I have to protest this article for the sake of our planet. Yes I'm a D*** environmentalist. We live on Cape Cod and lawns are a major problem for our ecosystem. The use of fertilizer herbicides and pesticides is killing our ecosystem. Thankfully my better half isn't concerned about what people think so I keep the perfect Cape Cod lawn. Yes that's what life long Cape resident's have always affectionately called this mix of grass and plants ( not weeds). Our lawn stays greener than most thanks to the mix of vegetation. This social pressure is the problem and it's also at the root of many people's money woes. People do not need the perfect lawn, or the perfect car, or the perfect wardrobe etc. Save your dough and do the planet a favor.
We completely understand this point. Also, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. We tried our very best to maintain the preexisting state of our yard, but nature kept having other plans. An interesting idea that our friends have done this year (and a reader emailed us about): wildflowers as a solution. Maybe we will try working some in next spring!
We just paid someone to professionally install a fence. It was not cheap! But it looks WAY better than the five-year-old "temporary" one I installed when we first moved in. Great article.
Live in a condo if you need to outsource all these simple tasks. I bought my first house as a single woman age 23 in 1977. Bought an $89 gas mower and made seasonal purchases of grass seed and weed 'n feed. Bagging grass is a waste and fall leaves can be mulched with the same mower. It's really not hard to do and a walk around the yard with a weed puller is as therapeutic as walking a Hopi style rock maze at a resort if you appreciate being outdoors, meeting your neighbors for a friendly chat. When I was in my 50s, at another house, my new younger neighbors asked me why my yard looked so nice. I passed on the simple wisdom my parents gave me. Their yard improved greatly. Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in America because you see the tangible results from your efforts.
I have to protest this article for the sake of our planet. Yes I'm a D*** environmentalist. We live on Cape Cod and lawns are a major problem for our ecosystem. The use of fertilizer herbicides and pesticides is killing our ecosystem. Thankfully my better half isn't concerned about what people think so I keep the perfect Cape Cod lawn. Yes that's what life long Cape resident's have always affectionately called this mix of grass and plants ( not weeds). Our lawn stays greener than most thanks to the mix of vegetation. This social pressure is the problem and it's also at the root of many people's money woes. People do not need the perfect lawn, or the perfect car, or the perfect wardrobe etc. Save your dough and do the planet a favor.
We completely understand this point. Also, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. We tried our very best to maintain the preexisting state of our yard, but nature kept having other plans. An interesting idea that our friends have done this year (and a reader emailed us about): wildflowers as a solution. Maybe we will try working some in next spring!
We just paid someone to professionally install a fence. It was not cheap! But it looks WAY better than the five-year-old "temporary" one I installed when we first moved in. Great article.
I've often thought about lawns and what they actually mean. Where is it written that one must have grass and manicure the space? More on that here: https://themoneydate.substack.com/p/mowing-down-money-myths
Awesome, Billy!
Live in a condo if you need to outsource all these simple tasks. I bought my first house as a single woman age 23 in 1977. Bought an $89 gas mower and made seasonal purchases of grass seed and weed 'n feed. Bagging grass is a waste and fall leaves can be mulched with the same mower. It's really not hard to do and a walk around the yard with a weed puller is as therapeutic as walking a Hopi style rock maze at a resort if you appreciate being outdoors, meeting your neighbors for a friendly chat. When I was in my 50s, at another house, my new younger neighbors asked me why my yard looked so nice. I passed on the simple wisdom my parents gave me. Their yard improved greatly. Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in America because you see the tangible results from your efforts.