Cutting down on lawn care costs is easier than you may have thought. Contrary to what many may think, finding an affordable lawn care company doesn’t take a ton of research, lawn care knowledge or time. Although shortcuts aren’t always the answer, when it comes to yard maintenance, time is of the essence. Who wants to spend all their summer time and vacation money on yard work equipment, upkeep materials, and other tools? Get out of your yard and into the pool or park with these time and money saving tips.
The first thing you should do is ask yourself if paying someone to mow your yard is actually cheaper in the long run than mowing it yourself. The answer may seem obvious — mowing your lawn yourself is cheaper. However, this is not always the case. Take for instance, the fact that you need to purchase gas to keep your lawnmower running. Not to mention that you actually need to purchase a lawn mower which, lets be honest, if you want a good one is going to require a bit of an investment. Especially if you have a large yard, using a push lawn mower is next to impossible and sounds like heat stroke or heart attack waiting to happen. With this in mind, it’s worth your while to consider other alternatives. Perhaps a neighborhood kid wants to make some money mowing your yard. These job seekers would be more than happy to sit on a lawnmower for an hour listening to their iPod and essentially getting paid to tan. If this isn’t an option, calculate out all the costs it would take to mow your own lawn vs. hiring a local company.
Another tactic for cutting down on costs seems counter intuitive, like it would actually create more work. However, this tactic actually eliminates maintenance areas that would no longer require mowing at all. What could it be? Simple: Plant a patch of pine trees or some flowerbeds. Adding mulch around the pine patch cuts down on grass, and the same applies to flowerbeds. Planting these also gets rid of grass surface area. Beyond trees and flowerbeds, you could plant a garden in a corner of your yard. What better way to cut down on grass surface area? Your garden will consist of dirt, obviously, and even cuts costs in other ways as well. Your grocery bill will get cut down during summer months since you won’t need to purchase as many fruits and vegetables; you’ll have them fresh from your yard. No less, tending to your garden is a good summer family activity.
Lastly, use and invest in materials and plants that will last the longest. For instance, everyone needs fertilizer, but there is a cheaper method than actually buying fertilizer: Simply use mulch! Most high quality mowers have a mulcher function on them, which allows them to shred up the mulch into tiny dirt-sized pieces. This blended-up mulch can serve as fertilizer you can spread across your entire yard to give the grass and soil the nutrients they need to stay healthy and continue growing. You should also think about buying plants that last longer than a year. Perennials like hydrangea are the perfect example and can last many years with proper care, cutting costs in half. If you are unsure where to start, it is easy enough to learn about hydrangea care, which is very simple. Once you have them planted, you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy watching your perennials bloom year after year. Also, consider buying and planting tree seeds instead of partially grown trees. Seeds are far less expensive and you will feel more sentimental toward your tree since you grew it from the ground up.
These methods, however somewhat original, are common and there are countless more possibilities to save. The ideas don’t need to stop here! Keep brainstorming how to cut down on lawn care costs, because it’s not as hard as it seems. These ideas are potentially not only cost effective, but can cut down on time and manual labor as well. In time, these can bring financial success in the form of frugality as well as floral success in the form of a luscious and beautiful lawn.
Stewart Scott is a certified arborist and is the owner of Cevet Tree Care, where he offers the best tree service Columbia MO has to offer. Cevet has provided tree trimming and other tree care services to mid-Missouri for almost 20 years.
