Cheap tools for spring garden cleanup

Spring is in the air, which means... you can now see what a mess your backyard is. Now that the snow has melted, it's time to think about clearing it up, and that means new tools. Here are some of the best deals that can help you clean up without cleaning out your wallet.

A pressure washer is a great way to get the winter grunge off a deck, patio or driveway. Walmart has a great deal on the Karcher K2 Plus: $89.99 gets you this 1.25-gallon-per-minute electric washer. Walmart also offers free two-day shipping on this model. It's not overly powerful: a maximum pressure of 1,600psi means that it'll shift dirt from your driveway, but that's not enough pressure to remove the green algae from your deck. To clean more hardcore dirt and growth, you'll need something that steps up the pressure, like the 2,200psi Koblenz HL 410 that Home Depot has on sale for $132.09. They also offer free shipping, or you can buy online and pick it up from your local store.

Spring is also the time to trim back your bushes and hedges, ready for them to burst into growth. Target has a great deal on this Black & Decker Max 24-inch hedge trimmer: $54.99. One caveat here: this comes without a battery, so it would only be good for those who have the right battery already from other Black & Decker 40V Max tools. If you don't, you can get the same model with a battery and charger for $99.99.

If you are only trimming a few bushes and plants, a smaller electrical trimmer should suffice. Amazon has a great deal on the GreenWorks 22102 18-inch trimmer: $29.79 with free two-day shipping for Amazon Prime members. Add a nice beefy extension cable (like this Amazon Basics 50-foot one for $15.28) and you are good to go out there and hack back the chaos in a small yard.

Use a utility rebate finder

If the spring air has filled you with a desire to throw out the old and bring in some new appliances , I have mentioned several times that many utilities offer rebates on new, more-efficient appliances. These can often be a pain to find, though: they vary by region, utility company, and zip code. Here's a good way to find some of these rebates, though: Best Buy offers a rebate finder. You enter your zip code, and it lists off the rebates on offer. You can then narrow the list by product categories if it is a recycling or utility rebate (as in, if you get money for turning in the old one or cash from the utility), and even by brand.

It looks pretty comprehensive: when I tried it for my zip code, it found over a thousand offers. That does include a number of offers that weren't relevant, such as utility rebates for electricity companies that don't cover my zip code. Still, it's a good idea to check this out before buying to make sure that you aren't missing anything. The finder is run by EcoRebates, who also run the rebate finder services for Home Depot, Lowe's and several other big brands.