pfala

I’m not an envious person.  When someone experiences some good fortune, I’m genuinely happy for them.  I compliment people if they have nice stuff, or if their houses look nice.  But I think that my neighbor, The Lawn Freak, has finally gone overboard.

What the heck is THAT thing?

I wanted to spruce up the curb appeal of my home, and I thought that I was being diligent by reseeding my lawn with Scotts EZ Seed.  But my neighbor had bigger plans for his place.  This past weekend, I saw him tooling around his yard on this:

It’s a Poulin Pro 48 inch 22HP V-Twin Residential ZTR Mower.  Yep, that’s three grand worth of lawn tractor (if you don’t believe me, just click on the picture).  It’s also overkill.  He’s got a quarter of an acre of property, and that includes his house, driveway, deck, and pool.  So, how much grass does he actually have to mow?

Did you get that thing at a garage sale?

I’m at the other end of the spectrum.  I’ve got a ten-year-old generic mower that I bought at Home Depot for about $140.  It’s only accessory is the rear bag.  That’s right, it’s not even self-propelled.  Hey, I can use the exercise.  It moves under barbarian power.  It looks something like this, but much dirtier and beat-up:

Gadgets and more gadgets

I’m not against technological advancements.  Hell, I love new gadgets as much as the next guy.  I can even see blowing a bit of money if it’s going to save me time in the long run.  But get this: it takes me about an hour and a half to mow my lawn, edge it with an electric trimmer, and vacuum up the grass.  Yes, I vacuum it rather than using a backpack blower.  The vacuum is better for around the pool.  Here it is:

I’m sure that The Lawn Freak would prefer something like this (click the picture for the details):

My vacuum cost under $180.  It’s the second one that I’ve owned, and it replaced an identical one that lasted about 9 years.  I tend to use tools until they fall apart.

Maybe he’s more productive with the new mower?

So, how long does it take The Lawn Freak to do his yard?  Try about 3 hours.  That’s right, twice as long as it takes me.  He never gets finished.  Just having the best, most expensive equipment doesn’t make you the most productive.  You need to have a plan!

What’s his plan?

Apparently, the Lawn Freak’s plan is to plunk down lots of dough for more mower than he’ll ever need.  He’s got better stuff than most landscapers do.  I could see buying it if he planned to start a landscaping business of his own.  I haven’t even touched on the opportunity cost of buying his king-sized mower versus investing the money.  What a waste, of both time and money.

The Takeaway

You don’t have to spend a fortune to be productive.  You just need to use your brain and work hard.  It’ll save you money in the long run.

Join the Horde!  Get the Corporate Barbarian delivered to your email by clicking here: Subscribe

 Print This Post

• Incognito I don't look like your typical beancounter.  I don't wear glasses, have skinny arms, or wear a green eyeshade, either.  I look more like a construction worker.  One former boss once said that I look like I should be wearing a hardhat and sitting on an I-beam on a......
• Productivity Tip: Script Your Action Items to Vanquish Procrastination Just like an NFL quarterback, having a defined script will help you blast through procrastination and start your day productively. This is the productivity version of the West Coast Offense. Each NFL quarterback has a wide wristband that lists his plays for the game. But many teams have their first......
• Pay Off Debt or Save Money? Photo by db*photography A recent Yahoo! Finance article weighed the benefits of paying off debt versus putting your money into savings.  You can read the original article by clicking on the following link: Should You Pay Debt Before Saving? Clearly, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question.  The......

• The Economy Smells Like Roses If you believe the government or the popular press, the economy is out of recession and everything is business as usual again. Last month there was an increase in jobs by 162,000, home sales jumped 8.2%, the Dow is now almost at 11,000 and interest rates are inching upwards  in......
• Save Time, Money and Space in Over 80 Ways If you're looking for handy gadgets, tools and various items that can save you time, money or space (or all three!) this list of more than 80 top products is just what you need. Everyone's got saving money on their minds these days- whether your at the grocery store, or......
• Online Money Fraud Hits Home Online money fraud is a threat to every family, even those like mine that try to be careful in everything financial.  Here is what happened. Yesterday my youngest son called me about purchasing a used XBOX 360 game console on eBay.  I told him that it was not how I......