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Cut Your Own Grass or Use a Lawn Service?

Written by Nickel - 35 Comments

Given that our new house has a much bigger lawn than our old one did, we need to figure out how we’re going to handle lawncare. The lawn is big enough that we’re not willing to cut it with our walk-behind mower (which is a bummer, because we bought a nice one a year or two ago). That leaves us with two options: (1) buy a lawn tractor, or (2) hire a lawn service.

We’ve gone out and priced decent lawn tractors, and it looks like that route would set us back around $1500. In terms of hiring a lawn service, the first (and only, so far) quote that we’ve received has been for $50/cutting (includes trimming and cleanup with a blower). We’re waiting on a few more estimates, but I’m trying to figure out the tipping point.

On the one hand, we’d save money in the long term with a lawn tractor — given the above numbers, the break even point (ignoring maintenance, time spent mowing, and gas) is right around 30 mowings. That works out to about two years, after which we’d come out ahead.

On the other hand, it’s a much bigger upfront investment (though we can easily handle it as a cash transaction), and we’d also have to house it — when you think about how much real estate costs these days, you begin to realize that floor space (even in a garage) isn’t free. So… Does anyone have any thoughts on the issue? If so, please leave a comment.

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Published on June 9th, 2006 - 35 Comments
Filed under: House & Home

About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!

35 Responses to “Cut Your Own Grass or Use a Lawn Service?”

1
Hazzard Says:
June 9th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
No question for me. I would LOVE to have a riding lawnmower. My lawn is too small to justify one. I also enjoy the immediate satisfaction of how good the lawn looks right after I’ve mowed it. I’d never pay anyone to do it.

I think you should get the mower. You’ll come out waaaay ahead in the long run (since you’ve already stated you’d break even in two years)

Pay my airfare and I’ll even come mow it for you.
2
Blaine Moore Says:
June 9th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
I’m a big fan of push mowers. Just think how much exercise you’ll be getting! I say save your money and use what you’ve got. I’ll wager I am the odd duck though in the likely responses you’ll get.

That being said, which way you go will depend upon where you live. If you get a lot of snow, I’d get a tractor that you can attach a plow to. If you don’t, I’d probably go with the lawn service. You can probably get a better price than $50/mow by signing an seasonal/annual agreement or some such. You might even get lawn treatments and fertilizer that way.
3
Terri W. Says:
June 9th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Our lawn is an acre and we’re here in Texas, and hello, it’s summer! We pay 75 dollars for an off-duty firefighter who cuts lawns on the side to come out about once every week and a half or two weeks to cut and trim and otherwise keep things nice. Even on his stand-up, chariot-style [very fast!] riding mower, it takes over an hour to get it all done.

It’s been near 100 degrees and very humid lately, and it is very, very worth it to not do it ourselves.
4
mbhunter Says:
June 10th, 2006 at 1:13 am
Are your new neighbors friendly? Could you barter with them for use of theirs? Could you go halvsies on the purchase of a new one with one of them?
5
Matt Says:
June 10th, 2006 at 1:29 am
My fiancee is allergic to grass clippings and I get violently ill after more than 10 minutes exposure to sunlight, so we’ll be going with a lawn service once we get a house. But obviously not primarily for financial reasons.

While it’s certainly possible to compute the cost of that space in your garage, the lack of granularity in real estate and the sunk cost rule make it rather nonsensical to do so. Rather than asking whether the riding mower is worth whatever made-up number you’d compute for its monthly storage cost, consider the (very real) question of opportunity cost. That is, do you have anything _else_ that you’d otherwise be using that space for, if you didn’t get the riding mower, and if so, how much do you want to put the space to that use?
6
Hal Says:
June 10th, 2006 at 11:51 am
We had this same question last year when we moved into our first house. We ended up deciding that the cost of purchasing and maintaining a lawnmower, weedeater, etc., the hassle of storing it, paying for the gas to run it, and my time in doing the work were too much to justify not using a lawn service. We have a dependable service that charges us $20 for our 1/5 acre (including edging, trimming, cleanup). Very happy that all I have to do to maintain our yard is write a check for $20 and tape it to the back door every two weeks.
7
Penny Says:
June 10th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
I used to cut the grass in my own small yard and it would take about 30-40 minutes. After getting married, my husband insisted on getting rid of my still new mower and hiring a lawn service so that we could do other things with our time. Now that I’m no longer married, I’m once again contemplating getting a mower. I did switch lawn services and went from paying $100 per month to $50.
8
Daytonscott Says:
June 11th, 2006 at 8:15 pm
Mow less lawn. Add landscaped areas, plant additional trees, or just let it grow in the corners…if your neighbors can stand it. Goal: make it small enough to mow with the walkbehind mower. Also reduces air pollution (by mowing less), provides diversity for wildlife habitat, provides a visual buffer between you and your neighbors, and can even reduce heating and cooling costs.
9
nickel Says:
June 12th, 2006 at 7:18 am
Matt: I agree on the sunk cost issue, and wasn’t trying to come up with an exact cost — just noting that storing big things takes up valuable space.

