We’ve had to buy a lawn mower. Vince sold the mower in Texas and for what we’re paying here to have grass cut, a 52″ cut zero turn mower will pay for itself in a bit over two years but that doesn’t count the wife having to bite her tongue because the grass needs cutting. The grass cutter shows up, without fail, on Wednesday. It rained yesterday and he’s here today and the yard looks fine. Vince had said he would continue with the lawn service but the price went up and they will only do it weekly without about a 30% extra charge for every other week. Here, it really needs to be cut every week and I understand . . they need to be cutting grass every moment of daylight to be earning what they want to earn but $75/week adds up with six full months of grass cutting here.
Vince bought his first car in 1974, bought it brand new, and paid less for it than he’s having to pay for a lawn mower. Yes, wages have gone up since then but so has everything else.
My parents built their first home in 1960, three bedrooms, two baths, air conditioned, brick with a one car carport. For what that cost them, they could now buy two lawn mowers.
We think we’re doing better with the higher income these days but when you factor in all the things we have now that we didn’t have back then (internet, cable, cell phones . . just to name a few), and the cost of everything being higher . . are we really doing better? Would I want to go back to days before cell phones? Probably. Days before cable? We don’t have it so I wouldn’t miss it. Days before internet? It would be hard to go back after having had it but you never miss what you don’t know.
I think about things like quilting fabric and when I first started quilting obsessively, very expensive quilt shop fabric was $4.99 per yard.
I suppose in a way we (at our house) do think more about things we buy these days. We still buy too much little stuff, which adds up but it’s the big things, like lawn mowers, that really make us realize how much things have gone up. I always disliked the term “fixed income” because, for the most part, we’ve always had a fixed income. The employer told us what they would pay and if we needed a car or had a medical bill to pay, they didn’t care. We couldn’t go to them and say “We have to buy a car. We need more pay for the next three years!” We got what we got. Short of finding a new job with higher pay . . we got what they paid. Not much difference from social security. For many years, we’ve known what we would get during retirement.
Nothing we can do to change any of it. Not complaining but the cost of lawn mowers was a bit of a reality check.
What are things you would miss if we were suddenly thrust back into the days of our youth? Of course we would all miss the advances made in medicine although some days I think herbal cures, not eating fast food and drinking soda might help us all with our health.
I would miss curbside grocery pickup or home delivery of groceries. I would miss the internet tremendously – being able to search for things, read reviews, ask questions and get immediate answers. We would probably all miss more than we can comprehend. Thank goodness . . we don’t have to go back to those days and anything we feel isn’t cost effective or worth the price . . we can just do without.
Chris Miller says
In the little town where I grew up in the ’50’s and into the ’60’s, we had home delivery of groceries. Moms were home, many didn’t drive and/or didn’t have access to the one car while her husband was at work, and so moms would shop and then the local “transfer company” owner who delivered for all the stores would bring it by later in the day. Cold things were kept in the store’s cooler and freezer until delivery. I don’t think there was any charge, the stores did it as a matter of course.
Rebecca says
And milk delivery was common!
I know you dont watch TV, but I would miss my DVR. I’ve (almost) always had a VCR, but with a DVR you can watch while it’s still recording. That means I can wait a while after a show starts, and then fast forward through commercials. Although that in itself is an old-fashioned thing: I don’t even know when shows are on anymore; I just watch the recording at my leisure. Oh, and I LOVE being able to push my “what was that?” button (it goes back 15 seconds–one push of a button.) And to pause (even live TV), if an important phone call comes in or hubby wants to talk, etc.
Judy Laquidara says
Oh, my. A “what was that?” button! I need one of those in my every day life!
Bon says
I would probably miss the internet/ cell phone/ computer most of all.
Dotti Wahlers says
Judy, what Air Fryer Recipe book would you recommend?
Judy Laquidara says
I don’t have an air fryer book. I’m more of the opinion that I can google “air fryer recipes” or “air fryer chicken recipes” and come up with what I need and not have another book to add to my collection.
Tracy says
I was shopping lawn mowers just yesterday. I have a small grass area, maybe 300 square feet in the front area of my house. My current electric mower is okay, probably needs to be sharpened, it’s about eight years old. I did get a new rechargeable battery string trimmer though. The company, EGO, makes many landscape tools that all use the same battery, and having more than one battery is advantageous, as you can increase your runtime charging one while you use another. I thought it might be a good idea to get the mower too. The least expensive one was 400.00, but they do have a riding mower, for only the price of a 1970’s car. I got a chainsaw instead ?. For what its worth, my gardener, who just retired, was charging the same as your mower, although he did most of the yard clean up, and planting/weeding too. Now it’s my job.
Judy Laquidara says
These guys are good. They come in, usually two at a time, they get the job done and do it quite well, edge, weed eat around trees/shrubs and they’re gone in 45 minutes. No dirty mower in the garage. No stinky husband coming in covered in grass clippings. I’d pay it but Vince says “I can pay for the mower with what it costs for two years of them cutting the grass!” It’s a good thing he hasn’t calculated what it costs to keep the wife around. 🙂
Dotti Wahlers says
Thank you so much. I appreciate your quick response.