I was speaking with a coworker, both of us in our late 30's, and he was griping about the cost of his lawn mowing service and I suggested why not just doing it yourself and save the $$. He looked at me kind of dumbfounded, as if the idea had never even crossed his mind and pretty much responsed as such. This guy is phyically fit, his yard is what you could call typical suburban fare in a large residential neighborhood. But for him, he would rather pay for that kind of service than do it himself and the concept of doing that seemed totally foreign to him to boot. Same with cleaning - he and his wife hire a maid service. I know lots of people in similar circumstances and they do the same. It is kind of mind blowing to me. I come from a household with 2 working parents with several kids, and growing up there was always time to do the housework and yard work. The thought of paying someone money to clean up our shit or keep the yard up was never an option and I kind of find it strange that that now seems to be a thing from bygone times. Does anyone agree?

How about people who hire those pet poop collection services? Seriously, wtf.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

I look at it this way. I work full time and over an hour every day and sleep 9 hours a night. My free time is very special and important to me. I make enough money that I am comfortable paying a little of that money to save my free time.

Everyone is different and I see what you are saying and where you are coming from. Some people don't want to work 45 hours a week for a good paycheck then spend 10 hours a week cleaning the house, doing yardwork and washing cars.

I actually enjoy doing yard work, in my own yard that is.

This is the type of shit that some of my friends parents did when we were growing up. I would go to my one buddy's house and he would be inside watching TV while some neighborhood kid cut the lawn. I asked him why he wasn't cutting the lawn and he said he didn't want to so his dad hired the neighbor to do it. If I told my dad I didn't want to cut the lawn he would have told me how I was going outside right then and cutting the lawn as well as edging and sweeping it all up afterwards.

SnitchBitch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I actually enjoy doing yard work, in my own yard
> that is.
>
> This is the type of shit that some of my friends
> parents did when we were growing up. I would go
> to my one buddy's house and he would be inside
> watching TV while some neighborhood kid cut the
> lawn. I asked him why he wasn't cutting the lawn
> and he said he didn't want to so his dad hired the
> neighbor to do it. If I told my dad I didn't want
> to cut the lawn he would have told me how I was
> going outside right then and cutting the lawn as
> well as edging and sweeping it all up afterwards.


Same here. Get a little exercise and it's actually kinda meditative and gives me some mindless time to think about 'stuff.' Granted, there are times when it's 100 degrees and it sucks. lol But I tend to work around those and overall not a real taxing activity.


Also being a cheap bastard it's almost painful for me to have to pay somebody to do things that I can do myself. But it's more than just being cheap. When I grew up people just seemed to do more things for themselves and as a result knew how to. I will pay somebody else to do stuff that I know that I can't do. And some things that I just plain hate (e.g., plumbing work just sux).

I pay a guy $60 to mow my lawn and weedwack every two weeks....

Weekends are the only time I can work on my Chevelle so, I pay a neighbor's kid to mow my lawn so, I can have the time and save money doing my own work on the car.

There's not ONE way of doing things...there's YOUR way and everyone ELSE's way...

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I pay a guy $60 to mow my lawn and weedwack every
> two weeks....


You must have a lot of shade on your property. I can't go 5 days without mowing.

And mow it myself I do.

Damn few things in life give the instant gratification and a little exercise like yard work/mowing does.

It's right up there with throwing sharp sticks at small animals.

Paying a neighborehood kid $20-25 is fine but paying hundreds of dollars is just a waste. There are plenty of kids who will be happier then shit to cut your grass for a few bucks. I always maintained my parents lawn growing up.

Warhawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How about people who hire those pet poop
> collection services? Seriously, wtf.

I just stick a cork in the dog's ass and on Saturday morning take him for a long walk in OTHER PEOPLES' YARDS!

Vexxxed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> eesh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I pay a guy $60 to mow my lawn and weedwack
> every
> > two weeks....
>
>
> You must have a lot of shade on your property. I
> can't go 5 days without mowing.



Yes, I have a lot of old oak and pine trees that tower over my yard....also I have some species of grass that is taking over the lawn, it grows very slowly. It almost looks like carpet the way it is curly and flat.

