We can all admit that there are some responsibilities around the home that we despise more than others. Even if we’re one of those people who hates all of the chores, we definitely still have a least favorite.
But there are hacks to make practically any task easier, pointed out the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit.
Redditor Goat-renter thought he was really on to something when he decided to pay to rent a goat to eat the grass, so he wouldn’t have to mow his lawn anymore.
But when he saw his wife’s reaction to the idea, the Original Poster (OP) realized his life hack might not be the best look.
He asked the sub:
“AITA for renting a goat?”
The OP absolutely hated having to mow the lawn.
“So I (30 Male) hate cutting grass. Hate it, hate it, hate it. The sound of the lawn mower makes me wish I could take my ears off like Mr. Potatohead and lock them in a box.”
“It hurts my shoulder (I got injured in HS, and it never healed right), and I might be the only person in the world who doesn’t like the smell of cut grass and gasoline.”
“This week was the very first week this year that I would need to cut the grass.”
“We live in a fairly warm state, and the HOA is very strict about it. We even have little flags at the front of the yard that the grass isn’t allowed to get taller than.”
The OP’s wife was not comfortable with mowing the lawn herself.
“So the point is, the lawn needs to be mowed. I don’t want to do it. My wife can’t because the last time she mowed a lawn she tipped into a lake.”
“Her dad lives on a lake in Minnesota. On a hill. He broke his leg a few years ago, and she went up to help him own for a few weeks. While she was up there, she had to mow his big lawn.”
“He told her not to go along the side of the hill but to go up and down. I guess he knew she was going to ignore him because he pulled out a video camera and watched her go sideways on the hill and ended up tipping the mower straight into the lake and following it in.”
“She got a minnow stuck under her clothes, and now she won’t go near lakes or lawnmowers.”
The OP decided to try something new for the lawn.
“Just so happens that I know a guy who owns a goat, and I offer him $20 to bring it over to eat the grass for me. The goat’s name is MayMay.”
“The goat eats the grass, we keep her away from the neighbors’ yards, and the goat goes home. It was great! Way better than mowing.”
The OP’s wife liked his plan about as much as he liked mowing.
“Except now my wife is mad because some of the neighbors saw the goat and think it’s hysterical that we had a goat doing yard work for us. She’s p**sed that I made us look like ‘weird hicks’ in front of all of her friends.”
“I don’t care if they think we’re a little weird. I’m happy to be laughed at if it means saving myself from the headache-inducing sound of a lawnmower.”
“But now she’s making weird comments around the house about getting a horse to carry groceries or a chicken to clean the windows since there’s no man in the house who can.”
“I didn’t expect her to react so negatively to a goat, but maybe I’m missing something.”
“So was I an a**hole?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some applauded the OP for coming up with a solution that worked for him and his lawn.
“Methods versus results. As long as the grass is trimmed, and the method in question is legal, ethical and moral, who cares?” – piercingeye
“You found a solution. Your wife then should proffer another solution that does not involve you cutting the grass or spending more than $20.” – AlwaysRighteous
“NTA. You picked the more environmentally friendly (and adorable) option. Your wife needs to stop caring what the neighbors think. And maybe be less extra, too.”
“Also, renting a goat to handle your lawn isn’t ‘extra.’ This is not new. It’s been an alternative option for a while. H**l, Anacostia (near DC) used a whole herd of goats to manage overgrown lots and other properties years ago (I read an article about it, don’t ask me where).”
“The wife, however, is absolutely being extra because rather than just admit mild embarrassment, she’s making it a whole production and mocking her husband in the process. Another commenter said she’s straight up being a toxic a**hole, and they aren’t wrong.” – Pirate_Queen_of_DC
“I don’t know if I’d call this weaponized incompetence. She didn’t just do it wrong. She fell in a lake (and got a minnow in her dress, lmao). Usually, weaponized incompetence means doing it wrong, so you don’t have to do it in the future, not hurting yourself.”
“But I’m not defending her. She’s using it as an excuse now when there isn’t a lake on the current property.” – Loki–Laufeyson
“The part where they need other farm animals to do housework because there’s no ‘man.'”
“EXCUSE ME MA’AM, but what exactly does she do around the house since her husband is expected to do it all?” – G-Darling
“I’m more stuck on her comments about ‘not having a man’ to do the errands she’s picking at him for. He’s not less of a man because he doesn’t like traditional lawnmowers, nor is he for finding a solution to the problem.”
“No one would blink if he hired someone else to mow the lawn, so she’s ridiculing him specifically over the use of a goat instead of a machine and acting like he’s less of a man for it. That made her an AH in my book.” – Ellie_Loves_
Others were considering going into the Rent-A-Goat business themselves…
“Honestly, if you rent out the goat at, say, 20 bucks a day, shouldn’t take more than a day to cut a lawn. Then you do that for most days a month around the neighborhood…”
“I think you could absolutely make this a viable business with a handful of goats just saying…”
“So, with grass-cutting once per week, you need seven customers per goat, bringing you in roughly 700 bucks per goat and month. A goat costs (here in Sweden) 70 bucks to buy.”
“Now, according to some local farmer sites here in Sweden, about 100-200 bucks per year in food (let’s say 200). So that means the cost per month and goat are about 50 bucks. So that means we are making around 600 bucks/month and goat if we consider things like gas to pick up/drop off the goat.”
“So with that, if we have something like 4-5 goats and ~30 paying customers, one could make a living supplying goats like that…”
“I might be buying a goat is what I am saying…” – Mando_the_Pando
“There’s actually companies that rent out goats because they’re more environmentally friendly and really good at things like ivy removal.” – TheGardenNymph
“NTA, OP, your solution was brilliant. I also have sensory issues and can’t cope with lawnmowers, and I’m going to go look for a d**n goat.” – EducationalTangelo6
“Our town uses a herd of goats and sheep to clean the overgrown in the drainages canals. They come in the summer, and you can track where they are currently on our town app. I think this is a great idea for lawns. NTA.” – Any_Quality4534
“$20 per goat at a house. Block neighborhoods off to certain days, five goats get you 100 bucks a day and set up early in the morning before work. Go to work, pick them up after work.”
“Don’t have to pay for as much goat feed, so you’re saving money. Side hustle selling goat milk, more profits. Butcher some goats at the end of the season for meat to eat or sell.” – DrWhoey
“There was a homeless guy who had a pet goat in my hometown growing up, and he had a bit of a hustle going doing exactly this. It was awesome. The goat got to eat, the guy got enough money for him to eat, and a lot of the town got to know him and his goat better.”
“I think once he was more well known in the community, he eventually was able to get some help to get stable housing and moved out to Washington with the goat.” – Double_Entrance3238
“I’d honestly be upset that my partner rented the goat rather than just buying us a goat since I’ve wanted one, or 3, for years. I also refuse to live anywhere with an HOA, though.”
“Someday my goat will come.” – GloInTheDarkUnicorn
Though his wife was furious, the subReddit couldn’t help but laugh and marvel at the image they had in their mind of a goat happily wandering around a suburban yard.
Not only was the OP technically working smarter, not harder, but the goat was more environmentally friendly than a lawnmower, not to mention a whole lot cuter.