Spring is in full-effect here in NC and my lawn is growing like crazy. I had a hard 55 miler + 10 mile brick run then had to come home and cut the grass. I had been putting it off for 2 weeks and it was just looking too crappy. To top it off the temps were in the mid-80’s today. I am so close to hiring a gardener, but I would feel like I’m wasting money.
Peace,
Rob
My Irish Grandmother had a wonderful expression - “Don’t have a dog and then bark yourself” so her rationale is why would she do something as banal as grass cutting when she could hire someone… as long as they are legal…
My parents still have a cleaning come every two weeks. My dad is retired and my mom is semi-retired. Get your gardener!
do something as banal as grass cutting when she could hire someone… as long as they are legal…
Yeah, it’s horrible when they turn out to be 17, not 18…
John
If you can afford it, what’s the problem? You’re helping a small business and gaining some free time, win-win.
hard 55+10 brick? I think you’re gonna kick my ass at White Lake. Where in NC are you at?
Depends how big your yard is. I live here in SoCal and it takes all of about 12 minutes to mow my entire front and back yard. Add in trimming, and it’s another 10 minutes for a grand total of under 25 minutes. Most of my neighbors shell out $15-$25/week for a crew of guys to do it once a week. I’d rather spend that money on something else personally.
Now, with that said, as a kid growing up back east, we lived on probably 1/2 acre and it took a good 2 hours to cut our lawn. So, if you’re in that situation, and it’s not a financial burden, hell yeah, hire someone to do it.
I was always in the “wash my own car” camp, but if I wash, vacuum and wipe down the windows and put Armor All on everything, it takes me nearly two hours. I can run down to the local car wash and have all that done in 15 minutes for about $14. That, to me, is worth the time and hassle savings.
I have my grass cut for a few reasons.
So go for it!
If you do it, I’ll do it. I’m having the same mental struggle with hiring it out as well. I keep thinking about how happy it would make me to come home and have the grass and yard all tidy, vs feeling overwhelmed trying to get it done myself.
I have not cut my grass or done anything even like it in years and have not missed it one bit. Lets face it, working on the yard sucks. Wasting money is buying 2k wheels to save a few seconds in races you do for a hobby 
Hiring people to do menial labor is money well spent. Free yourself from the yard, you will be happy that you did.
“The things you own end up owning you.” -Tyler Durden
Don’t feel guilty about trying to keep your house from becoming the equivalent of a second job.
Free yourself from the yard, you will be happy that you did
Each to his own. Our front yard took a beating over the last year - drought last summer, then a brutal winter with a monster amount of snow and the boulevard was almost completely killed off by the road salt and sand. So I cut short what could have been a long ride on a pleasent afternoon to spend a good two hours, aerating, then top dressing, fertilizing and finally seeding the lawn. Felt good to get it done. I am optimistic that it’s going to bounce back.
Well lets see…I have a ton of time to do any of the jobs at my place but I choose not to. So I hire:
2 chefs
1 landscaper
1 maintence man
2 managers
2 housekeepers
I could do any of those jobs, well except the cooking. But I choose to play instead. I’d hire a housekeeper, too, if I were you!!
I struggled with this issue. Finally broke down back in 2005 and got one of the guys that does a bunch of houses in the neighborhood. My wife haggled him down to $25 per week for about a 1/3 acre lot. It’s by far the best $25 we spend all week. I would give up a meal or two if need be not to miss a 'C. Rodriquez" payment. I love that man and other than that I have no idea what his name is.
Cool with the gardener. Why spend the extra time doing a 55+10 when you could just ride 80 or so? Do the ten or whatever at another time. Your grass will look great and you will race faster. Long bricks are silly.
My son is 22 and lives in the “sleepout” out back. He allegedly takes care of his own cleaning.
My daughter is 20 and has left home. She is a slob. The house used to be a pig stye when she lived with us. Now it’s quite tidy. I don’t know about my sons area.
Tonight, we have a house cleaner coming over to arrange giving the place a proper clean once every 2 weeks. Saves (primarily) my wife time and she is a pretty busy lady so no worries.
The problem is that I do most of the outside work. I’ve done several IM’s and I train alot. I’ve always done my own lawn, gardening and landscaping. (IM years, the grass gets long from time to time). A friend is a professional gardener and has offered me a great price for lawns and general tidying as well as tre felling etc. Since the wife has just got a cleaner, I asked about a gardener.
In short, she says she got to the last disposable dollar and there isn’t any left for a gardener. Damn! 
Don’t feel guilty about a gardener. You are a professional at what you do. People pay you to do a job the can’t do, or don’t want to do, so why would you have a problem paying someone to do something you don’t want to do? It’s just logic if you ask me.
(As long as it’s not your friend “mowing your grass” so to speak, then you are sweet bro’) hehehe
A long time ago I figured out how to place a value on my time.
I have a yard man come every two weeks for $50 a month (I have a small yard).
I have a cleaning lady come every two weeks ($60 a visit, 3 hour job).
I pay to have my car cleaned every couple of weeks, takes 20 minutes for $15 (take me two hours to do the same job)
My time is more valuable then $10 - $20 per hour so I have no problem paying those wages to someone else that will happily do the job and do it well. My time is spent being more productive without having to deal with those chores.
Bull City aka Durham. Good luck at WL