think are more important. The issue is that when we didn't have the service, our yard became very overgrown and ugly. That is why we hired the service. I'm afraid if we stop, that will happen again devaluing our property price and we'll have to hire someone to clean it up all again in a few months time for even more than maintaining it. I'm not sure what to do...

[phantom]

Personally, my husband and I use a lawn service and consider the cost justifiable. We're relatively clueless about proper lawn care and have neighbors with nice green lawns to make ours look bad if it starts to turn brown. We could probably educate ourselves to take care better care of our lawn on our own. But, for now, we don't mind paying for the expertise and saving ourselves some time and effort. They come about once a month, spring through fall. Mostly, they just apply fertilizer and weed killer. They also let us know if we need to water more or cut the grass to a different length.

I think you need to consider what it is that the service you're paying for is doing that you were not doing before, whether or not everything they're doing is necessary, and whether or not you could/would do the necessary stuff yourselves. I would also consider whether or not you could change your landscaping to make it easier for you to maintain. What exactly is it that gets so messy without professional maintenance? It's hard to know what your alternatives might be without a better picture of the problem.

[rennigade]

How big is your property that needs mowed? If you can't keep up with it then keep paying someone to do it. Your neighbors will thank you.

[ua_guy]

If you have no time to give to it, hiring a service is well worth it. The appearance of your home is important, and landcscaping is costly to replace if it dies or is killed off for whatever reason.

Just take a look at what you're spending. Maybe talk to someone that knows yards and landscaping for a reality check, i.e. do you really need certain services or chemical applications, etc.

[disneysteve]

when we didn't have the service, our yard became very overgrown and ugly.

That would only happen if you didn't mow the lawn yourself of course.

If you need to save money, this is an obvious place to look. You can go on craigslist and probably buy a good used mower for under $100. Maybe a weed whacker too.

I mowed my own lawn for about the first 10 years we owned our home. Eventually, I just got tired of doing it and decided the cost was worth it. But if money were tight, I'd go back to doing it myself. I still have the mower in the garage.

[QuarterMillionMan]

It depends. Are you funding your IRA's to the maximum allowable by the IRS? Does your employer offer a 401k, 403b, 457, or other retirement vehicle in which you are contributing, preferably the max? Do you have an 8 month emergency fund? You might want to focus on these things first before paying for a lawn service.



Also, if you are elderly or physically incapable of doing it yourselves then paying others to do it makes sense. Also, if you can easily afford to pay someone else to do it then that would seem reasonable but since you mentioned that the funds could be put to better use then I would recommend doing it yourselves. Think in terms of the double benefit of getting some good exercise while doing yourselves it as well.

[snafu]

Landscaping/yard maintenance is a pro/con decision making process. There are a lot of factors to consider. Do you have the equipment to DIY like lawnmower, edger, weed whacker, fertilizer spreader, sprayer, rake etc. Since you are the lead in wanting to discontinue current service, how many hours are you willing to devote to the project during the season? Do you have teenagers who can be shanghaied and bribed to participate? Does DW like to garden?

At our initial, new built house, the guys on the cul du sac all bonded by helping each other lay sod and solving landscaping problems. By 8 AM Saturday they were all out there enjoying their noisy lawnmowers.
by 3rd house yards were professionally landscaped and our teenaged DSs were operating a lawn care service.

The $$$ saved would be used for XXX. to continue the service X categories can be cut by xxx%. I'm committed to spend X hrs each Saturday [or designated day] for yard care. Take mower for service by March ____. Fully stocked product and equipment cupboard. Replaces X hours cardio work-out.

...just some unedited thoughts

[feh]

We've never used a lawn service. I'm capable of cutting the lawn every 10-14 days.

I also don't care if my lawn has more weeds or is less green then the neighbor's.

[JoeP]

For lawn care, it really comes down to: cost, ability, time, tools.

Personally, I enjoy the time and process of mowing my lawn. It gives me valuable "me time" to do some reflecting, thinking, planning, etc. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I take pride in the job I do and the fact that it looks nice because of my efforts. My wife had our lawn mowed by a service when we were very busy and I was unhappy with the results.

You can find quite a few nice mowers on CL, and you'll probably want a self propelled. Just keep the blade sharp, clean the air filter and change the oil as directed, and use non-ethanol gas if you can. Also FWIW, I bought a Ryobi cordless string trimmer and it is a pleasure to use...no more mixing gas and hard starts.

[llckll]

I had lawn service last year and total cost for 2013 was approximately $3,500 for the year. This year I am not going to renew with them cause I can sure use that money elsewhere.

I would just have to purchase a lawn mower, edger, and blower this year. The only reason I hired them was because I was lazy. I'm coming up to my mid 30's and it's about time I take responsibility for my own home.

[lakeview]

Thank you for all the comments. I'm still debating. I know we should do it ourselves, but I still have nightmares of what our yard used to look like.

Another question for those that do have yard service. How much do you pay for it?

[corn18]

I have it just because I travel a lot on business and don't want the hassle of mowing it myself. Costs $140 / month for mowing. Another $50 / mo for keeping it green and bug free.

[JoeP]

My recommendation is to look into what it takes to have a healthy lawn.

For my location, this means annual application of a crabgrass preventer, spot treatment of dandelions/broadleafs with something like weed-b-gone delivered via a backpack sprayer, and fertilization with something safe like Milorganite. Doesn't hurt to aerate a couple times a year.

Every location is different, so it's best to check with your local garden center. They might even ask for a soil sample to check for pH.

Then it's really just a matter of carving out some time to get out and mow it. You may find it to be relaxing and satisfying.

[Tessol36]

I think you should keep the service. In the mean time, you can also start shopping for cheaper services and test them out once a month. Once for the regular company and once for the new cheaper company to see how that helps and also to compare difference in service delivery. Then you can decide which company to keep afterwards. There's always the issue of procrastination when you think you will do things yourself. I'm sure you don't want lawn nightmares

Cheers