I don't mind yard work, but we are renting a town house - the homeowners association takes care of what little grass there is. On the other hand, I hate scrubbing down the bathrooms and kitchen, cleaning windows, etc. When I moved in with my boyfriend, he already had a weekly housekeeping service. So far, we've kept it. I think bi-weekly would make more sense, but I don't want to give it up altogether.

Your boyfriend? I thought you were married.

Genevieve Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't mind yard work, but we are renting a town
> house - the homeowners association takes care of
> what little grass there is. On the other hand, I
> hate scrubbing down the bathrooms and kitchen,
> cleaning windows, etc. When I moved in with my
> boyfriend, he already had a weekly housekeeping
> service. So far, we've kept it. I think
> bi-weekly would make more sense, but I don't want
> to give it up altogether.

Say wut Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your boyfriend? I thought you were married.
>
> Genevieve Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't mind yard work, but we are renting a
> town
> > house - the homeowners association takes care
> of
> > what little grass there is. On the other hand,
> I
> > hate scrubbing down the bathrooms and kitchen,
> > cleaning windows, etc. When I moved in with my
> > boyfriend, he already had a weekly housekeeping
> > service. So far, we've kept it. I think
> > bi-weekly would make more sense, but I don't
> want
> > to give it up altogether.

The bitch gets around, Say Wut. Deal with it. Straight chicks need dick.

I refuse to cut my own hair or give myself prostate exams like some of these cheapskates here.

WingNut Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I refuse to cut my own hair or give myself
> prostate exams like some of these cheapskates
> here.


lol

So you're saying you don't actually do anything for yourself?

And if it's taking you 10 hours to do those things you must either have 5+acres, a mansion, and dive limos exclusively, or be a lady-boy who's terrified of getting dirty. I'm guessing most are the latter.

...and who washes their car every week???

...and you're bitching about 45 hours? That's nothing compared to a lot of these 60 hour a week drones around here.

A lot of dudes around here need to pull their heads out of their asses and try being a man, even just for a few days. Driving your air conditioned car to your office job, doing some bench presses and squats at the gym and coming home and watching sports on TV does not a man make. Get your hands dirty. Build something. Create. Go out in the goddamn woods for a day, just because, and don't wear your pink panties. Sweat, outside. Learn to do some things for yourself, take care of yourself, protect yourself, etc. Do something dangerous.
Maybe then your wife/gf will stop cheating on you once she sees how manly you can be!

Seriously, this whole "why would I do it when I can just pay someone to do it for me" attitude that's so rampant around here is disgusting.

BRAVO,Que?
I cut the grass, drive a stick shift and fuck my girlfriend. No lawn service or porn for me. Yep, I'm a self made man.
Re Roofing still sucks thou..............

Spot on, my thoughts exactly. I get it is my coworkers perogative, and its his money, his life, etc. It seems to me though that people do less for themselves these days than when I was a kid. I do hire for things but I only do that once I have royally f'ed up trying to fix it myself. I just installed 3 ceiling fans in my house. Never done it before but I checked our a DIY book at the library, browsed a few websites, bought my supplies - one afternoon later, it was all finished. Same with my fridge - a couple of years ago it was leaking water inside and my first inclination was to call a repair man. Then I decided to look on GE's website for troubleshooting, was able to diagnose the likely culprit (the tube that runs from the freezer to the drip pan beneath was clogged), even found a video on youtube that explained it - and I fixed it myself.

I think I got laid that night too - the wife was that impressed.


That Que? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So you're saying you don't actually do anything
> for yourself?
>
> And if it's taking you 10 hours to do those things
> you must either have 5+acres, a mansion, and dive
> limos exclusively, or be a lady-boy who's
> terrified of getting dirty. I'm guessing most are
> the latter.
>
> ...and who washes their car every week???
>
> ...and you're bitching about 45 hours? That's
> nothing compared to a lot of these 60 hour a week
> drones around here.
>
> A lot of dudes around here need to pull their
> heads out of their asses and try being a man, even
> just for a few days. Driving your air conditioned
> car to your office job, doing some bench presses
> and squats at the gym and coming home and watching
> sports on TV does not a man make. Get your hands
> dirty. Build something. Create. Go out in the
> goddamn woods for a day, just because, and don't
> wear your pink panties. Sweat, outside. Learn to
> do some things for yourself, take care of
> yourself, protect yourself, etc. Do something
> dangerous.
> Maybe then your wife/gf will stop cheating on you
> once she sees how manly you can be!
>
> Seriously, this whole "why would I do it when I
> can just pay someone to do it for me" attitude
> that's so rampant around here is disgusting.

