Things You Hire Out

Ironman92 Administrator

56,729 posts 164 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sun, Jul 4, 2021 10:47 PM

What things could you or should you maybe do but you choose to hire out others to do it for you?

For me it opening and closing out my pool.

In a small sense my wife uses Kroger Clicklist and while it’s only $5, technically we hire that out too….though I never ever do it snd will run to store for 1 thing if needed.

I pay other to change my oil and all other typical car tire things (fix flat, rotate)

rip34 Member

76 posts 6 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sun, Jul 4, 2021 11:08 PM

One thing I wish I could hire out is cutting the landscaping. I looked into it but I'm too cheap to pay $600 to have someone do it. I'm also highly allergic to poison ivy and I usually get it every 2-3 years. I just take 2-3 days and break it up as I get older.

Gardens35 Senior Member

5,888 posts 39 reps Joined Nov 2009

Sun, Jul 4, 2021 11:16 PM

This past winter I decided that I didn't want to snowblow the driveway and walkway anymore. Hired a guy @ $15 a crack. He did it 3 times.

BRF Senior Member

11,621 posts 107 reps Joined Nov 2009

Mon, Jul 5, 2021 5:30 PM

I tried breaking up my 3.5 acre parcel, but now I hire a guy to mow, with his big machine, about 2 acres that I keep a little higher than my front, near back and sides of my house.

Laley23 GOAT

33,369 posts 132 reps Joined Nov 2009

Mon, Jul 5, 2021 10:36 PM

Not a whole lot anymore. I don’t touch my car, but most things around my house I try and attempt myself.

Electrical I would probably hire out, but haven’t had anything needing done on that front since we moved in.

EDIT: after doing some research, I elected to hire a contractor for our built in shelving.

friendfromlowry Senior Member

7,778 posts 86 reps Joined Nov 2009

Tue, Jul 6, 2021 12:10 AM

Does a gym count? I know a lot of people invested in home equipment especially during the pandemic. I personally love going to mine though. Not being able to was one of the worst parts of the pandemic.

Paying $15 to have someone plow your driveway and sidewalk is a god damn steal. Kudos on that.

We have a lawn service that puts down fertilizer and insecticide several times between April through November. It’s like $60 a time. I always want to cancel it but never do. When I bought my house in 2013 it had been on the market a year or two with no one living in it, so the lawn needed a lot of help initially which is why I signed up for the service in the first place.

Laley23 GOAT

33,369 posts 132 reps Joined Nov 2009

Tue, Jul 6, 2021 12:22 AM

Unless you plan on doing the fertilizer and insecticide stuff yourself, never cancel. It’s pricey, but without it your lawn turns into a giant weed — quickly. And doing it yourself isn’t that much better, as each different type of application you need costs about $40-$50 per bag.

You can save by doing the aeration yourself, as it’s a 1 time purchase of a roller. But that’s about it.

sportchampps Senior Member

7,527 posts 36 reps Joined Nov 2009

Tue, Jul 6, 2021 11:01 AM

I’ve gotten to the point that it’s almost always easier and cost effective to just hire out. The one thing I did do was yard work and had a great looking lawn but now in Texas it’s part of our HOA fees. Now every once in awhile I just put some food on the flowers and water. We did click list during covid but I actually enjoy going into the store and buying groceries so we still do that.

In the new house, the day we moved in I had our things delivered and unpacked. A ceiling fan installed, outlet on a separate breaker added and 5 TVs mounted. It was chaotic but it was all done in one day and had the place as ready to go as possible.

Also while hiring movers was awesome we’re still dealing with their insurance company a month and a half later because of lost goods.

TedSheckler Emporium Entrepreneur

4,023 posts 48 reps Joined Nov 2009

Wed, Jul 7, 2021 8:15 AM

Putting down mulch and lawn fertilizer.

Zunardo Senior Member

815 posts 15 reps Joined Nov 2010

Sun, Jul 11, 2021 12:10 PM

Five years ago, gave up trying to change the headlight bulbs and air filters in our vehicles - just let the oil change guys do it.

I paid a service to cut my lawn for the first time last year - had some health issues that have since cleared. Just bought a small zero-turn, so I hope to continue doing that myself for at least ten more years. And the guy showed me how easy it is to change the oil, so I'm optimistic.

But for any plumbing issue more complex than changing the toilet flapper, I call a friend who's a whiz doing home repairs.

I still prefer to shop for my own groceries, though. Really enjoy prowling the aisles and looking for the package with best price-to-ounce ratio, and getting an aerobic workout to boot.. If only those other seniors wouldn't clog up the aisles in the morning .....

Things You Hire Out

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