Deciding whether to mow your own grass or to hire a service to do it for you is one of the many financial decisions you face when you own or manage a home or property.
On the one hand, self-mowing gives you exercise and saves you money. On the other hand, hiring a lawn service saves you time and stress.
But what happens if you mow your own grass and your lawnmower breaks or dies? Should you revisit the decision temporarily or long-term?
Self-Mowing vs. Hiring a Lawn Service: What Does Clark Howard Prefer?
Should I hire a lawn service temporarily until I buy a new lawn mower?
That’s what a listener recently asked money expert Clark Howard.
Asked Barbara in Michigan: “My walk-behind mower died a few days ago. I’ve been cutting my 1 1/3 acres myself for many years now (great exercise, but the neighbors think I’m crazy!).
“I’m planning to wait until spring to buy a replacement. I’ll use a lawn service to cut my grass for the remaining season. What are your thoughts about self-mowing vs. [using] a lawn service?”
The health-obsessed Clark, who wears three different tracking devices on his wrists and fingers, agrees with Barbara that self-mowing is a good form of exercise.
But you shouldn’t wait for peak season to buy a new mower. And be careful trying out the more convenient route of hiring a service if you don’t want that as your long-term solution.
“It’s a mistake for you to use a lawn service [and] wait until next spring, like six months from now, to buy a new mower,” Clark says. “I would go ahead and buy one now. It’s clearance season on mowers.
“I wouldn’t wait. Because you know what’ll happen? You get the lawn service. You get used to it. Spring comes. And you forget all about buying that new lawn mower. Because you’ll be hooked on the lawn service.”
What Type of Lawn Mower Should You Use?
If it’s been a while since you mowed your own lawn, the selection of available lawnmowers may surprise you.
Particularly if you have a large yard, it’s worth understanding your options.
“You could get a self-propelled mower,” Clark says. “There’s a type that’s popular now where you have basically a joystick. And you just are with a lawnmower as it does stuff. You don’t even have to hold the lawnmower.
“There are robotic lawnmowers. If you want a simple one that you just push, that’s fine too.
“But with an acre and a third, I would consider an electric lawn mower. Much lower maintenance. The generations we’re at now with them are much higher quality. Gonna protect your hearing a whole lot better. And so that would be something I would consider.”
Final Thoughts
If you want to pay someone to mow your grass and it fits into your budget, there’s no shame in that. Just be careful about “temporarily” hiring a lawn service. Because it may be challenging to walk back that decision.
Also, if you’re looking to score a bargain on a lawn mower, consider buying during the fall and winter months when the machines are on clearance.
