If you want your pool to be clean and worry-free it needs to be serviced. For most residential pools, once per week is sufficient, but you have to stick to that regimen.
I have always compared it to taking your trash cans out to the curb for the trash truck to haul it away. If your trash pick-up day is on Tuesday and you actually take the trash cans out for pick-up you keep the trash removed from your home and do not pile up. If you forget to take the garbage out once or even twice, no biggie. Can you imagine not taking your trash cans out for three weeks or even 3 months? The trash will pile up; you will attract flies, mice, rats, and other critters. Not to mention the smell. Yuck.
The same goes for your pool. Once a week servicing allows you to keep up with things. Neglecting your pool for 3 weeks or even three months can cause things to get out of control such as algae and other debris. Once you start to lose the upper hand with your pool, the cost to get it back into swim-ready shape can far outweigh the cost of just paying to have it cleaned on a weekly basis. Not to mention having to look at the green lagoon in your backyard instead of a clean, sparkling, and inviting pool.
So whether you service your pool yourself or hire a professional, make sure you/they stick to a schedule and routine so you can keep things looking good.
