Is Weekend Mowing as a Side Hustle Still Worth It in 2024?

noideaa on 22/04/2024 - 19:22
Last edited 22/04/2024 - 21:07 by 1 other user

Hi everyone, I am wondering if it's worth the risk to do weekend mowing as a side hustle in this day and age?

My brother said that I should and he will help me advertise them on FB marketplace and Gumtree in my council area and the surrounding. I told him I would 10+ years ago but homes are getting smaller now. I'm having second thoughts about it after seeing how responsive people were when he advertised my potted trees.

I have a lawn/garden OCD so I'm not concerned about the OHS stuff. $50 for mowing and extras for yard cleanups and small trimming jobs so nothing major or fancy.

Thoughts?

Home & Garden Lawn Mowing

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/04/2024 - 19:25
    +12

    $50… for doing the lawn? How much you plan on paying yourself an hour?

    • noideaa on 22/04/2024 - 19:39

      Yeah, it's just a side hustle. If I could get 3 of them to call me up, that would be $150 so it's not bad.

      $5 petrol in the jerry can, $20 petrol in vehicle and the rest is mine I guess.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/04/2024 - 19:43
        +13

        I guess if you’re just disposing clippings in their green bin, you value your travel time at $0, have a trailer to keep mess in car at minimum, don’t do your back lifting the mower into the ozbargainers choice of chariot, the 1996 Toyota camry, do everything in cash or slabs etc

        • noideaa on 22/04/2024 - 20:01

          How much do you think is reasonable for medium size lawns?

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/04/2024 - 20:30
            +4

            @noideaa: I wouldn’t do it for less than maybe 60/ hour need to pay for living wage, super, Holidays, insurance, materials, wear and tear, advertising, paperwork etc

            there are some people in my local suburb Facebook group that advertise their services sometimes as cleaner, mowing man etc but stipulate customer to provide materials, and they still asking $40/hour cash.

            • sumyungguy on 22/04/2024 - 21:47
              +5

              @Jimothy Wongingtons: Household workers use owner's tools & equipment so they can consider themselves employees if they suffer any injury on your property. They're also saving the expense of purchasing their own public liability and portable equipment insurance. Buyer be very wary.

          • minty on 22/04/2024 - 21:09
            +2

            @noideaa: Don't forget once you get a foot in if you're semi handy with something you might get asked to do others.

            I absolutely hate gardening so I'm envious of you, put an ad up on FBM and a mum contacted me saying their kid is in the area and works hard. I thought that was sweet and it was fitty or so (small yard), he was not good at all that cheeky bugger I was lied to 😋, but, he fixed a bunch of my small electrical issues and I still call him to this day for bits and bobs.

            • skillet on 23/04/2024 - 21:44
              +3

              @minty: Wait! Did you just get an sparky to mow your lawn or did you get a lawn guy to fix your electrics? And the Mom advertising for her kid on FBM that's a mommyboy.

              • minty on 24/04/2024 - 19:16

                @skillet: An apprentice sparky, I had no idea he was on his way to a sparky until he was pretty trash with the lawn but then we spoke and he fixed a few things for free, maybe not difficult but I've nil experience with electrics so he was a god sent. Have paid him subsequently of course (sparky not lawn, I'm not that crazy).

          • donga100 on 22/04/2024 - 21:12
            +3

            @noideaa: I do it as a side job myself and $80-$100 is about the lowest pricing for a medium lawn without removing clippings from site (leave in their bin/compost).

      • AustriaBargain on 22/04/2024 - 20:50
        +2

        What you need is to book them in the same area on the same day and do them all one after each other. Owners don't even need to be home if you can access the area being mowed. I reckon the people who already do it have these efficiencies probably already figured out. It'll give you time to do a better job too so they will want you to come back again.

        • kiriakoz on 25/04/2024 - 15:17

          Haha, this is a good idea, but you have no idea how high maintenance people are in 2024. They'll have specific demands on when it's done. I don't think it's worth the effort.

