One of the other threads got me thinking about things I stopped doing and have others do to save me time (and sometimes just because I no longer feel like doing it).

The first one is checking air in my tires. I pay the local tire shop $10 per tire to put N2 in my tires. I go by there about every 90 days (or before a road trip) and have them check and top off the pressure. I used to drag my air compressor out, unroll the 50 foot hose, air them up while kneeling down and trying to hurry to limit the pain to my knees, roll the hose back up, drag the compressor back to the shed. Now it takes about 10 minutes of my time to swing by the tire shop when I am out and about.

Second one, I no longer cut down my own trees. It does not happen often but I cut down two oak tress and spent days getting rid of limbs and wood. The last one I needed removed (since its roots were damaging my foundation) I paid to have done. One day it was cut and everything hauled off.

Third one, I no longer paint large areas in our outside of my house. I never was a good painter and although expensive I realized I would rather pay a real professional to paint for me. It ends up looking better than if I did it.

I still do my own oil changes (mainly so I know it is done right) and mow my own yard (not yet willing to spend $60 a week to have it mowed).

So what things did you used to do that you now let others do for you? Maybe there are more things I can have others do to save me time.

I have a 12 volt Milwaukee compressor that screws on the valve stem. Tell it what PSI to go to and it runs till it hits. Can do all 4 tires in 5 or 10 minutes.

I knew that was coming .

I've still got a DIY and save money mindset, but every year I find that is waning a bit. The value of my time appreciates every year, so I'm sure its just a matter of time before I give up a bunch of the household maintenance tasks like cutting the grass, maintenance on the shrubs and flowerbeds, trash pickup, power washing the house, etc. The first thing I'd like to splurge on is a maid service to do a deep clean about every three weeks. I'm also ready to pay good money to have my boat detailed every year. That task eats up a whole weekend of my time AND I'm not on the water.

I will probably always do most of the work on my vehicle, but that because I enjoy it.

Delegate anything which can, competently, be so done.

When I owned my home I paid a guy to take care of my lawn. I hate yard work and I used to travel a lot for work so it sucked coming home and spending several of my few precious hours there doing a task I hated. It was also hard because I would sometimes travel weeks at a time and the HoA would bitch about my lawn.

It might be interesting to have posters in this thread disclose their age.

At 71, I have given up mowing the lawn, and most "heavy" around-the-house chores due to the effects of time on my body. I try to stay on the clean side of the cars nowadays as both getting under and then getting out again are arduous enough so that there is little joy in saving money, and no feeling of accomplishment. Heck, I did all that back in the day, and what did it get me?

Yes, I know I am younger than many on the board who do far more than I do. Good for you, I am quite content with my choices.

I'm retired, so time is rarely an issue. At 70, the stuff I've given up doing is more about physical limitations.

Most car/truck work, including oil changes. No lift and crawling around on my belly like a snake is a non-starter.

All roof work. Pretty much anything that requires ladders and/or staging. Knees and back just aren't up to it any more.

I still do all my own mowing, both lawn and fields. Partly because I'm too cheap to pay someone, partly because I'm just not that fussy (I typically weed-whack 2-3 times a Summer...God Bless the man that developed Roundup!)and partly because (given the proper toys) I enjoy the process and REALLY enjoy how nice it looks when I'm done.

Also still do all my own flowerbed planting, weeding and maintenance. Again, I enjoy the process. A proper gardener's kneeling stool helps.

As I get older I'm more content to do what I'm good at for my money, & let others do what they're good at for theirs.

I don't:
Cut my grass
Change my oil
Wash my truck

These are just time wasters to me.

I do/still will:
Replace a water heater or softener
Fix sprinkler problems
Trim trees (but not cut down completely)
Light plumbing repairs

That said, I still must do nearly everything up at the cabin because I can't usually get folks to go up there.

I’m 51 and retired, my time is free to me and I am only relegated to schlepping The Tomminator to and from school and Karate.

