Finances & Money • Saving Money

Save Money On Lawn Fertilizer At Costco NOW

 I woke up Saturday morning to my lawn being covered with a 3 inch blanket of fresh snow. By the end of the day it was all melted. Sunday was the first full of Spring, which doesn’t mean it won’t snow, but it does mean that the white powder doesn’t last long if it does fall from the sky. It also means lawn lovers are itching to bust out their rakes and get that first application of fertilizer down. I saw more evidence of the inevitable start of the outdoor season at Costco. Right inside the entrance to my local Costco were palets of Scotts brand fertilizer stacked close to ten feet high.

Looking at the massive display of fertilizer, I knew I had encountered an opportunity to save money.

On display were three of the four applications of fertilizer that I will apply to my lawn over the growing season. I was sure that the price for each of the products was cheaper than other stores, but as an added bonus each of the three products had an instant manufacturer’s rebate.

I got a cart, and collected one of each of the three types of fertilizer. Here’s how much I paid for each product:

• Scotts Turfbuilder plus Crabgrass Halts : $46.99 – $4.70 Instate Rebate = $42.29
• Scotts Turfbuilder Weed And Feed: $38.99 – $6.00 Instant Rebate = $32.99
• Scotts Turfbuilder Fertilizer: $28.99 – $1.75 = $27.24

Total Price : $102.52

On my way home, I wondered if I had really saved money with my purchase, or if I just assumed the product was cheaper because I purchased it at Costco. I pulled into Walmart and compared prices.

• Scotts Turfbuilder plus Crabgrass Halts : $53.88
• Scotts Turfbuilder Weed And Feed: $48.42
• Scotts Turfbuilder Fertilizer: $39.42

Total Price: $141.72

That’s quite a price difference, but it’s not quite an apples to apples comparison because the products at Costco cover 12,000 square feet, whereas the product size at Walmart covers 15,000 square feet.

Let’s do a generic price adjustment for each product at Walmart

Crabgrass Halts:

• $53.88 / 15,000 = $0.003592 per square feet.
• Price for 12,000 square feet of product: $43.10

Weed And Feed:

• $48.42 / 15,000 = $0.0032 per square feet.
• Price for 12,000 square feet of product: $38.74

Fertilizer:

• $39.42 / 15,000 = $0.002628 per square foot
• Price for 12,000 square feet of product: $31.54

Total for 12,000 square feet of product from Walmart: $113.38

A few points of interest:

• Adjusted for 12,000 square feet of product from Costco vs Walmart, I still save $10.86
• Obviously I cannot buy just 12,000 square feet of product from Walmart. The Costco size fits my yard exactly, so had I bought from Walmart not only would I have paid more, but I would have left over product.
• Only one of the products (Crabgrass halts) was in stock at Walmart. I had to get the prices for the others online.

By purchasing my fertilizer at Costco, I was able to get three of the four lawn treatment applications early in the spring, and at a great price. I’m ready to keep my lawn looking green and weed free for the Summer, and I was able to save myself some money at the same time.  Costco also has a great return policy.  Most managers will take back products if consumers’ aren’t happy with them, so even if you get the products from Costco you have limited downside risk – you can always return them.

How about you, Clever Friends, do you treat your own lawn? Have you picked up your lawn treatment applications yet?

Brought to you courtesy of Brock

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