k2bdeutmeyer Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 What is a fair price to pay a 12yr old to mow an average sized suburban lawn (1/4 acre-ish)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Twenty bucks, 'round here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarmom4 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 My ds14 charges $15 each time he mows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Okay....what if it's your own kid and this is their first year doing it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 $20-$30, depending on the difficulty. More trees/obstacles to manuever around, height/thickness of grass, etc. factor in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Okay....what if it's your own kid and this is their first year doing it? 20 bucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'd say $20.00. I'd probably pay a kid $30.00 for my lawn. I have a lot and a half, and I've had quotes for $50.00 for just mowing from a landscaping company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Oh. It's *my* kid? Well then he does it for free, because we all help out in the family. Sorry kid. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarmom4 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Oh. It's *my* kid? Well then he does it for free, because we all help out in the family. Sorry kid. :P :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Oh. It's *my* kid? Well then he does it for free, because we all help out in the family. Sorry kid. :P Yep. Mow only (no bagging the grass) for others is $20. Mow and edge $30. Bagging is another $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Oh. It's *my* kid? Well then he does it for free, because we all help out in the family. Sorry kid. :P LOL!! We offered to pay DD $10 every time she mows the lawn. She's anxious to make some money and this is a good weight lifted off my shoulders. She says it isn't worth it for only $10. I'm thinking if we paid her more (like $15) that would be close to $120/month. I can't afford that. The $80 to pay her $10/time is pushing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasia Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I pay my kids $25, but our yard is bigger than average, with a hill, and they clean up the yard a bit (moving toys out of their way and putting them away properly). How often do you plan on having her do it? It works out to about $100 per month for us. My two oldest take turns doing it, so it's $50 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 LOL!! We offered to pay DD $10 every time she mows the lawn. She's anxious to make some money and this is a good weight lifted off my shoulders. She says it isn't worth it for only $10. I'm thinking if we paid her more (like $15) that would be close to $120/month. I can't afford that. The $80 to pay her $10/time is pushing it. If she doesn't think it is worth it, that's fine by me. Obviously she isn't that anxious to make some money then, is she? But I wouldn't give her a single dime to spend for anything for a very long time. It's amazing how being completely broke can change one's perspective on the value of every dollar. In fact, the less they seem to want to earn it, the lower the wages I offer. DC: I need to make some money! Me: I'll pay $10 for X quality work. DC: it isn't worth it for $10! Me: oh. Well then I'll pay you $5 since you aren't actually inclined to earn $10. DC: WHAT?! Me: If you don't want to earn $5, I would pay $3? Better yet, maybe you need some more chores. Like this X job. Yeahhhhh. I think I'm going to go check out the chore list.... DC: NOOOOOO! I'm on it! Heading out now! $5 sounds great!! Thanks mom! Me: You're very welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 LOL!! We offered to pay DD $10 every time she mows the lawn. She's anxious to make some money and this is a good weight lifted off my shoulders. She says it isn't worth it for only $10. I'm thinking if we paid her more (like $15) that would be close to $120/month. I can't afford that. The $80 to pay her $10/time is pushing it. Well you're maybe a sweeter mom than I am, Kristin. 'Cause if she was my daughter, she'd be out there mowing the lawn. Period. You know, family is a unit. We work together. If there's work to do, we do it. And if I wanted to (and could *afford* to) give her some extra spending money, I would. I guess maybe we just come at things a bit differently. If I offered my kid $10 to mow the lawn and they said it wasn't enough, they'd probably end up doing it for free. