Summer will be here soon. Do you know how much money you spend on mowing and maintaining your lawn? Better yet, do you know how much you can save on this expense? Read on.
Do It Yourself
Right off the bat, you’ll get the most savings when you do it yourself. Even if you are unsure about seeding or fertilizing, you could could save by mowing your lawn yourself. Cost savings: $20-$100 per week.
Maintaining the Mower
Keep your lawn mower in good shape. Maintaining the lawn mower will go a long way to making it last longer. Read the manual and know how to take care of it. Get the blades sharpened when needed, drain the gas before storing it over the winter, keep it out of the rain, etc. You’ll save the cost of repair or replacement. Cost savings: $50-$300.
Replace or Reduce the Lawn
One way to save both money and time is to replace your lawn. Instead of grass, put in natural ground covers or a rock garden, depending on where you live and your style. Ground cover plants are practically maintenance free. If you don’t want to go that far, use native plants and trees in your yard and shrink the size of the lawn that has grass. Cutting back the size of your lawn can cut back the cost, too. Cost savings: $200-$300 a year in water costs alone.
Don’t Over Mow
Most people mow their grass more often than the lawn experts recommend. Most varieties shouldn’t be cut to less than 2-1/2 inches. You can let it grow higher than that. The secret is that you don’t want to cut more than a third of the length at one time for the health of the grass. Cost savings: $50.
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