Daytonscott: We already have a lot of non-grass areas (proportionally) and can’t easily add more.
10
FMF Says:
June 12th, 2006 at 8:12 am
$50? Ouch!

We cut our own (I have an old — 12 year old — lawn mowner with no power assist) and I count it as part of my exercise routine.

However, our neighbor has a service I’m considering. It’s only $10 a cut and it takes the guy 20 minutes or so (he has a big machine). For $10, you really can’t go wrong.

Can you?
11
nickel Says:
June 12th, 2006 at 8:25 am
No, for ten bucks you really can’t go wrong. How large is your lawn, and how long does it take you to mow it yourself? We also have a non-power-assisted walk behind, and it would take me hours to get through our new lawn (it used to take me 1-1.5 hours at our old house, but it was good exercise).
12
Mike Says:
June 14th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
What is your time worth? I pay $40 to get mine mowed and let the tractor sit in the garage. I would rather spend $40 and have the time to do something else where I can make more money.
13
nickel Says:
June 14th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to spending what would otherwise be mowing time earning money with other endeavors is tax efficiency. If I choose skip the mowing in order to earn more money, I have to make substantially more than $40 to break even. Given that my side work is self-employment, I pay upwards of 40% in taxes (income + self-employment). So to break even on a $40 lawn bill, I’d have to earn close to $70. Just something to keep in mind.
14
Jennifer Says:
July 1st, 2006 at 3:18 pm
I have a bad back and a lot of other things that need done. I also hate mowing the grass and have a lot of allergies and after mowing my eyes burn and I sneeze and have a runny nose. How much do you like mowing? I hate it but some people enjoy it. If you really love to mow the grass buy the tractor and have fun! But if you are like me and hate mowing the lawn service wins hands down! Keep in mind you will have to do maintenance on the tractor (oil changes and such) and that is more time out of your life.
15
bob Says:
July 12th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
I am going through this exact same thing with my property. The question for me was what type of tractor to get. They range from 3k to 10k, depending on who you talk to. I am leaning toward a lawn service for the following reasons:

1.Time saved to do other things (Weekends free)
2.the cost of buying a tractor that only lasts a couple of years would be a penny wise pound foolish scenerio.
3.A strong possibility we could only be at the property for 5 years or less
16
erf Says:
January 13th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
if you think your lawn service is too high; you should consider what it cost for anyone with a skilled trade to come to your house to service anything. plumbers, electricans, appliance repair, ect. the list could go on and the guy cutting your lawn is doing the most labor intense job of them all. he is also paying about 50% of what he charges in taxes & maintaince cost. i am a lawn care prof. i once gave a guy a price of 75.00 to cut his overgrown lawn (4 summer weeks worth) & he said he could rent a pushmower for less. i dont think he considered that it would take him most of the day. to do half the quality job we would have done. things like string trimming garden edging clean up & to haul off all clippings. my point is if you consider all of a lawn services cost you will see they are a really good value for the service.
17
geek Says:
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:53 pm
After 25 years I am switching to a lawn service. I like mowing my lawn but hate having to mow it.

I don’t care what lawn mower or tractor you buy, that is not the end of the expense. Sharpening and replacing blades, filters, and if you have a repair after 2 or 3 years, not a trivial expense.

If you can find a reasonably priced lawn service, that has a lot of charm. Keep an old lawn mower around if you get the urge.
18
Kay Says:
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
We hired a lawn service which also does the work for couple of houses in same street. So for 1/2 acre of land, we pay 35$ per lawn mowing and 45$ per application for all fertilisers and stuff. Its so relaxing to come home after work and see your lawn well cut and clean.
19
Brian Says:
August 11th, 2008 at 3:56 am
I think it matters on what you would use the time for and if you like riding the mower. I used to own a lawn mowing service with a ZTR mower and it was fun to play with. I would go as fast as possible backward and shove the levers forward and pop wheelies. Not the most cost effective thing to do but it was fun. LOL
20
Matt Says:
March 27th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I don’t think you should consider cost at all. You already know that you will eventually break even.

