Economic outlook

[razz]

A riding mower came with the house in VT, and we do need it because although we only have 1/4 acre, we share the mowing of some of the joint property which is an acre in total.

That mower was an ancient Poulin, and we used it our first and second years here but it was like beating an old mare to get the. job done. DH finally replaced it with a used Cub Cadet. He LOVES that thing. It's ridiculous. Like IL, he also uses it to cart stuff. Sometimes he'll cart things to the truck that we can so easily just carry by hand, like two bags of garbage. But he loves his toy!

I confess that I loved my riding mower. It took a lot of rational thinking and logical arguing with myself to finally let it go. It was my first major purchase ofter DH's passing and I maintained the farm property with that tractor so well.

My little lot in town does not need a tractor. But the yard was mostly a gravel pit when I moved in to my new house so I hauled needed topsoil, multi-year layers of mulch and planted trees and shrubs which were easily moved with the tractor and its little cart so I was pleased to have it. The property is lovely now and thriving.

Last year I realized that the annual maintenance costs exceeded the benefits in mowing so have spent about a year arguing with myself. But I am now at peace with the decision.

The deciding factor in so many situations is getting the emotion out of the equation which is sometimes really hard

[pinkytoe]

I have always liked the idea of sharing tools but I don't know how it would work with modern day issues like liability. A shed at the end of the block with mowers, edgers etc. that can be checked out.

[iris lilies]

Re:sharing tool.

With the right group of people it goes well but of course that caveat is true for all community endeavors.

At DH’s place of work with the tree company, the company maintained equipment shared by all employees. Except for chain saws. Because those are fiddleY to maintain and easily goofed up, they were required to use and maintain their own saws.

We have shared tools at our community garden and we have a designated tool guru to keep them maintained.still,
I find too much stuff jammed into the tool box, as well as useless hand tools laying there for years.

I am a self appointed purger of junk donated to our community garden. Too much crap shows up there. Each year we swim in donated tomato cages, for instance. DH can add them to his metal pile, which he turns in for cash about twice a year.

[Tybee]

I use all my tomato cages--at the beginning of the year, they are around the lilies to keep the dogs from stepping on them. Now they are around the tomatoes, but they migrate.

[Yppej]

I do not get why a riding mower is needed for an acre. My parents have a half acre including a slope and always used a regular mower, not self-propelled either. Whoever is mowing could easily do a half acre per day as they did, just two days in a row.

[Alan]

I do not get why a riding mower is needed for an acre. My parents have a half acre including a slope and always used a regular mower, not self-propelled either. Whoever is mowing could easily do a half acre per day as they did, just two days in a row.

I have 3/4 acre and mowed it for years with a push mower, and man does it get hot and sweaty on a 90* day with about 70% humidity. I treated myself to a riding mower when I retired and the weekly mowing became almost pleasant rather than a chore. I don't consider it a need but I'll not give it up either.

[iris lilies]

A riding mower is not a need it’s a want. But DH said it cuts down on time by a factor of four.

[catherine]

I do not get why a riding mower is needed for an acre. My parents have a half acre including a slope and always used a regular mower, not self-propelled either. Whoever is mowing could easily do a half acre per day as they did, just two days in a row.

It's not as easy if you are in your sixties with medical issues. And as IL alluded to, this is a great example of how you may wish to spend your life energy. Mowing for hours two days a week is fine if you really like it and can afford the time. Not everyone does and can.

But in theory I agree with you. I'm not crazy about noisy machines. If it were up to me, I'd rather use a push mower and get rid of all but 1/4 acre of lawn. But it's not my chore, so of course, DH can handle it any way he wants.

[Yppej]

I got rid of my entire lawn and now I weed amongst ground cover, flowers and vegetables which doesn't save me any time but is less strenuous.

The mowing at my parents is maybe a 2 hour job not all day BTW.

[bae]

I use a scythe.