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It's that time of year again when the snow starts piling up from coast to coast. Unless you are lucky enough to live in the Southern extremes of our nation, snow removal is going to cost you something this year. It may not be cold hard cash, but your back might suffer if you do it yourself. Sure, you can go out and plunk down $600 on a snowblower, but if you only use it four times a year, you are paying way too much and you will hate it sitting in your garage the rest of the year. What can you do?
Well, if you have kids, preferably over 9 years old, you have your own free labor. No kids? Talk to some of your neighbors about hiring their child. Hey, we are in one deep Recession and your neighbor Sally might be a lot more keen on her teenage son pulling in $15 so that she isn't getting hit up for movie money. Now her son probably has to shovel his own driveway too, but cut a deal with Sally or with her son that your driveway will get done right afterwards. If you have a 35 foot driveway, it shouldn't take longer than 60 to 90 minutes for a strapping lad depending on the snowfall amount. And the benefit over using a snow plow is the damage to your driveway will likely be minimal.
Sure, you can hire it out, but this way your giving a kid a job and a good lesson in hard work and you'll likely save money compared to having a professional do it. A good tip to make it go faster is to buy good shovels that are well constructed. If you have a small enough driveway in an area that doesn't get more than a few inches, you can get a decent light duty Toro Power Shovel that a teenager could safely operate for $99.
How much to pay? Well, that's highly dependent on where you live and how much snow there is, but rates range from $5 for a small driveway with a couple inches to $20 for heavier wet snow. It's a buyer's market, but don't take too much advantage of it.
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