I've been cutting trees on my place for 3 years. It would be nice to have a stump grinder handy but I just cut the stumps flush with the ground with a chainsaw. It's hard on the chains because it's impossible to do so without getting the chain in the dirt. But I've gotten very good at sharpening chains.
Dig them out a ways, knock off the bark with an axe, and you avoid 90% of the dirt that dulls the chain. Even if you don't dig into the ground, still knock the bark off down near the ground before sawing. Makes a big difference.
