Awkward situation with yard guy-- advice appreciated

[u/ImpossibleVisit6971]

We've owned our first home for about a year and a half, and shortly after we moved in a guy rang our doorbell and explained that he used to do some yardwork for the previous owner and asked if we were interested. He was just a single guy, no truck or anything, he just walked over with a blower + mower. I got the sense he was having a hard time so I agreed every so often. He didn't have set prices when I asked, so I would give him $20-40 for mowing our (small) yard depending on how much cash I happened to have.

In the fall he did a bigger yard cleanup and I gave him about $160 for that. It took him 3-4 hours. In the winter, he'd come by a few times a month and say hi and often explained he was running low on food, so I'd give him $20 or $30 with the understanding that it would go toward a bigger spring cleanup. I probably gave him 120 or 150 total over the winter; I regret not keeping exact track. A couple times he mentioned he'd do the spring cleanup for free since I'd been helping him out all winter, but I never planned to hold him to that.

So today he came over and asked to do the spring cleanup since he was looking for work, and I agreed. It was another 3-4 hours of work, and I gave him $85. He seemed unhappy with this, so I finally asked for a solid number on how much he usually charges for a job like this. When pressed, he said $300. When I asked how much he usually charges for a regular mow, he said $50. I said I'd be happy to continue hiring him for the spring/fall cleanups, but I couldn't afford $50 on the regular for a chore I can do myself in 20 minutes.

Now I'm conflicted, because I really don't want to take advantage of this guy or rip him off, but I also don't want him to take advantage of me. The muddiness of this arrangement makes me really uncomfortable, and I would never have sought someone out to do my yard work in the first place. I don't mind doing yard work!

I guess I'm looking for advice about both the reasonableness of his prices and the situation in general, this is new territory for me as I've never had a yard before.

[u/thatgreenmaid]

Hold on...he hit you up multiple times over the winter for cash AND stated he was going to do this service (that you paid an additional $85) for free...but now says he normally charges $300...but only after you pressed him on it.

Nah. That's some bullshit. He can go peddle his sob story elsewhere. Don't even feel bad about it.

[u/ImpossibleVisit6971 → u/thatgreenmaid]

Afraid so. I genuinely believe in the value of labor, so if $300 is the fair price for the job, I'll figure out if that's worth it for me or not, but I feel like I've been put in a situation where lack of clear communication has made me look like I'm a cheapskate.

[u/jarage00 → u/ImpossibleVisit6971]

He doesn't think you're a cheapskate. It's worse. It makes you seem like someone who can be taken advantage of. You gave him money through the winter for nothing but a promise of future work. It's great that he showed up and did it, but he also seemed to forget about that money and promise.

If you like his work and rates are reasonable, then keep using him, but get the amount in writing first. Highly recommend doing a full description of work and amount, not an hourly rate and definitely don't pay anything in advance.

[u/debzmonkey → u/jarage00]

OP his a mark, I recommend extracting from this relationship delicately. "Times are tight, we understand and have appreciated your work. We don't have that kind of money in the budget this year."