Avoid the proverbial heart attack caused by over exertion. This winter is off to an early start. There has already been several reports of people passing away due to a heart attack from shoveling snow. If you feel any pressure in your chest, stop and rest. Ask for help at the same time. The money you save is simply not worth it vs. a heart attack.
If you have an average-sized driveway, you can expect to pay somewhere between $300 and $600 for the season to have someone come and clear the snow off your driveway after a snowfall of at least one inch. Less than that they will not clean your driveway unless you want to pay more for this service. In addition many will only clear the driveway after the city plows have cleared your street, so you may be waiting part or even most of the day for your driveway to be cleared.
A snow blower can be purchased that is suitable for an average driveway anywhere from $700 to $1500 and even higher if you want a larger model with many more bells and whistles. Let’s assume you purchase a model that costs $1000. With maintenance, oil, gas etc you may spend another $100 over the four years. Essentially it will take 4 years of contractor payments to pay for the snow blower, which is pretty good payback! From that point forward, your snow blower is saving you money and you still get the exercise and the fresh air.
One word of advice, always let the snow blower do the work. Don’t try to manhandle the machine, instead use the steering mechanism and let it do all of the work! Too many people try to push the machine into the position they want or try to steer the machine by pulling or pushing it. Especially with the larger machines and even with some of the smaller ones this can be particularly strenuous to try. Instead allow the machine to come to a stop, back it up, and steer it as you are moving the machine. You will find this approach much easier. Some of the new snow blowers actually have steering controls which when depressed will turn the snowblower in one direction or another.
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