Keeping Up With Home Care

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HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Keeping Up With Home Care

Post by HappyDaze »

Some things happening in my neighborhood have made me wonder how people "keep up" with things - like yard work (mowing, trimming, etc.), cleaning gutters, keeping trash taken away, that sort of thing.

As a single person, I will admit that it isn't always easy for me and I did finally hire a trash removal company because it was hard for me to keep up with hauling my garbage to the dump. I also have a maintenance company for lawn mowing and trimming and once in a great while (2x this season), snow plowing.

I take care of trimming shrubs, flower beds, cleaning gutters, making sure there is no litter around (it blows in from goodness knows where).

So very recently some people up the street got a dumpster and started cleaning up their property. It was a MESS - piles of lumber and metal and garbage, overgrown plants, falling down fence, you name it. I thought well, how nice that they're cleaning it up. Turns out they MOVED - and the house is for sale. I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't want to have things nice for yourself - why wait until you're moving to clean things up?

In the other direction, a young couple just moved into a house that has been vacant for about 4 years. These kids are real go-getters - they were out yesterday mowing and hauling brush and cutting trees, sweeping the driveway, bagging up trash, washing porches. and windows. They were hot and tired but gave me huge smiles and hellos when I walked by.

I mean there are LAWS here about having rubbish around and not taking care of things - but apparently it's ignored for some people and not others.

I'm considering taking a plate of cookies and a gift card to the local sandwich shop to my industrious new neighbors (they're about three houses down - but our back yards kind of connect - it's a weird layout).

Do you have help for maintaining your property? Is it a struggle for you? What motivates you to keep it nice? What are your biggest challenges with home maintenance/repair, cleaning up, etc.?
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
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LWolfT
Posts: 2709
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:46 am

Re: Keeping Up With Home Care

Post by LWolfT »

Well, for most yard work, DH is the maintenance man. He cuts the lawn, trims bushes. When I was single, I hired out those things (especially leaf raking).

There are some things we hire out ... most outside painting, some of the inside, because it's beyond what we can do physically — we have a 2-story house with a steep roof. I suspect gutter cleaning will be next.

Trash, we have city service and there are periodic heavy trash pickup days, so that's covered. We do take recycling to the drop-off point. The HOA takes care of the street plowing, though we shovel our own walks. (Not everyone around here does ...)

Motivation? We have an HOA, and there are laws, but generally, my neighbors are good about keeping up the property.
Quilter51
Posts: 2815
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:04 pm

Re: Keeping Up With Home Care

Post by Quilter51 »

I have not bern the best yard in the group.type and I'm okay with that. Hubby was a "be one with the lawn" type, lord love him. I kept the front mowed but that was about it and paid for others to do it. My motto used to be the front is to keep neighbors happy the patio is for me and the back yard is for the dogs.

One of the many reasons I sold my house was because of a lack if care or energy for those things.

As for the inside, my apartment now us well.lived but very imperfect home keeping wise and I'm okay with that...
mbrudnic
Posts: 4497
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:57 am

Re: Keeping Up With Home Care

Post by mbrudnic »

I am in the same camp as quilter. Ex loved maintaining his lawn. I like to look at pretty flowers. He would be fine without flowers. But that is why I choose to continue to rent. I have enough trouble motivating myself to keep the place clutter-free, let alone worrying about maintenance.
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MackerelCat
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Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Keeping Up With Home Care

Post by MackerelCat »

I like things neat and easy care. DH plants stuff that's hard to take care of. However, we are revisiting that and unlandscaping the backyard to make it easier to take care of.

We have city trash and recycling pickup. DH cleans the gutters though I wish he wouldn't: he's getting too old to be on the roof. We trim the bushes around the house and on the fence and do the painting.

There is little litter in our neighborhood, but I am that person who picks it up.

I get very peeved at our neighbors who set furniture out on the curb to ruin in the rain when they could call several of the thrift stores to pick it up. It sits there for weeks until bulk pick up day.
Mackie
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Jackielou
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Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Keeping Up With Home Care

Post by Jackielou »

So far we are managing on our own with some help from the DS's when they come home.

At one time we cut down trees in our yard on our own, but now that we have reached our "advanced" age, it is beyond us and so have hired people to do that job for us. We do still cut down low lying branches and things that can be reached via ladder though.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
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