To each his own. My husband doesn't do "manly" stuff around the house because he works long hours and he doesn't like to do it. It would be nice if he would do these things, but I don't hold it against him.

Personally, I got fed up paying hundreds of dollars each time I called a repair person, and I started doing relatively straightforward repair jobs around the house (changing locks, replacing lights, repairing the toilet, ...). I hated it, but it did give me a sense of satisfaction to be able to do it myself.

No one really washes thier own car anymore. The people who do tend to be LE or military.

Your husband doesn't do "manly" stuff because "he works long hours"? Im guessing he works an office job?

So what's his excuse on the weekends? Recovering from all that monitor staring?

...and check it out...Most guys that "work long hours" when they're married either aren't really "working" all those hours, or are working because they don't want to be at home with you.

Personally, I said fuck corporate America and started my own business where I work my own hours, in order to see my wife, my dogs and my babies, not necessarily in that order, more often. If you WANT to be at home more, you will be at home more. Simple as that.

And it sounds as if you've taken over the role of "man" in the relationship. How's that sit with you while Mr. Lightintheloafers wears his khaki's to an air conditioned office every day?

Que? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your husband doesn't do "manly" stuff because "he
> works long hours"? Im guessing he works an office
> job?
>
> So what's his excuse on the weekends? Recovering
> from all that monitor staring?
>
> ...and check it out...Most guys that "work long
> hours" when they're married either aren't really
> "working" all those hours, or are working because
> they don't want to be at home with you.
>
> Personally, I said fuck corporate America and
> started my own business where I work my own hours,
> in order to see my wife, my dogs and my babies,
> not necessarily in that order, more often. If you
> WANT to be at home more, you will be at home more.
> Simple as that.
>
> And it sounds as if you've taken over the role of
> "man" in the relationship. How's that sit with
> you while Mr. Lightintheloafers wears his khaki's
> to an air conditioned office every day?

Now that i think about it...i did find myself wanting to work more hours as i became unhappy with the relationship du jour.

Que? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your husband doesn't do "manly" stuff because "he
> works long hours"? Im guessing he works an office
> job?
>
> So what's his excuse on the weekends? Recovering
> from all that monitor staring?
>
> ...and check it out...Most guys that "work long
> hours" when they're married either aren't really
> "working" all those hours, or are working because
> they don't want to be at home with you.
>
> Personally, I said fuck corporate America and
> started my own business where I work my own hours,
> in order to see my wife, my dogs and my babies,
> not necessarily in that order, more often. If you
> WANT to be at home more, you will be at home more.
> Simple as that.
>
> And it sounds as if you've taken over the role of
> "man" in the relationship. How's that sit with
> you while Mr. Lightintheloafers wears his khaki's
> to an air conditioned office every day?


This.

I have a Dr. friend who works 12-14 hours a day because his wife is such a bitch he can't stand to be home with her. They had a kid and she doesn't work, so it will be a long time before he can leave her.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2012 02:49PM by Ralph Pootawn.

Hay Zeus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No one really washes thier own car anymore. The
> people who do tend to be LE or military.


Lots who have nice cars do. I'm not letting any monkey with a dirty towel and a buffer near mine and I kinda like doing it myself. Not every week but I know plenty who do.

Beyond that you're right. Most folks just run 'em through at the gas station or Jiffy Lube and call it good. I pretty much do the same with my wife's car and my beater if I even bother to wash it at all.

Ralph Pootawn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I have a Dr. friend who works 12-14 hours a day
> because his wife is such a bitch he can't stand to
> be home with her. They had a kid and she doesn't
> work, so it will be a long time before he can
> leave her.







He's an MD? 100 mEq of potassium chloride injected into his sleeping wife....he'll be bitch free by breakfast.

