It is the time of the year for much of the country where furry animals are running around in the yard, birds are chirping and a family of hawks are hovering above and deciding to grab our dog in their talons for a family dinner.
Yes, this means it’s Springtime for many of us and we can get outside and beautify the landscape.
The easiest and most impactful way to add color to your home are flowers.
Especially in the colder climates the easiest way to achieve this is to buy flowers known as annuals. There are dozens of options to choose from; however, they will not resurface next Spring; hence, they are annuals.
So this equates to you making a yearly investment and this is another one of those hidden costs in the budget that can sneak up on you.
When it comes to flowers, the common choice are hanging baskets as they are a simple way to brighten up your home. The caveat is that you can drop $25 for just a small size and can easily spend $50 or more.
Needless to say, it's easy to drop $150 on a single trip and $500 - $1,000 for the season depending on your desires.
Especially if you are on a tight budget, money begins to add up. A great way to combat this is to refrain from buying the baskets and switch to the flats of flowers.
From there you can take leftover baskets from last season or buy your own. Next, purchase the soil and/or fertilizer and you can build your own creations. The cool thing is that you can save 50% of the cost with much more variety.
Another finance tip when it comes to all of the needed materials, is to check the prices between local side-of-the-road flowers stands, nurseries and places such as Home Depot and Lowe’s as they can vary widely.
Usually leading up to Mother’s Day there will be sales promotions to move inventory and you can benefit with pots, flats, dirt, fertilizer, mulch, tools and do so on.
In addition, when the warmer months hit the prices will also come down.
So, all you have to do is shop, spend a few hours outdoors and watch the blooms of color fill the front porch.
As a reminder, consider adding this hidden cost to your expense planning. Go to somethingonmymind.net, find the Ultimate Budget Guide and read managing a fixed budget and you will have all the money stored in savings when next Spring comes along.
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