FAKE GRASS OR NO GRASS?

Every month I shell out money to my gardener to cut my grass as well as shelling out even more money to the Water Company to keep my grass green. A growing trend I have noticed in my neighborhood is that people are getting as fed up with this as I am. I have seen several people eliminate their grass and utilize drought resistant plants (see photo) while others have replaced their grass with artificial grass (see photo). The photos below are a few examples of this growing trend that I have been seeing. Now, I'm not sure what direction I'm going to take but all I know is that I could save a whole lot of money if I didn't have to water or cut my grass!