I do my own painting, mowing, plumbing, some electrical, pretty much everything but I do pay to get the oil changed in the cars as I sold all that stuff when I moved here…and I’d have to do it in the street as my driveway is inclined. Plus I don’t want oil stains in front of her house because I know we’ll eventually sell and move.
I’ll continue doing it until I am not able to. My stroke only affected my speech and comprehension, so I’ll keep on keeping on until I can’t.

quote:

Originally posted by alingo2001:
I have a 12 volt Milwaukee compressor that screws on the valve stem. Tell it what PSI to go to and it runs till it hits. Can do all 4 tires in 5 or 10 minutes.

I had him post that for me.

It's just me in the house with two kitties. I'm not messy, keep it tidied up, and am gone a lot. I have a maid service come in once a month to do the "big stuff" like vacuum, dust, mop, and "deep clean" the bathrooms (tubs, toilets, etc.). They also schedule periodic baseboard and blinds cleaning. It is WELL worth the money for me!!

My wife and I have a house cleaner come in once a month to clean the house. Might cost $200 but; she deeps cleans house (bathrooms, ceiling fans, floors, windows (and sills, etc).

Will take the lady the better part of a full day (we also buy her lunch) and most importantly, my wife is happy.

I am 65 and retired with my body aging in more ways than one. I too am an avid DIY. Recently I have hired out having a water heater installed, brakes installed, gutter cleaning, window washing and anything that gets higher than 6-foot on the ladder. Gonna be hiring out a lot more. I still mow our half acre as I have a riding mower !

Things I do myself:
Landscape mowing/edging/fertilizing/bush trimming/mulching/weeding, including basic mower and trimmer maintenance
DIY house repairs and upkeep, including basic electrical and plumbing
Small scale touch-up painting
Basic car maintenance/upkeep (air filters, wipers, battery changes, tire pressure, etc.)
Car washing/waxing
House cleaning, including exterior

Things I hire out:
Oil changes (worth the ~$30 to my mechanic to skip the hassle)
Tire Rotations (included for free at my tire shop, so I'm only out the time)
Car brakes, fluid changes, and higher level maintenance
Large scale interior/exterior painting
Roof work (done it before, but well worth the money to get it done right at no risk to my own safety)
More complex electrical and plumbing work, including water heaters
Larger scale house remodel tasks, like flooring and tile work
House moving

I'm coming up on 39 years old. (I remember logging into this forum from my dorm room in college).

I hire movers.

I weigh the risk of slipping a disc versus a few hundred bucks to let guys who do it everyday handle it.

I hire cleaners.

Mostly so it's on a regular schedule.


I pay for oil and other fluid changes.

I actually just pay for most car maintenance. I'll do my own repairs if it doesn't require a lift, special tools, or draining fluids (i.e., direct bolt on replacements. Dealing with the left over oil is a hassle.

I hire a plumber if it requires soldering of cutting pipe.

Leaks are no bueno.

I'm 50/50 for electrical.

Sometimes I'm in the mood, other times not.

I'm still to young and trying to build wealth. I do everything I can except oil changes because the dealership charges only a few bucks more than cost for me to do it myself.

I pay to have lawn mowed. I dislike doing it, and now have enough lawn that I would really, really not want to do it with a push mower. I mowed my dad's lawn when I was a kid, and I really hated that job. It is fairly cheap, and saves me hours per week.

I have my lawn cut weekly for $25, local guy does a very good job.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:
I have my lawn cut weekly for $25, local guy does a very good job.

That's a great price. If I could find someone around here who would do a good job for that price, I'd be tempted to pay for it too.

As it stands, mowers around here are $50+ per mow. Even the proverbial "neighborhood kids" are trying to charge like $40-$50, for what is often half-assed work.

Besides, I actually don't mind mowing/edging (except when it's crazy hot/humid, and even then that can be mitigated by doing it early in the day). I kinda find it therapeutic. Slap on my Bluetooth ear pro, turn on a podcast or music, and wander back and forth in nice straight lines. It's almost like meditation.

But it helps that I can mow/edge/blow my entire front and back in under an hour. So it's not a huge time investment every week or two.