          The only other thing you could do is try to build up your reputation in a very specific area so they're all close by… I think that would be challenging though as you're limiting your market before you've begun… maybe a nice long term goal once you build up a reputation and can pick/choose your own clientele, until then you have to take the hit.

          • AustriaBargain on 25/04/2024 - 15:18
            +2

            @kiriakoz: Could give them a choice, the price if they can book it on certain days between like 8am and 5pm, or double price if they want it done on a specific day and time.

      • nikey2k27 on 24/04/2024 - 18:53
        -1

        if live near me i pay you that mow my yard

    • MrThing on 22/04/2024 - 20:37
      +5

      about tree fiddy

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/04/2024 - 20:42
        +1

        And I yelled, I said "What do you want from us monster?!"

    • HeWhoKnows on 23/04/2024 - 17:50
      +1

      Going rate really depends on the area.
      Its very much a commodity business so best price wins

  • Muzeeb on 22/04/2024 - 19:26
    +4

    Don't forget to put {insert tax rate % here} aside or are you looking for cash jobs only?

    • SnoozeAndLose on 22/04/2024 - 20:28
      +1

      $50 can only be cash on hand.

    • MrThing on 22/04/2024 - 20:40

      only cashies mate, always cashinhand mayte

    • AustriaBargain on 22/04/2024 - 20:50
      +2

      For backrubs and compliments.

    • coffeeinmyveins on 22/04/2024 - 22:59
      +2

      This country lives on cash in hand jobs mate.

      • ezekiel181 on 23/04/2024 - 20:29
        +7

        This sentence could have benefited from some hyphenating.

    • MrThing on 23/04/2024 - 02:29
      +2

      chuck on a high vis and do cashies every day

  • SBOB on 22/04/2024 - 19:28
    +4

    I have a lawn/garden OCD so i'm not concerned about the OHS stuff

    I was unaware you could negate one three letter acronym by claiming another.

    Perhaps the success of your last 'side gig' would help others to comment on the potential for this one
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/827583
    But as you provided no comment on that thread, might be asking a bit.

    • noideaa on 22/04/2024 - 19:37

      Yes, this is the main reason for having a second thought about it when I told him not worth it by saying "homes are getting smaller".

      • SBOB on 22/04/2024 - 20:01
        +8

        "trawling"…..it's like one click

        Why are you clicking on reply and typing my username?
        Seems like equal levels of forum feature utilisation

    • brendanm on 22/04/2024 - 20:11

      We never got any photos 😭

  • Hybroid on 22/04/2024 - 19:31

    I would easily pay $100 for someone to lawn edge, mow, and general clean up once a month.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/04/2024 - 20:38
      +3

      Thow in a slab of xxxx, deck of Winnie blues, and a mid to fair condition copy of 1998 June Playboy (babes of Baywatch on cover) and it’s a deal

      • Muzeeb on 22/04/2024 - 20:42
        +1

        Uncle Ian would be your only competition for that gig.

    • AustriaBargain on 22/04/2024 - 20:51

      general clean up

      What does that mean exactly?

      • Hybroid on 22/04/2024 - 20:54

        Cut grass clippings and fallen leaves into green bin.

        • AustriaBargain on 22/04/2024 - 21:03

          So not even take the clippings away with them? Oh. Yeah I assumed that would be standard, that they would even take them away with them.

          • Hybroid on 22/04/2024 - 21:09
            +3

            @AustriaBargain: Not take them away with them. Just use a mower than collects the clippings and dump them into the green garden waste bin when the mower catcher fills up.

            Sometimes, particulary the petrol mowers, just cut and leave the clippings behind in the grass instead of collecting them. That leaves the grass looking patchy with tons of brown fluff (left side) and would need a dethatcher to remove them (right side green) doubling the work.

            • AustriaBargain on 22/04/2024 - 21:30
              +2

              @Hybroid: I find mowers leave clippings on the grass when they are gummed up with mulched clippings and the catcher is blocked. Every now and then I turn mower on its side and poke at it with the end of a broom stick. You'd think a professional lawn mower would have a good machine that is regularly cleaned, and they would know when the catcher is full with experience.