Kar Guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hay Zeus Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No one really washes thier own car anymore. The
> > people who do tend to be LE or military.
>
>
> Lots who have nice cars do. I'm not letting any
> monkey with a dirty towel and a buffer near mine
> and I kinda like doing it myself. Not every week
> but I know plenty who do.
>
> Beyond that you're right. Most folks just run 'em
> through at the gas station or Jiffy Lube and call
> it good. I pretty much do the same with my wife's
> car and my beater if I even bother to wash it at
> all.


The problem with washing your own car is you can't get a good undercarriage wash, which is essential in the road salt months.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2012 03:12PM by eesh.

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kar Guy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hay Zeus Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > No one really washes thier own car anymore.
> The
> > > people who do tend to be LE or military.
> >
> >
> > Lots who have nice cars do. I'm not letting
> any
> > monkey with a dirty towel and a buffer near
> mine
> > and I kinda like doing it myself. Not every
> week
> > but I know plenty who do.
> >
> > Beyond that you're right. Most folks just run
> 'em
> > through at the gas station or Jiffy Lube and
> call
> > it good. I pretty much do the same with my
> wife's
> > car and my beater if I even bother to wash it
> at
> > all.
>
>
> The problem with washing your own car is you can't
> get a good undercarriage wash, which is essential
> in the road salt months.


Not really that hard at all. I'd rather do it with a hose or powerwasher than recirculated water pumped from a static sprayer at the wash. Agree that's tough to do in the Winter though. But then that's part of why I have the beater so I don't have to drive my nice car in the salt mush.

We used to park our car over a fumarole in the winter to get a good undercarriage wash. Never had any problem with road salt, it worked like a charm, and it was essentially free.

Right Said Ted Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was speaking with a coworker, both of us in our
> late 30's, and he was griping about the cost of
> his lawn mowing service and I suggested why not
> just doing it yourself and save the $$. He looked
> at me kind of dumbfounded, as if the idea had
> never even crossed his mind and pretty much
> responsed as such. This guy is phyically fit, his
> yard is what you could call typical suburban fare
> in a large residential neighborhood. But for him,
> he would rather pay for that kind of service than
> do it himself and the concept of doing that seemed
> totally foreign to him to boot. Same with cleaning
> - he and his wife hire a maid service. I know lots
> of people in similar circumstances and they do the
> same. It is kind of mind blowing to me. I come
> from a household with 2 working parents with
> several kids, and growing up there was always time
> to do the housework and yard work. The thought of
> paying someone money to clean up our shit or keep
> the yard up was never an option and I kind of find
> it strange that that now seems to be a thing from
> bygone times. Does anyone agree?

I live in the 'burbs, about a 1/2 acre lot (somewhat hilly) and I'm glad to pay a lawn service to mow it every other week. Why? Because I don't enjoy it. Our neighbor has a maybe 10 year old riding mower, backfires a lot, sometimes doesn't start, and when it's running the place smells like a gas station. He LOVES getting out on Saturday morning and riding around for an hour or so mowing the lawn. We also have connecting back yards, and he likes to hit golf balls back there--from one end of his lot to the far end of ours. He also keeps two broken-down cars in his driveway (no, they're not up on blocks!), plus he, his wife, and his 3 grown kids (several who still live at home) all have cars. So sometimes there are 5 or 6 cars out there. He's got a couple of sawhorses out in front of his garage from some project he was working on a few months ago. A few years ago, they spent like 2 years (really) redoing a couple of bathrooms themselves.

He earns a decent living, so he's chosen that lifestyle--it wasn't forced on him by economic issues. I don't particularly mind that he uses our back yard as a driving range, and he keeps his yard in decent enough shape. Live and let live.

But that's not my style. I've got better things to do than mow my own lawn. The money I pay the service to mow the lawn (and weed-wack near the house) is--for me--money well spent. Plus, if you consider the economics of buying a riding mower, maintaining it, filling it with gas, etc.--your savings are quite as much as you may be assuming.

I don't throw money away. I drive an older car because, as Jan and Dean sang, "It still gets me where I want to go." I spend more money at BJ's than at Giant. I've got a smartphone, but it's more than 2 years old so Verizon keeps bugging me to upgrade. I don't see the need to. It does what I need just fine. Get the picture?

But I've made a deliberate, conscious decision that the money I spend for a lawn service is a good value. (Maybe OP's coworker did the same.) Others are free to reach a different conclusion.