Who do you use? We get. O schrub trimming at all...

We have a guy who comes to deal with the fire ants and other nasties on the outside of the house. We bought a lawnmower after moving down here. With the money we saved by not paying someone to mow for us, the lawnmower was basically paid for, before our first year living here was over.

We got a hedge trimmer and a weed-whacker that works also as an edger, and hubby makes a few bucks every 4-6 weeks tidying up for a friend (the friend still pays someone to mow the lawn, but the lawnmower person doesn't do the hedges or weedwhack in the garden area).

Our yard is small, and the lawnmower is a self-propelled one, so the "work" is less taxing than playing 9 holes at an Executive and only takes around 15 minutes.

Re: paying every month even in winter
That seems to be accepted normal. I don't recall the mane but one organization wanted to be paid in advance for a full year. When, neighbor objected he agreed to every six months.

We've had four different people in eight years. We are not at all difficult as customers.
We never make them wait to be paid. The first one, truth nice guy, wanted to stay north of us so he recommended a replacement. Nice young guy. Did a good job. I was impressed that he was injured in a motorcycle accident and he called. He got a friend to fill in. He was back mowing with his arm in a cast. We were impressed how trust worthy he was. Halfway through a month he disappeared not answering phone, e-mails etc.
Never did find out what happened. We did loose three weeks out of a paid in advance month.
Next guy. Great guy, honest. Not as good as the first but good enough. Same story.
After two plus years in the middle of the season where you really need a mowing service
he disappeared. I did find him. He did return the money he took.
We now have the fourth guy. Another nice guy. Truth in terms of quality of his work he is about the worst. Still acceptable to me. Hoping he will last.
Aside, as a kid I shoveled snow and mowed lawns to earn money. It was far cooler than mowing lawns in Florida. It is a tough way to make a living. I remember the lady who always gave me a cold soda. I also remember she was the one whose lawn was loaded with toads. Great fun scraping squashed toads off the bottom of a mower. Then there was the one who walked her dog in the back yard.

As to how often to mow. The suggestion is not to remove more than 1/3 of the length of the grass blade. In the summer once a week is not often enough but it is all the pros will do. In the winter, once every two or three weeks is often enough. The villages-confession this is the first time in my life that I did not mow my own lawn. We do not have room to store a mower. I am eight years older than I was when we moved here. No toads, no dog
I still give the guy a cold soda when I see him.

Here is something else to chew on. Let's say you have cable tv and you never watched tv for the entire month, do you call the cable company and tell them that you did not watch tv for that month and you should NOT BE BILLED.???

I've had cable TV service, and they had a problem for many hours over a couple of days. I called to report that problem to the cable company. The cable company actually gave me a credit for the days where the cable and Internet service wasn't available, due to a known problem with the cable company's system. However, if I didn't call them, like most people don't call them, then I wouldn't have received any credit at all. But if the service was available, and you didn't use it, then you'd still have to pay the full bill.

I can’t understand why you said that. Paying money for nothing. I pay a monthly fee for my grass cutter. They have to support a family. Do you have any other activities except cutting grass. Lol

The problem is that the mowing is not done or needed for 3 months and none of the lawn people I have had would do any kind of lawn service for those months. I wouldn't mind paying someone for the entire year if they actually did some work during those 3 months.

Our lawn guy works as a golf cart mechanic during the winter months and charges us per cut.

That would be a little more fair. Mine have always charged full rate. Once I asked about whether there was a discount for the months they don't come and before the owner answered the question he asked me where I lived. When I told him I lived in The Villages, he said we don't give any discounts for the winter months. What does that tell you? If you live in The Villages, screw you.

1. I've owned the mower, trimmer and blower long before I moved here.
2. Maintaining the equipment is once a season changing the oil in the mower, adding gas to the mower and blower, adding string to the trimmer occasionally and sharpening the mower blade.
3. Trimming (always first), mowing and cleanup is a piece of cake.

BTW, I also work 3 days a week and play golf 2-3 days a week in addition to working in my yard. It keeps me from looking pregnant like a lot of men in The Villages.

To each their own.......

Sure. Read my above response.

Ohiobuckeye
 

That’s pretty good estimate! I mowed my lawn in TV about 4 times from Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. & maybe Mar. I just about bet you some didn’t get their lawns mowed 2 times in 4 or 5 months.

Careful......

No HOA fees in The Villages. We do have an Amenity Fee.

Who is your landscaper please? Buying a Cottage home in Polo Ridge and need some recommendations for less expensive landscaping that is reliable-mostly grass, a few shrubs and a couple of palm trees- And what range should I be paying? $45 a month seems like a real bargain.