Money nobody wants

[1948berg]

My brother happends to live near my parents in-law. They are both 88 now. My brother has a small MF 25 which he uses to clear the snow on his own and my in-laws yard, maybe 1/2 hour each place after a snowfall. The old folks, like many of their ganeration, would like to pay him for his services, but my brother will not have money, for at least 2 reasons, doing it makes him feel good, and receiving money will committ him to the job, and taking away the good feeling of helping them gives him.
My father in-law had to accept that, but he figured a way to get"even" after a while. Each time my brother has cleared the yard he puts 15 dollars in a jar with my brothers name on, with a message to his doughters to give my brother the jar after father in-law is dead! Clever or what?

 

[dmccarty]

1948berg,

That is a good idea. Very nice.

Later,
Dan

 

[Deere_parts]

I think that's pretty cool. A way for both sides to feel great about themselves.

Kudos to your brother too, Hard to find good people like that.

 

[slowrev]

I have sort of a similar situation. I mow some land for my mother in law. She absolutely insists on paying me something even thought she cannot really afford it. I buy her gift cards at various stores perodically with the money, and have the wife give them to her so she does not know why they were bought. Of course the wife gets the kudos, but who cares.

I don't need the money bad enough to charge friends and family for what I do for them. I do it because they are friends and family.

Ben

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

Now THAT is a tractor, I love it! And it makes me wish all tractors had a FOPS option.

I enjoyed the stories about people doing nice things for people; good job all, the world needs it.

John

 

[ToadHill]

My son plows the drive and mows the lawn for two elderly ladies in the neighborhood. When they tried to pay him he told them he can't take their money but he loves home made cookies. I hope he works off the calories doing the jobs.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Some folks expect you to do what you can for them. For those? When it snows, keep a shovel handy.

There's an old couple that lives not too far from home. They pay me to mow 10 acres of fescue grass about 4 times a summer. Every big snow we have, I clean their driveway before I clean mine. (The old guy has had 3 strokes. Never know when they might need to get in or out of the house in a hurry)

It's a tough sell convincing them I do it because I love playing in the snow. They always insist on paying. We decided upon a worthy charity, and now they send a check to them for whatever they feel is a fair price for cleaning their driveway.

Now when it snows, several people get to benifit. (Most of all me)

 

[Nasty135]

Good Post, I had a little fun this last snow, One of my neighbors live about 1/4 mile back a gravel road with another neighbor 1/4 mile past the first. After I got my driveway cleared with my 4 wheeler (quick & easy paved) I went to check on the neighbors ,because this snow was very heavy and sure enough a big cedar had broken off a 15' large branch and blocked the road...

I'm thinking YES!! I can get the twactor out to play /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Well the neighbors walked up and saw the tree while I headed for home to get my big red toy... He had a prunning saw and was triming branches when I came back with the tractor... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Stand aside Bub I says to him and let the mighty Massey take care of this little problem... I drove to what looked like a good balance point between the 10" diameter trunk side and the 15' crowning end and lifted the whole thing up with the FEL and you should have seen his eyes /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif "where do ya want it Mac" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif It was fun...
After that I finished plowing the rest of the drive made it back home by 2pm. Just in time to paint the parlor /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif "there is no justice"...

So I get home yesterday and find a BIG box delivered from DALE & THOMAS POPCORN and a note thanking me for having all that fun!! It doesn't get any better than that...

It was there sampler pack!! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif yum yum...

Did I mention it was fun /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[MadDog]

I have a somewhat similar deal. None of my neighbors, (including a couple of elderly folks) even have a walk behind snowblower, so I take my Kubota and Puma up the road and clear out their driveways.

I have commercial 'inland marine" coverage now, but I told them all that I don't expect, and can't accept any payment because of the insurance issue and that all they have to do is move their cars once I have cleared the plow ridge at the end of the driveways and I'll come back and clear the rest. Since the Puma cuts a 62" swath, it only takes a couple of passes to clear each driveway.

I get all the fun of running the machine, so I figure I'm ahead on the deal. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[slapshot]

Reminds me of my Grandad when I was a boy.
He would try to give my Dad money, but he'd never take it. So my Grandad woudl give it to me to give to him on our way home. My Grandad lived in Western Kentucky (Bremen) we lived in St. Louis, so he made me promise to give it to him after we passed Evansville IN, cause he knew my dad would not turn back at that point.

-dave