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Our 17 year old son mows our grass and in return he could chose between $10 a week extra or having his sister do his kitchen duties during grass season. It was a fair offer- if he took the money, it was payment for doing more than his sister. If he chose to eliminate kitchen chores during the summer, both their workloads increase during the summer. Every year he has chosen to eliminate his kitchen duties during mowing season. Neither complain about the setup and I never wanted my kids to have too much money from household chores- we feel they should help out because it teaches them to run a house and because everyone should contribute to the upkeep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Oh. It's *my* kid? Well then he does it for free, because we all help out in the family. Sorry kid. :P Yep, mowing isn't one of the chores I pay for. I do pay for digging up dandelions and weeds in my flower beds, but no one's too keen on doing that. Mowing is easy for me compared to weeding (riding mower) so ds can do it, but he doesn't get paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 LOL!! We offered to pay DD $10 every time she mows the lawn. She's anxious to make some money and this is a good weight lifted off my shoulders. She says it isn't worth it for only $10. I'm thinking if we paid her more (like $15) that would be close to $120/month. I can't afford that. The $80 to pay her $10/time is pushing it. That wouldn't sit well with me. I certainly wouldn't offer her more money! I also don't understand $80/month. Do you need to mow twice a week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 That wouldn't sit well with me. I certainly wouldn't offer her more money! I also don't understand $80/month. Do you need to mow twice a week? According to DH, yeah, I guess?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I amend my statement. If it's my kid doing our own lawn- they'd be doing it for free. $10.00 is extremely generous of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvaleri Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 We pay our 12yo son $20 to mow and weedwhack our lawn (approx 1/2 acre w/trees and garden). Though everyone has household chores, we feel this is above and beyond the norm. Just as when the olders kidsat the youngers and got paid. Now when we go out and I stop at Starbucks, he pays for his own. Or if he needs earbuds (again) those come from his pocket. In the last year, we decided to give each of our kids $100 to purchase seasonal necessary clothing, socks, shoes, gloves, hats, etc. (over and above hand-me-downs) as a means to teach money management. The extra they earn allows them to splurge if they want. JMHO, Teresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 We pay my son $10, and it's a large yard with a hill. He also trims, edges, and does other miscellaneous yard work. If he argued about the amount, we would give him a choice. Do it for $10, or do it for nothing. If he argued about doing it for nothing he would quickly lose all the privileges we pay for (phone, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssavings Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 $10 per time and if she does a good job, you'll recommend her services to neighbors, maybe? Or, like PP said, a Mother's helper, maybe? Mine was 12 when she started, and she's awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 How long does it take to mow the lawn? It seems like that would be 1/2 hour, depending on how many obstacles there are. Ten bucks to a family member for that is generous IMO. Does she realize how much she would be getting paid per hour and how much it would add up to each month? When my kids mow, they do not get paid. But, DH prefers to mow as we have a lot of tricky spots. Also though, my kids do not get allowance either. If there is something they want, we decide whether or not to get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 $30 if it includes trimming. This is what my sons charged for an average lawn (front and back - boys used their own equipment and gas). FWIW, we pay our youngest $30 to mow and trim our 3 acres of lawn around the house. He gets $20 for mowing and $10 for trimming. He has a riding mower with a 5 ft. mower deck so it takes about 2 hours to do it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 The young boy a few doors down offered to mow our yard for $40. Sorry, we already have a lawn boy. It's a really big yard--lots average 3/4 acre here. And there's a hill. But we only pay ds $25. We average once a week for mowing. When he first started, though, we only paid him $15. He had to prove his worth--like a probationary period--before dh was willing to pay more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 If it were my kid, they would most likely be doing it for free, we have an average size yard. If we had more property or were requiring more than just mowing I might pay $5-10 but not every time. I want my kids to learn, we are a family unit we help each other (DH and I pitch in to help our kids when if they need it too) and they need to learn the value of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 LOL!! We offered to pay DD $10 every time she mows the lawn. She's anxious to make some money and this is a good weight lifted off my shoulders. She says it isn't worth it for only $10. I'm thinking if we paid her more (like $15) that would be close to $120/month. I can't afford that. The $80 to pay her $10/time is pushing it. You mow *8* times a month?!?!?! That sounds... insane... lol. Of course, we ought to mow more often than we do - but still, once a week seems like plenty. I think paying your own 12 yo $10 a week to mow 1/4 acre sounds