by Jamie Maggio

Created on: March 12, 2011

Being frugal does not mean being cheap. It merely means that you avoid excess spending and choose economical ways to spend. I've never been a person to “throw money away”. I've clipped coupons, searched out all the sales, and used different methods to find items at a bargain. With Spring just around the corner; you may be thinking about how to beautify your yard by landscaping it. However, you needn't break the bank to have a yard bursting with color and beauty this year. I will give you five tips for landscaping on a budget.

Before you begin to think about going out and spending money on your yard you will need to decide what you have in mind. Do you want a beach theme? Would you like roses or other traditional methods? Are you a fan of lawn ornaments? How much room do you have to work with? What will your budget be? Once you've answered these simple questions and have a plan you're ready to “landscape on a budget”. 

* Free Fertilizer: There are many ways to acquire free fertilizer. Fertilizer can be a costly addition to your landscaping project. You also will need to decide if you want to “go green” with your yard or you want to use common pesticides and other chemicals. If you choose to go a more healthy route you can use compost as the best fertilizer. Compost is FREE! You simply throw away your leftovers in a pile in your yard. It is rich in minerals and doesn't cause the risk that poisons offer.

* Free Decorations: Why pay for mulch, rocks, or shells to decorate your lawn? You can go to a local sawmill or wood processing plant and get all the free mulch you want. These places usually strip off the bark and would be happy to give you some of the left over “waste” for free. For rocks and other types of brick materials local construction sites will often let you “clean up” some of their waste and take it home to transport it into beautiful decorations for your landscaping project, and there are also shells. Shells offer a gorgeous look to a lawn and are free from either the beach or plants that process seafood products. Oyster shells are often given away at many packing plants and combing the beach for shells is not only fun but frugal!

* Plan ahead: Make a plan that is executable under a budget: If you want a lawn full of blooming flowers or trees you can have it on a budget! However, don't expect to have the best breed of roses or other high cost plants without a bit of work ahead. Plan for

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