    • Euphemistic on 23/04/2024 - 07:41
      +2

      Oncs a month might be fine in winter, but my lawn looks terrible after more than a week in summer. Hate to have to mow it monthly in summer.

  • nubzy on 22/04/2024 - 19:38
    +3

    You can do it full time if you want to, there's plenty of work to go around. You do need to invest in good quality commercial equipment though, and would be wise to have insurance. I enjoy it and it sure beats working some miserable 9 to 5 office job. At $50 a lawn you will go broke though. Average in Sydney is more like $90-$100 a lawn which takes around 30-45 mins for one man to do.

    • noideaa on 22/04/2024 - 19:48
      +1

      I already have decent equipment and serviced once a year.

      I have a full time job so $50 is not going to affect me. I like mowing and just want to make quick cash.

      • Muzeeb on 22/04/2024 - 20:23
        +1

        so $50 is not going to affect me

        What do you mean by this?

        • noideaa on 22/04/2024 - 20:26

          Doing it full time and taking $50 is different than working in a full time job elsewhere and mowing homes on the weekend for $50.

  • randomusername2017 on 22/04/2024 - 19:44

    my council area …$50 for mowing and extras

    $50 for cutting your neighbours grass 🤔

  • scrimshaw on 22/04/2024 - 19:50
    +3

    Just an FYI I paid a Sydney bloke $200 (cash in hand) roughly a job that involves cutting a very unkempt lawn, clearing gutters, edging, pruning tree branches, removing weeds and some basic pest control which he performed in under 2 hours. He had all the professional equipment for it including a pickup for the garbage disposal.

    $50 just for lawn mowing sounds like you will eventually go broke, the petrol money and the time you spend going from house to house needs to be factored into your operating expenses.

    For quick cash I guess it might be better than doing food deliveries or driving an uber, but I wouldn't know how much profit an uber trip makes.

    • noideaa on 22/04/2024 - 19:54

      Thanks for the head ups.

    • SnowDragon on 23/04/2024 - 07:39
      -1

      Not sure how $50/h can make someone go broke if they're just doing this for a side gig. How far do you expect they'd be travelling? If OP could only advertise within a certain radius of suburbs then travel wouldn't be too bad.

      I'd happily drive 40-50km in a day doing 3-4 jobs for $200 cash. Pays for groceries for nearly a week and fills up the mower again. Of course this is an ideal world where I get 3-4 jobs on a Saturday and all houses are equally distant. But I'd rather be earning something than just sitting on the couch or doing chores.

      • Jolakot on 24/04/2024 - 18:21
        -1

        You'd be better off doing uber or doordash, on weekends you can easily crack $200 a day. More wear on your car but less wear on yourself, and doctors cost more than mechanics.

  • sumyungguy on 22/04/2024 - 19:53
    +3

    Perhaps not the ideal season to enter the lawn care sector?

    • plmko on 22/04/2024 - 21:16

      You need to gather feedback/momentum to be ready for peak season….geez

  • hasher22 on 22/04/2024 - 20:06

    Wouldn't your prices depend on how large the area is? Some people will rip you off and take advantage of you.

    Mowing lawns is fine as a side gig. I would say mowing + trim as the minimum offer.

    See what the going rate is and advertise. You got to start somewhere.

    There's always a market for something, even if it's saturated. Make yourself stand out. That's when marketing is king.

    • noideaa on 22/04/2024 - 20:13

      That's why I place them low to see how it goes first as a complete newbie who will be put at disadvantage in an over-saturated market.

  • minty on 22/04/2024 - 20:57
    +1

    Don't have an answer to your question directly per se sorry.

    A fella in my block does some construction stuff normally and recently took over the entire contract for our townhouse block for maintenance of the greenery.

    Mostly I've seen him trim bushes and mowing and just general upkeep you know the jazz. And now also take all the bins out dead early in Friday for the garbo and bring back in a few hours later.

