How to save money on lawn mowers, including usage, care & buying tips

Throughout this year, the cost of living crisis has been affecting everyday prices and monthly bills. Due to costs rising, we’ve all been trying to cut back on unnecessary purchases and save extra money where we can.

As we’re in the peak of the summer months, you’re probably hoping to get out in the garden as much as possible to enjoy the warm weather. Whether you’re chilling in the sun or having people over for a BBQ, you need to get your garden and your lawn ready with one of the best lawn mowers.

If you’re on the lookout for a new lawn mower or you’re trying to get the most out of your current one, I’ve found the best 5 ways to help you save money on them, including buying tips and usage advice.

1. Think about what lawn mower you need for your garden

My first tip is to narrow down your options to find the best lawn mower for your garden. Start by looking at the size of your garden and the kind of grass that you have. This will help you figure out what device you need and how much you should be spending. While this might seem complicated to those who aren’t experts in lawn mowers (I definitely fall under this category), many lawn mowers that you look at will offer information on what size lawn it works best on and what grass it can tackle.

For example, if you have a big garden with tough grass, a petrol lawn mower is probably your best bet. Petrol lawn mowers are impressive pieces of garden tech that are incredibly powerful and suited to harder tasks like longer grass and larger spaces. Prices are on the more expensive side and you’ll also have to take into account the petrol you’ll need to buy for it to run. While a petrol lawn mower is an investment, mowers tend to last for up to 10 years and your garden will definitely thank you for it.

Alternatively, if your garden is small or you have little stretches of grass, you can get away with a small lawn mower. As it’s a smaller size, the price tends to be a lot cheaper than bigger models. You can also save more money by picking a corded machine rather than a cordless one, as cordless devices are in such high demand and are typically more expensive than corded versions.

2. Shop the sales

Now that you know what lawn mower you’re looking for, you can start shopping the sales. Lawn mowers are usually on sale with the biggest discounts during the summer months. The best places to look for cheap lawn mower deals are popular retailers like Amazon, Currys, Argos, Very and AO.com. Other places to look at are outdoor and home improvement stores, like B&Q, Homebase, Wickes and Screwfix.

Depending on what size or kind of lawn mower you need, there are some reliable and powerful brands to consider when buying one. Bosch, Hyundai, Gtech, Karcher, Flymo and Greenworks are all trustworthy companies that make quality lawn mowers and other garden equipment like strimmers, shears and secateurs.

3. Consider how often you mow your lawn

My next tip is to consider how often you should mow your lawn. If you’re using an electric lawn mower, determining how often you need to cut the grass can minimise your monthly and annual energy and electricity bills. Alternatively, if you’re a petrol lawn mower user, this can cut down on how much petrol you need to buy.

Depending on how quickly your grass grows, this will determine how often you need to get out your lawn mower for a quick touch-up or a full maintenance session. During the summer or spring when there’s the most grass growth, you should look to mow your lawn every 2 weeks. This is pretty frequent and can use up a lot of power so if you look to give your grass a regular once over with garden tools (which I’ll cover on tip 5), this can prevent you having to use your lawn mower as often.

4. Keep your lawn mower in good condition

Once you’ve bought your lawn mower, it’s important that you look after it properly to avoid having to replace it. As I mentioned before, lawn mowers can last around 10 years so keep this in mind when you use it. The first thing you need to do to keep your lawn mower in good condition is to empty it on a regular basis. This keeps the bag in the mower clean and clear and means it won’t struggle to collect grass clippings when it’s too full.

Another thing you need to do regularly is clean the blades, chute and underside of your lawn mower. By doing this, you keep the main part of the mower sharp, clean and untangled and you avoid the risk of blunting the blades or getting pieces stuck in the mechanics. Finally, you should try to not push your mower to its limits to avoid your device breaking or overheating. If you’ve left your grass for a while, try giving your mower regular breaks or tackle the majority of it and use other garden tools to finish the job.

5. Choose lawn mower alternatives

My final tip is to choose a lawn mower alternative. If you have a small or almost non-existent garden, chances are you might not even need a lawn mower! If you decide you don’t need one, then you completely cancel out an unnecessary cost. To keep your lawn looking good without using a lawn mower, you can look at other garden tools and equipment to help you tackle the task. The best garden tools, garden shears and secateurs are all much cheaper than lawn mowers and can handle multiple jobs, including weeding, hedge trimming, grass cutting and much more.