To DIY or not to DIY?

Happy Father’s Day to all - the weather these last few days is full-swing summertime! We’ve recently been in a bit of a pickle.  Our newly purchased home sits on a one acre lot, so of course, our riding lawn mower bit the dust!

We’ve been looking into what the cost is to purchase a NEW riding lawn mower. Then we got to thinking, if we’re going to purchase a riding lawn mower we better invest in a model that has an available attachment to push snow (we have a long driveway!). THEN we saw the dollar signs and ran for the hills!

We’ve decided to DIY for this home project since we’re able to use a push mower in the meantime and considering Scott is quite the handy man! Who would have thought with a bit of research online, working with staff at a local, family-owned lawn and garden dealership, and putting Scott’s mechanical knowledge to the test that we could be on the road to riding again! In full disclosure, this DIY project is taking a bit of time due to our work schedules, limited hours at the dealership, and a few other unexpected lawn mower hiccups along the way! Our lovely 1981 John Deere mower is still sitting pretty in our garage waiting to hit the green; however, upon weighing the options this is going to be a far less expensive way to manage our lawn grooming needs as opposed to buying new!  For example, Scott spoke with the service technicians at the dealership and they were able to figure out a way to fabricate used parts together for the setup we need, and the cost was $31 as opposed to $150+!

Perhaps our wedding registry will include requests for gift cards to our local lawn and garden store, or perhaps we ride the trusty mower for the next 10+ years!? Then, we could invest a few dollars in a cup holder for some lemonade or paint for ghost flames down the sides? ;)

Time will tell - but with this fix and some TLC, we hope to be set for a few summers to come!
Peace, love, and sustainability,
Megan + Scott