Goodbye Faithful Servant

After 25 years of reliable service, I said goodbye to my lawn mower on Saturday. It is a Honda self-propelled, and the self-propelling stopped propelling! My original intention was to go get it fixed (I am not a mechanical person), but after thinking about the cost of repair, and what they would offer as a trade-in on a new model, my wife and I (yes, we make joint decisions on “major” purchases) decided that it was time.

The dealership (they couldn’t believe I had a 25 year old mower!) gave me a good offer on the mower, considering that it needed fixed, and they had the mower I wanted – a new Honda self-propelled. The last several summers, knowing that a new mower was not to far off into the future,  I have been researching different brands and models and this one was highly rated based on my situation: hillside, size of yard (1/2 acre), type of cutting, grass removal (bagging & mulching).

Since this is “A Penny Saved”, I should share my financial thoughts on this:

• quality can be worth the price (several times over)
• maintenance is so important- it is worth the time and money
• plan ahead for future purchases – don’t wait for a “crisis” to do a little homework. Decision making tends to be poor under stress
• have an emergency fund /savings – we could make a decision to purchase because we had the money.
• family decisions are usually better decisions. Having your spouse involved in financial areas is important

So hello new mower – I’m hoping for another 25 years!