    No idea how much he's racking in not chummy enough to ask but it can't be little. He's diligent and is there rain hail or shine. Also see him up trees with a setup trimming obstructive branches so I can only imagine some past experience?

    Not sure if you're up for that level of commitment but something to consider if you want a serious chunk. But don't you get your ass up on a tree without experience I'm not responsible for you slipping and getting you bum stuck on a branch or a bee's nest or something else!

    I did ask out of interest how he got it, cos I'm definitely up for taking out bins for the entire street that's piss easy money. He said he just contacted local strata/agents/etc one by one for rejected by a lot before this, so… YMMV.

    • TightAl on 24/04/2024 - 20:33
      +1

      Not a cash job, doesn't count

  • donga100 on 22/04/2024 - 21:17

    It is a good side job, I do it myself. Nice being able to schedule as much or as little work as you like at times convenient to you. Join this FB group for information about pricing as you are currently quoting way too little.

  • cnmarine on 23/04/2024 - 00:03
    +1

    It all depends on the block, I pay 200 for a mow + hedge a fortnight as the house's on a steep hill and about 40 steps down to the bottom with 4 retaining walls.

  • screensaver on 23/04/2024 - 00:44

    I joined Next Door and you will get work there from a free ad,

  • JIMB0 on 23/04/2024 - 05:19
    +1

    I told him I would 10+ years ago but homes are getting smaller now.

    People are also getting more and more lazy. Just look at the amount of people getting around on motorised scooters and bikes. I can guarantee they don't mow their own lawn.

    • Jolakot on 24/04/2024 - 18:40
      -2

      Seems less lazy than driving a car?

    • TightAl on 24/04/2024 - 20:33

      Or they live in apartments?

  • 87percent on 23/04/2024 - 07:44
    +2

    I have a 900 block, with the house in the middle of it, and I used to pay a local guy $40 to mow/line trim my garden.

    During covid he stopped, and ran into him the other day, said he could come and do my lawn for $100 now

  • Euphemistic on 23/04/2024 - 07:47
    +1

    If you do start it up, you might be committing yourself to ongoing work. Havign to go back and do thebsame lawn every fortnight is OK, but if you wnd up with several lawns you will have a level of commitment to maintain them. Dont forget your work/life balance.

    I preferred handyman jobs that were a one off. As a 'side gig' gave a little bit of income in my otherwise down time but didnt mean i ended up having to work every spare minute and not have enough time for my own chores.

    • noideaa on 23/04/2024 - 19:44

      I'm happy to give it a go. If it works out then i'll quit my job and open a small business. Maybe add window and gutter cleaning service for single story homes (using extendable gutter attachment on blower). Then, invest in commercial grades later if there's success along with hedge trimming, small pruning, shrub removal etc.

  • 82norm on 23/04/2024 - 07:55
    +1

    Give it a go. Did it for several months, cashie jobs, only around local area 5km radius. Plenty of work, once word gets around. My biggest mistake I didn’t charge appropriately (more). So go high, then negotiate down if you still keen to do the job. Stay away from spongy lawns, bastard things to mow and factor in overgrown lawns, add extra for those. Check NextDoor….
    BTW. Don’t be surprised if you get asked, do you know anyone who does…… you’ll have gigs coming out of your…

  • ass3ts on 23/04/2024 - 08:54
    +1

    $50 in 2024?? I pay my gardeners $150/hour now.

  • CurlCurl on 23/04/2024 - 09:02

    You can earn $300 an hour doing massages with benefits.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 23/04/2024 - 18:34
      +2

      benefits

      Like flexitime and upsized super contributions?

      • Daabido on 23/04/2024 - 18:39

        If it's flexi you won't get a super contribution.

      • CurlCurl on 23/04/2024 - 18:45

        Like flexitime and upsized super contributions?

        I was thinking happy endings.

  • Sinnerator on 23/04/2024 - 09:14
    +1

    dude, NDIS abn gardeners charge between $80 to $120 per hour

  • Spets on 23/04/2024 - 17:59
    +1

    What we pay for unskilled labour services in Australia has to be the highest in the world. $100 an hour to cut some grass? Why go to uni or upskill?

