Home Ownership and Money Decisions

As any homeowner knows, there's always some kind of maintenance to be done, something to buy, something that takes your time and money. This week I've been working on two projects: getting my garage door opener fixed and looking into buying a new lawnmower. With both, and as is not uncommon, I've had to make a decision on how much money to spend. The interesting thing is that both involve a difference of about $150.

With the garage door opener, I can choose to either have the broken part replaced, at a cost of about $150, or have the entire opener replaced, at a cost of $300. I'm told that the average life of a garage door opener is 15-20 years. I've had mine for 17 years so, statistically, it's near the end of its life. However, I've really never had any problems with it before now, and the repairman says that the motor sounds good. And, he says that he has seen many openers last well past the average lifespan. So, I've opted to have the broken part, only, replaced ($150 instead of $300) and will keep my fingers crossed that the opener lasts for several more years.

With the lawnmower, I've been doing some serious thinking about buying an electric mower. I'd like to say that I'm doing it for the environment, to reduce my carbon footprint. But, I have to be honest and say that I'm doing it because I want to make the job of mowing the lawn easier. I know of at least three people who have electric mowers and they are say it's the only way to go. Though electric mowers have less power than gas mowers, and as such don't have self-propelled models, may have a difficult time getting through tall or wet grass, it sounds like they're easier to use. They definitely have to be easier to start than gas mowers, not to mention quieter and cleaner. I believe they are also lighter, which is probably why they're easier to use. My dilemma is whether to buy a corded or cord-free model. The cord-free model--of course--is more expensive. About $150 more expensive. I thought about this as I was mowing my backyard this evening, thinking about what it would be like if I had a cord attached to the mower and plugged into the outlet on the back patio. What a pain! Especially with the posts that hold up the patio cover and the fact that I have to mow not only the back, but also the side of the house. So, I think I've pretty much convinced myself that a cordless model is worth an extra $150 for the convenience. After all, the only reason I'm considering buying a new mower is to make the chore easier!

Now, do I go to Lowe's, the hardware store, Sears, order online from Amazon...