Friday, May 12, 2006

Is it really cheaper to cut your own grass or was it worth $477 to buy the lawn mower?

Today, Grandpa and I bought our first lawnmower. It cost $477, including a quart of 30 weight oil and a lawn weasil (an aerating tool).

The heavy dty Briggs and Straton self-propelled electric start mower is the first one we've ever owned. Grandpa wanted a gasoline powered mower so he wouldn't have to worry about severing the electrical cable.

I wanted a self-propelled / self-starting mower because I didn't want Grandpa expiring in the hot sun.

Our 1/2 acre normally costs $35 per week to cut. in 14 weeks (some time in July) the lawn mower will have paid for itself, provided we cut the lawn weekly.

I have to admit, the front lawn is cut and it does look much nicer. NC is Fescue territory and tall fescue grass looks a bit ragged and wild.

For those of you with lawns, how many of you choose to cut it yourself versus hire a service? Does it really make sense and save money to do your own?

Looking forward to your thoughts,
makingourway

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I cut it myself, but we live on a bit under a quarter acre. Next month (after the move) we'll be on a bit over an acre. While it's partly wooded, that's still a lot of grass. I'm probably looking at a lawn tractor, which is considerably more expensive. Then again, so is a lawn service for something that large. Basically, I need to get an estimate and then see where things stand in terms of the time to break even.

Anonymous said...

I would recommend you go for it yourself. However, I would recommend purchasing a reel mower as opposed to a rotary.

This will initially cost more but you will end up with a lawn that looks as good, if not better than the pro's and they're far easier to operate.

All the best with the decision-making process.

makingourway said...

fivecent, looks like you probably will need a lawn tractor. The cheapest I saw at Lowe's was about $995 for a low end (not to nice either) lawn tractor. The better onese seem to cost from $2000 - $3500. Maybe www.consumerreports.org has a good report on them.
Grandpa and I mowed the loan yesterday (he did most of it - he seemed to enjoy it). I'm comfortable with the decision to buy the mower.

Stu, we did it! Feels like a good decision. What's the difference between a reel and rotary mower? We bought a gasoline powered mower - if that's relevant to the question.

Gentlemen, thanks for the thoughts and recommendations.

Have a wonderful weekend,
makingourway