I found this site, because I had just finished bagging 40 large trash bags of oak leaves and yard trimmings from the fall. Yeahhh. 40 bags my friend. 40.

I think you should consider your health, your back, your hard work, your time and your skill level. I am exhausted after mowing, it takes up a few hours to mow, trim, leaf blow and fertilize. Even with gloves I find that my hands can get raw, my back starts to hurt, I feet dirty for that entire day, and the trimmings never seem to look as cleaned up as the pros can make them look. it actually affects your entire life. I’m not joking. I have had a farmers tan (I look like I’m perpetually dirty when I’m at the beach) ever since 2.5 years ago.

The only reason to consider doing it yourself, other than the obvious fact that it saves you in the long run (so does making your own home with your own hands), is how does it make you feel when you do it? I only do it because I find it therapeutic. But forget this. 2.5 years of it, and I am giving in.

And by the way, 1500 for mower, 100 for blower, 100 for weed trimmer, 150 for edger, 10 for gloves, 15 for 1 pack of large bags, 10 for rake, 15 for janitors broom, gas for each item (1 gallon every mow and trim), hedge trimmer and pruning shears, not to mention aerating shoes, fertilizer and bug spray, paper towels, a ladder and gas can. Over $2000. And most of it will need to be serviced or purchased multiple times over the course of two years. Only your mower and a ladder will be ok, but you will have to buy new air and fuel filters for it, $8. And it may even need service.

