Archive for September, 2017

The do’s and don’ts of Shopping at a Wholesale Price Club

wholesale price clubShould you pay the membership at one of the wholesale price club like Costco, Sams club or BJ’s? It really depends on your shopping habits, how much you will purchase and whether you can find better prices elsewhere. Consumers who have time to do some comparison shopping will often find better prices for various items at other stores when they are on sale or on special. Buying those items at other stores will save you money. The return policies at price clubs is extraordinary. Service is top notch and prices on average are very competitive. But should you join wholesale price clubs to save money?

The do’s and don’ts of shopping at a wholesale price club

Each family will have different needs however the following can be considered general guidelines which may or may not apply when making a decision to purchase items at a wholesale price club:

  • Buying in bulk means you need to have storage areas
  • Can you use all of the bulk items within a reasonable period of time
  • Can you use items before the expiry date
  • Purchases of goods on sale or on special at other stores may save you money
  • Do you return many items, it is easier at wholesale price clubs
  • Large families can generally benefit more
  • Will the rewards pay for the membership fee

If you can answer yes to many of these questions, then belonging to one of the wholesale price club might be the right answer for you. If you answer no to many of the questions, you may want to say the membership fee and shop elsewhere. If you take advantage of specials at the competition, you can definitely save money compared to shopping at Costco. These are price leader deals that are offered to get you into a store where the store hopes you will spend money on other items at a higher price.

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Keep your Lawn Healthy over Winter

Keep your Lawn Healthy over WinterMost consumers and homeowners do not realize how important it is to complete proper fall cleanup to maintain their lawns and gardens. After the colder weather in the fall sets in most plants begins to go into their dormancy phase. Trees lose their leaves and annuals die off. Fall cleanup is often the furthest thing from everyone’s mind during this time frame. If you want to keep your lawn healthy over winter, there are a number of things to do. Thanksgiving and the holidays are just around the corner.

Keep your Lawn Healthy over Winter

Properly prepare your lawn for the winter and spring. This step will ensure you have a healthy lawn in the coming year. Leaves left to rot on the grass can often kill the grass underneath. Leaves also provide a home for small rodents. Small rodents will build burrows through the longer grass leaving a mess in your lawn. This occurs when a lawn is left too long just before winter sets in.

Lack of proper fertilizer that strengthens the root system can make all of your plants vulnerable to damage. A dry winter or spring will damage lawns with weak root systems.

Fall cleanup prices offered by landscaping companies will depend on the lawn clean-up services actually performed. The following is a brief fall clean-up checklist that consumers and homeowners may consider.

Keep your Lawn Healthy over Winter – Fall Clean-Up Checklist

  1. Trim Lawn to the proper length to discourage small rodents
  2. Apply fertilizer to promote proper root growth
  3. Rake all leaves and other debris from the lawn and gardens
  4. Remove all dead annuals
  5. Pickup dead or broken branches from shrubs and trees
  6. Clean out eaves troughing
  7. Install protective burlap wraps on shrubs if needed
  8. Additional services as required

This is not a complete list. Every homeowner may have specific tasks that they may want to be considered. These can be included in a packaged clean-up cost estimate or quoted separately.

Competitive Pricing

Many consumers will consider doing some or all of the work themselves. Suddenly they find that it is too late to do most of the fall cleanup themselves. Homeowners can request a competitive pricing estimate today for leaf cleanup, lawn and garden fall preparation. Once they have the cost estimate, they can make a decision to have all or part of the work completed.

 


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