| I love my outdoors living space. The fragrant | | | | times.Trade. Trading plants and bulbs can be fun. |
| flowers, shading trees, even the constantly | | | | Daisies, lilies, even lilacs from different friends and |
| needing-to-be-mowed grass. I enjoy all of it and I | | | | family are beautiful in my yard even though I |
| spend a significant amount of time keeping it in | | | | never paid a single penny for them. They are all |
| good condition.Unfortunately, gardening is a hobby | | | | from people who had excess and were glad to |
| that can become expensive. A $20 bill for this flat | | | | take some of my crowded plants. This is the |
| of flowers, $50 for that new tree, maybe $100 | | | | cheapest method of landscaping your yard - there |
| for a consultant to tell me why the grass is dead | | | | is no expense involved at all! |
| can add up to real money. I've always had to be | | | | Unexpected Opportunities. When the local hospital |
| careful with how much I spend on landscaping, so | | | | was getting ready for a major expansion, they |
| over the years I have found a few ways to | | | | had several thousand square feet of sod in the |
| make a little money provide the yard I like and | | | | way. Several neighbors received permission to |
| enjoy.End-of-Season Sales. Do you remember to | | | | rent a sod-cutting machine and haul the grass |
| do this for clothes and household items and | | | | away for their own yards. A $50 rental fee |
| forget to check out the garden center? You can | | | | yielded many hundreds of dollars in sod.Know the |
| get great deals on out-of-season plants or seeds. | | | | Alternatives. Growing a little of this and a little of |
| Even annuals can be worth buying at super | | | | that in the produce garden can be expensive |
| closeout prices. They won't bloom until next year, | | | | when it costs more to grow than to purchase. |
| but for the price savings you can afford to take | | | | Green peppers might not be cost-effective to |
| a chance on planting them now and waiting to see | | | | grow when you can buy them 3 for $1 during the |
| how many return next spring.Look at stores | | | | season. Cucumbers, on the other hand, seem to |
| other than garden centers for really good | | | | be worth growing when they never seem to cost |
| markdowns. The best deal I ever found was at a | | | | less than $.88 each. I can get 5 - 10 from each |
| hardware store on 5 flats of varied tomato and 2 | | | | plant in my garden for a minimum of $4 savings! |
| flats of varied pepper plants for the low price of | | | | Gardening and having a nice yard doesn't require |
| ZERO. Roughly half grew and I had homemade | | | | a lot of money. It requires creativity and an eye |
| salsa all winter long.Divide and Transplant. Given | | | | for opportunity. Decide to spend only what you |
| half a chance, many plants will start to take over | | | | can afford to spend and nobody but you will |
| their beds. Instead of letting daisies and other | | | | know it by looking at your yard.Roger |
| plants take over, or pulling them like weeds, dig | | | | SorensenAmerica's Financial Guide can be found at |
| the offending plants up. Take them to another | | | | ==> Subscribe to Money Basics via - Are you |
| part of the yard and replant. In a few years, a | | | | ready for financial freedom? |
| small amount of plants can be multiplied many | | | | |