Try 2000 to start. Then extra items. And usable items total over $300 over the course of two years, and cost that much every recuring 2 years thereafter. That’s a long time to assume your gloves will last, your rake will, your items dont need servicing, etc. Plus 2 years of gas?? Thats 104 weeks. 2 years of weed trimmer wire?? $20. I am sure you will purchase some carborator cleaner for all of your items. $5. How about Some 2 cycle oil and regular oil for 2 years for all of your items? $20.
21
Alex Says:
October 21st, 2009 at 11:08 pm
hey, I think you should definately go with the lawn service. Stop being such a cheap person. I doubt that you are struggling, If you have enough grass for it to cost 50 bucks to take care of your living alright. Think about the time you will waste the time and effort you will use to take it out and put it back away. Clean it and repair it. And help out a small company. give another hard working guy a chance to make that extra 50 bucks every other week.!
22
shane Says:
February 9th, 2010 at 8:50 am
i agree with alex, don’t be so cheap. Your lucky enough to at least own a house(lots of ppl will never get the opportunity to own any house).You stated you can afford a mower and have the space, so are you just too lazy too ride it or looking for some guy to do it for next to nothing. It’s frustrating to watch how ppl, especially those with a bit more money in there pocket, are so greedy and cheap. Small mowing operators work hard to compete with larger mow franchises often doing a better job and being expected to break their backs and sweat away for an hour or more for $20. People need to wake up and realise the value that there local lawn mowers and gardeners provide, or eventually you’llfind nobody with half a clue will want to do that job anymore and you’ll all have to suffer and do it yourselves, which won’t be fun considering the size of some peoples properties. Those old gardeners and mowers may then seek new proffessions in areas where ppl with big houses and land are happy to spend.
23
John Says:
October 5th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
You should be cheap and never let any of these lawn guys get even one dime of your extra money. Force them to find a job at McDonalds. I hate working class people like this who want to overcharge you and get that piece of the easy life that they have not earned. I want them broke and angry so I can get my lawn mowed for 10 dollars. Which is an amount where they are earning 1 dollar per mow. Then what I do is complain about every single thing they do to make them feel worthless and waste their time. It’s awesome and joyous for me because no one makes a profit from me. That’s my mission.
24
John Says:
October 5th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
No lawn care guy deserves a profit. Your mission in life is to avoid anyone making a profit form you. That’s your purpose. You must be as ruthless as possible with these people. Sue them if they do any type of damage whatsoever to any part of your property. My hatred for fake business people like lawn care services cannot be understated. The dregs of society who deserve NO PROFIT. My mission in life is to actually make mowing my lawn a money losing situation for them. If they quote me 30 dollars I quote them 9 dollars. if they quote me 15 dollars I quote them 5 dollars. All they represent to me is a cost. They are not people. You must be the most ruthless human being with the lowest lifeforms so that they never succeed and compete with you later. That’s vitally important. Eliminate all threats.
25
Big V Says:
April 2nd, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Yeah, hire the lawn guy. If you can afford a big lawn and a big mower, then you have plenty of cash, so why spend your time doing heavy work? The point of having money is to make your life easier, right?
26
Anthony R Says:
April 9th, 2011 at 8:54 am
I’m going thru the very same debate right now. Have always cut my 1/4 acrea lawn with my self-propelled mower and enjoyed it. Then last year started having major health problems with my breathing. So I hired a guy to do it at $35 every couple weeks. He does a great job and to me that’s not a lot of money considering the price of his equipment, gas, etc. Now this year I’ve been pricing tractors, especially the John Deeres, which would definitely save $ over the long run, but then I would have to trim (which I hate), store the thing in my garage, and maintain it, not to mention my time. So I’m thinking now the best way to go is the lawn service, figuring it’s maybe $300 more a year at most with a lot less headaches. Maybe every now & then cut my front lawn, which is easier, with my self-propelled.
27
Gina B. Says:
April 18th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Hey John (#23 & 24)…how old are you? 90?! Dude, you couldn’t live without the working class…I challenge you to try…your “mission”….paaaleeeze!
28
sean c Says:
April 20th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
look 23 and 24. yall r some sick bastards. dude i own a lawn care business and i deal will yall jerks everyday. i get people that want a $75 yard cut for 20 bucks everyday. why dont yall rich bastards quit giving us guys that have to slave and sweat all day in the baking sun to earn a dang living. its not our fault u were born rich you greedy bastard pay ur dues or go slave in your own yard. oh yea u live on a estate were u have to cut it every week. sorry you bought that 2 acres and r a cheap bastard. get out the a/c see what it feels like. quit putting lotion on ur hands and get some calisis. dang guys nowadays are being girls. dude if you want the service pay for it dont call us out for free look arounds and then wanna low ball us.
29
Chris Says:
May 2nd, 2011 at 10:11 am
Wow john (23,24) Your a douche… Its people like you that need to be taken out back of my yard and shot in the face… You are what is known as a scammer… I am sure your that douche that also goes to a restaurant and drops your own hair in your food to get it for free… People that cut lawns for a living or on the side do it because there is a demand for it… I work 18 hour days ( Tile installer) most times and I don’t get much of a chance to cut my own grass… I can tell you one thing you should NEVER try to screw someone over for working to do something you don’t want to or don’t have time to do… Do me a favor john get brave enough to post your addy on here and I will gladly come cut your grass for 9 dollars…. I am going to do it with your ass but it will get done you stupid prick….
30
Hum Dec Says:
May 30th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
John!!! are you for hire??? I’ll give you $10.26 to mow my lawn. You have a profit of $1.26 over your original quote! It’s too hot and humid for me to do it. Besides, I don’t want to risk braking my lawn mower in this weahter, buy gas and oil, clean all that grass off my equipment… My yard is 200′ x 100′ but I’ll give you a free can of soda!
31
M Hopson Says:
August 9th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
I think it is important do-it-yourself homeowners are honest about expenses and “labor.” My husband does ours. But he leaves it to his “wife” to pick up all the yard debris, trim shrubs and palms, etc. We spent $4,500 on a riding mower. We spend $600 or more per year for fertilizer. Plus there’s been new edgers, blowers, weedeaters over the years. Then the griping about “his back” after the work … and he didn’t even do the prep work! So you can think you are “saving” money, but if you can afford it, hire it done!
32
Dave Says:
September 5th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Seems to me that only really matters to who ever yard it is, and what they want to do, But Chris you are the man!!
33
Johnny Says:
November 30th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
I would use a lawn service most of them do a great job and they are tryin to make a living to nothin better than being able to leave a 50 dollar check under the mat and comming home to ur grass already cut
34
Andy Says:
December 11th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
At 62, I’m contemplating with you, mainly because I’m getting older and my self-propelled takes almost an hour to finish the job. Many of my neighbors already use professional services. However, I find their “macho-machines” rudely intrusive, considerably more powerful and noisy than are needed for suburban neighborhood lawns. They park bulky trailer conveyances on the nearby streets, while their non-English speaking blower and trimmer guys noise themselves on and off-streets twixt and tween residencies, often during dinner hours. I suppose this is considered good advertisement of their “mowing prowess” as it were. Nevertheless, I had to post a sign in Spanish to stop them from over-cutting my border Ivy in clear view of registered boundary monuments. I guess they’re not from these parts? Anyway, I’m wondering if anyone has ever seen a lawn service advertise their quietness, or their subtle respect and sensitivity for the neighborhood among their attributes. In the end, I suppose I’m still too comfortable with my own manhood to vicariously assert a lawn service in my place. So, I’ll probably decide to purchase an appropriately sized riding mower and peacefully sweat it out for as long as I am able, with money” being the least of cost considerations.
35
joe Says:
January 13th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
lol this thread is 6 years old… just sayin

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