You finished a $3,500 landscaping job last month. Materials were about $800. Labor was maybe $1,200. So you made $1,500 profit… right?
Maybe. But what about the fuel to get there and back three times? The blade you broke on a hidden root? The dump fee for the debris? The monthly payment on the mower you used?
If you're not tracking expenses, you don't actually know if you made money. You just know money came in and went out, and hopefully there's some left at the end of the month.
Here's how to fix that — without becoming an accountant.
Why Landscaping Businesses Struggle with Expense Tracking
Landscaping has a unique expense problem: costs are spread across dozens of small purchases, fuel fill-ups, equipment wear, and seasonal supplies.
In a typical week, you might:
- Fill up two trucks and a trailer
- Buy mulch, soil, sod, plants, or seed
- Replace a trimmer line spool
- Pay a dump fee
- Buy lunch for the crew
- Make a payment on a mower or truck
- Pay for a repair on a piece of equipment
That's potentially 15-20 expense transactions a week. If you're stuffing receipts in your console and dealing with them "later," later usually means April 14th in a panic.
The Expense Categories Every Landscaper Needs
- Materials & Supplies — mulch, soil, plants, seed, fertilizer, stone, pavers
- Fuel — trucks, trailers, mowers, blowers, all of it
- Equipment Maintenance & Repair — blade sharpening, belt replacements, oil changes
- Equipment Purchases/Payments — mowers, trucks, trailers
- Labor — employee wages, subcontractors, day labor
- Insurance — liability, vehicle, workers' comp
- Vehicle Costs — registration, tires, repairs (separate from fuel)
- Dump & Disposal Fees
- Marketing — yard signs, website, Google ads, door hangers
- Office & Admin — phone, software, bookkeeping, licensing
These categories do double duty: they help you understand your business AND they align with what your accountant needs for taxes.
The Daily Habit That Changes Everything
Log every expense within 24 hours. Not next week. Not at the end of the month. Today.
It takes 30 seconds per transaction. Here's the minimum you need to capture:
- Date
- Amount
- Category
- What it was (brief description)
- Which job (if it was for a specific customer)
Example Daily Log
| Date | Amount | Category | Description | Job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/15 | $47.82 | Fuel | Truck 1 fill-up | General |
| 3/15 | $218.00 | Materials | 6 yards mulch | Henderson property |
| 3/15 | $35.00 | Dump fees | Green waste | Henderson property |
| 3/15 | $12.49 | Supplies | Trimmer line | General |
Choosing Your Tracking Method
Option 1: Notebook + Envelope System
Old school but functional for solo operators. Write expenses in a small notebook daily. Keep receipts in a labeled envelope for each month.
Option 2: Spreadsheet
A step up. Use Google Sheets so you can enter expenses from your phone between jobs. Set up columns matching the daily log above.
Option 3: Purpose-Built Tool
When you want expense tracking tied to your jobs, pricing, and scheduling, a tool built for trade businesses makes the most sense.
Track Every Dollar, See Your Real Profit
The ProTradeOps toolkit includes expense tracking templates with built-in categories for trade businesses.
Get the free toolkit →How to Track Fuel (The Sneaky Profit Killer)
Fuel is usually the second or third biggest expense for a landscaping business, but most owners just lump all fuel together.
- Track truck fuel separately from equipment fuel. You need to know if your mowing fuel costs are eating your lawn care margins.
- Calculate fuel cost per job for your biggest recurring clients.
- Watch for trends. If your fuel costs spike, figure out why.
Monthly Expense Review (15 Minutes That Save You Thousands)
On the first of each month, spend 15 minutes reviewing last month's expenses:
- Total by category. Are any categories surprisingly high or low?
- Compare to last month and the same month last year.
- Check job profitability. Pick your 3 biggest jobs. Add up all expenses. Subtract from revenue.
- Look for waste. Any recurring expenses you could reduce?
Tax Time: From Nightmare to Non-Event
If you've been tracking expenses all year using categories that align with tax deductions, tax prep becomes almost boring. Hand your accountant a clean summary by category — done.
Most landscaping businesses leave $2,000-$5,000 in deductions on the table every year because they can't document their expenses. That's real money you're giving away.
Start Today, Not Monday
- Pick your method — notebook, spreadsheet, or app
- Set up the categories from the list above
- Log today's expenses right now
- Set a daily phone alarm for the end of your workday: "Log expenses"
- Commit to 30 days. After a month, you'll have real data about your business for the first time
The landscaping business owners who know their numbers make better decisions about pricing, about which jobs to take, and about when to hire. The ones who don't are just guessing — and hoping it works out.
Stop guessing. Start tracking. Your future self will thank you.
Tools for this: FreshBooks and QuickBooks Self-Employed both handle expense tracking with receipt scanning from your phone. Snap a photo of the receipt at the supply house, done. No more digging through pockets at the end of the month.
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