perfectly reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 If she doesn't think it is worth it, that's fine by me. Obviously she isn't that anxious to make some money then, is she? But I wouldn't give her a single dime to spend for anything for a very long time. It's amazing how being completely broke can change one's perspective on the value of every dollar. In fact, the less they seem to want to earn it, the lower the wages I offer. DC: I need to make some money! Me: I'll pay $10 for X quality work. DC: it isn't worth it for $10! Me: oh. Well then I'll pay you $5 since you aren't actually inclined to earn $10. DC: WHAT?! Me: If you don't want to earn $5, I would pay $3? Better yet, maybe you need some more chores. Like this X job. Yeahhhhh. I think I'm going to go check out the chore list.... DC: NOOOOOO! I'm on it! Heading out now! $5 sounds great!! Thanks mom! Me: You're very welcome! You know, Martha, I like you better every time I read one of your posts. ;) I wish it worked this way all the time, though. Sometimes they just don't care about even $5 or $3. But they live here so they need to work here. He who does not work does not eat, I've been known to quote a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 $30 if it includes trimming. This is what my sons charged for an average lawn (front and back - boys used their own equipment and gas). FWIW, we pay our youngest $30 to mow and trim our 3 acres of lawn around the house. He gets $20 for mowing and $10 for trimming. He has a riding mower with a 5 ft. mower deck so it takes about 2 hours to do it all. Wow, that's what I pay my professional. I'm not inclined to pay a child the same amount, unless he earns my admiration for doing a truly professional looking job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I think mowing is above and beyond average household chores. I think $10 is fair, but it seems like you could get by with her mowing a little less often - maybe 6 times a month... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 She says it isn't worth it for only $10. LOL! This is something my boys finally learned to NEVER say. When it was said, the job automatically became a freebie for me :) When our kids were quite a bit younger, we did not pay them for the job of mowing. It was just part of chores. The oldest was in charge of the yard (because of the heavy equipment use) and the others worked in the house. As they departed for summer employment and had more outside commitments, it eventually became a paying job. But if I had a 12 year old who was unemployable elsewhere, I would make the offer of $10. If it were refused, it would become part of normal chores. I think kids need to realize that when we pay them for "chores" we are being generous :) and they need to learn to recognize generosity and be grateful for it. If your daughter is weighing this job with another employment opportunity, I might change my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 According to DH, yeah, I guess?!? I'd love to see your yard! Even the Master Gardener with the perfect lawn across the street only mows once a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 We pay our son $10 to mow and weed. He does it approximately every 7-10 days. We have started requiring him to pay for more of his own stuff as well. It's his second year doing it. I think $10 is generous for an average lawn. If they can make that much money for that much time somewhere else at that age, I say go for it! It's true that he's doing us a favor by mowing, but we are paying for it, and we could just as easily mow the lawn ourselves, so we are also doing him a favor of trying to teach good work habits and such. Our dd was given the offer of mowing every other time to earn money too, but she wasn't interested; she hates yardwork. She babysits occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I pay my 12 and 10 yr dds each $10. One mows the front and the other mows the back, but we use a reel mower and it takes them longer and is more work. They only get paid for the outdoor chores, though (we just consider those extra). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 LOL!! We offered to pay DD $10 every time she mows the lawn. She's anxious to make some money and this is a good weight lifted off my shoulders. She says it isn't worth it for only $10. I'm thinking if we paid her more (like $15) that would be close to $120/month. I can't afford that. The $80 to pay her $10/time is pushing it. $120/month??:? How many times per week are you going to have her mow your grass? We have a 1/2 acre (relatively flat--front has little to work around, back has some "obstacles"). My dd14 has been mowing it for 3 years. She started out making $10 each time she mowed. As she's gotten older, more efficient, and does a very good job (doing a good job "cutting in" around obstacles), we've upped her pay to $15 per mow. She mows 1x per week, for a total of $60 per month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 My kids get either a Mc'D's milkshake or a Grande (non-caffeinated) Frappuchino when they mow the lawn....It's their preferred method of payment, which is fine with me. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 My children do not get paid for doing household chores. As they get older, they get more/harder chores. Mowing will be one of them. I will offer up a dollar for the first volunteer to fold the littlest one's clothing though. I hate to fold laundry, and he is too little to handle it on his own, but it can't really be justified as "their" responsibility to the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Ds mows a few hours a week at our house as part of family chores. He gets paid $25.00 a mow for 2 plus hours for a friend. They have the mower and gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 We do it a little differently here. We live on a farm, so my son mows around the house with a push mower and my husband mows with a riding mower the outlying areas. We pay our son $20 a month. It really is slave labor for the amount he mows;) but this way, he mows on demand. So some months that might be only 3 times and some months it might be 6 times. The money is really a gift, he knows he would have to do it because he lives here, but because it is outside his normal chores, we pay him. All my kids have the option of doing extra chores for money, and sometimes they choose not to because they don't think the job is worth it. Most of the time though, when an older kid passes on it, I offer it to a younger kid (I have 6). And then the older kid decides maybe they do want to earn a little money, just so the younger sibling doesn't have more than they do! I guess we pay so little because we want them to know that earning good money is hard work, and hopefully no job will be beneath them. My nieces and nephews have entitlement issues and don't even have parttime jobs because they aren't doing X because it isn't cool. Someday, when they are old enough, I hope my then teenagers will realize that a real job pays more than mom and that getting a job anywhere will be better than staying home mowing. Then they won't be so picky about where they start out. I hope anyway. In the meantime, he is helping me out by mowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 What is a fair price to pay a 12yr old to mow an average sized suburban lawn (1/4 acre-ish)? If it's someone else's 12yo, $15-20 is the going rate here. If it's your own 12 yo, there is no pay. Household responsibility and all that. No one pays Mom to cook, do laundry, or chauffer the dc; no one pays Dad to change the oil or paint the house; and no one pays the kid to learn how to mow well. Once he/she is good at it, he/she can get a job mowing for the old lady down the street and get paid whatever said old lady wants to pay for the service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slogan Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Our lawn guy charges $40 an hour for a two man crew on a biweekly basis. In that hour they mow, weed eat, and blow our yard which is larger and more difficult than your average suburban yard. He also uses all his own equipment. So unless its an unusually skilled 12 yr old I'd say $10-15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 LOL!! We offered to pay DD $10 every time she mows the lawn. She's anxious to make some money and this is a good weight lifted off my shoulders. She says it isn't worth it for only $10. I'm thinking if we paid her more (like $15) that would be close to $120/month. I can't afford that. The $80 to pay her $10/time is pushing it. I would tell her to feel free to seek an easier, higher-paying job :rolleyes: Definitely don't offer more money. fwiw, we live in Louisiana, and yep, we have to mow 2x a week during the peak season (or maybe not 2x per week, but more often than 1x, kwim?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I would tell her to feel free to seek an easier, higher-paying job :rolleyes: Definitely don't offer more money. fwiw, we live in Louisiana, and yep, we have to mow 2x a week during the peak season (or maybe not 2x per week, but more often than 1x, kwim?). :o:o Color me embarrassed - of COURSE you might have to mow more in some highly rainy, highly grassy area!! I have no idea why that didn't even occur to me - I'm so used to living in desert-y areas, where you have to struggle to get anything to grow & rapid over-growth is practically non-existent, that I didn't even picture the growth that could happen in other areas!! lol Still, though, I'd only give her $10 each time... especially if you are having her do it twice a week (and you might try once a week and see how it looks!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Okay....what if it's your own kid and this is their first year doing it? I'm paying my 12 yo ds $5 to mow 1 acre. Now, I know that's not much, but I feel he should be doing it to help his dad and I want him to have some spending money, but he really doesn't need more than $20/month at this point. He already gets enough money at birthdays and Christmas that lasts him most of the year. He doesn't have a lot of things he wants at this point, though. Mostly legos still. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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