How to use the lawn care: do it yourself or hire
- Enter the price of the mower and tools, the value when you sell or retire them and the years you will use them.
- Enter the fuel and upkeep per year, the mowings per year and the hours each takes.
- Optionally enter the value of an hour of your time. Leave it at 0 to compare money only.
- Enter the service price per visit and the visits per year, then read the yearly cost of each choice.
Formula
mower per year = (price - value when sold) / years
your time = mowings x hours each x value of an hour
doing it yourself = mower per year + upkeep + your time
service = price per visit x visits per year
break-even visit price = doing it yourself / visits
The break-even visit price is what a service would have to charge for the two choices to cost the same.
A $400 mower against a $45 service
The mower costs $400 and is worth $50 after 8 years, which is $43.75 a year. With $80 of fuel and upkeep, doing it yourself costs $123.75 a year. A service at $45 for 28 visits costs $1,260, so mowing yourself saves $1,136.25 a year, and a service would have to charge $4.42 a visit to match.
If you count your time at $20 an hour for 28 mowings of one hour, doing it yourself costs $123.75 + $560 = $683.75 a year, and a service at $20 a visit for the same 28 visits costs $560, so hiring costs less. The 28 hours of mowing a service would save are shown too.
Putting a value on your time
Whether to count your time is a personal decision. Some people enjoy mowing and count it as exercise, others would rather spend the hours on paid work, family or rest. The page lets you enter any value from 0 up, so you can compare both views.
If you would otherwise earn money in that time, use your hourly pay after tax. If you only dislike the chore, use what you would honestly pay to avoid it.
What each option leaves out
A service may include edging, trimming and cleanup, and may charge extra for bagging or leaves. Doing it yourself may need storage, a trailer or a second tool such as a trimmer. Fertilizer, weed control and watering are separate costs for both options.
Related tools
Estimate the time with the Lawn Mowing Time Calculator, plan feeding with the Lawn Fertilizer Calculator, and make a similar choice for tools in the Lease vs Buy Equipment Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- The mower loses value evenly over the years you use it.
- Upkeep, mowings and visits are the same every year.
- The service price per visit covers the same work you would do yourself.
- Interest on the money tied up in the mower is not included.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to mow my own lawn or hire a service?
Compare the yearly cost of each. A $400 mower worth $50 after 8 years with $80 of upkeep costs $123.75 a year, against $1,260 for 28 visits at $45, before counting your time.
How do I count the cost of a mower?
Subtract what you can sell it for from the price, then divide by the years you will use it. Add fuel and upkeep each year. The page does this for you.
Should I count my own time?
It depends on how you value it. The page lets you enter any value per hour, including 0, and shows the hours a service would save.
What price per visit makes hiring worthwhile?
The break-even visit price is the yearly cost of doing it yourself divided by the visits. If a service charges less than that, hiring costs less.