    • Thaal Sinestro on 23/04/2024 - 20:34
      -1

      I want a CFMEU job. Here in Qld an unskilled labourer (doing tasks like sweeping dirt) or a sign holder gets $215,000 per year, double time when it's raining, $100 per week if they use their own cell phone at work for communications, and so on. Why bother spending years studying hard subjects and racking up HECS debt? Get a unionized government job and live happily ever after. You effective earn as much as a GP.

      • johnno07 on 24/04/2024 - 00:01
        +2

        sign holder gets $215,000 per year

        Seems unlikely, but if this is the case - why don't you do it?

        • Saywhatold on 24/04/2024 - 20:18

          He's actually not far off the mark which is pretty hard to believe, but it is true. In QLD, civic construction projects are undertaken by the CFMEU. My understanding, you start on a union project as what is called a CW5 which is just under $200k a year, before benefits.

          The AFR has a recent article on it in more detail here: https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/more-queensla…

  • happyhammer on 23/04/2024 - 19:32

    Depends on what a medium size lawn is. For some that's 50sqm for others it's 500sqm. Maybe come up with a pricing guide for size/how unkept it is

  • Wasabi Ninja on 24/04/2024 - 01:11

    Lawn mowings dead. Easy money is all window washing these days. $50 for the front of a house $150-200 whole house. (Outside only)

    • JuryWheel on 24/04/2024 - 14:08
      +1

      Window washing is actually a pretty decent business if you can get the clientele sorted. Pretty much zero overheads and the guy near us charges almost $200 for a single storey 2 bed home (outside windows only!). He can knock 2-3 of these off in a day. Money for jam!

      • Wasabi Ninja on 24/04/2024 - 17:12

        It really is easy money. Target the expensive suburbs and they’ll make decent coin.

  • Morphio25 on 24/04/2024 - 11:25

    I'd happily mow lawns in my local neighbourhood for $50 a lawn. The way I see it if I did two of those per weekend that pays for Tuesday night quiz at the local pub and Saturday night pizza.

    • hothed on 24/04/2024 - 14:51
      +1

      Or hit up your current employer for a payrise and relax with the kids on the weekend

      • Morphio25 on 25/04/2024 - 06:42

        Public service worker here - never going to happen!

  • FareEvader on 24/04/2024 - 18:36

    Check out AirTasker and see how much other people charge… $50 is on the cheap side!

  • Bing0 on 24/04/2024 - 20:14

    Smaller lawns might mean fewer mowers owned if you think positively, their grass still grows though.

  • bmxr on 24/04/2024 - 20:27
    -1

    $60 an hour is the going rate around here for mowing, trimming, hedging and cleanup, assuming you supply your own equipment, but use the clients green bins. Fertiliser, weeder, mulch is extra on top.

  • rickdwp on 25/04/2024 - 01:07
    +1

    Lawn mowing is one of the many race to the bottom second jobs. Go on any Facebook page and say "Hey looking to have my lawn mowed" You'll have 50 responses in 10 minutes that will go from "$50 an hour, inbox for accurate quote" to "I'll do it for a pack of Aldi chicken chips"

    "Side hustle" is a marketing term. If you need a second job, get a second job. The "gig" economy is a crock of shit that makes you $10 an hour for the vast majority of people.

    • Euphemistic on 29/04/2024 - 12:08

      The "gig" economy is a crock of shit

      This. Unless youre fmdoing cash only jobs at a good rate the platform gets all the profit and the workers get stuck lowering their ratws to compete with numbnuts that have no idea how much it actually costs them to do the job.

      "I made $120 last night delivering food". No you didnt becasue youre car cost you $45 to run, youre not getting any super or leave pay for when youre sick and it took 5 hours.

  • iand on 27/04/2024 - 23:23

    as a retired gardener small lawns are gold i could do a small lawn ie:75 m2 for $40 in about 15 minutes but the lady next door with over 450M2 of lawn wouldn't pay $240

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