Gardening on the Cheap

When we moved into this house last July the backyard was covered in ivy. I have spent hours clearing out the ivy and digging up the roots. I swear that stuff is like cancer, spreading and suffocating a healthy plant. After I cleared it all away I'm not left with much, but I also am anxious to see what comes out of the ground this year. Already we have some lovely daffodils, ornamental grass and a plant I have no idea what it is but it's appeared in a few places in the backyard. We are at a point where we are watching the funds and picking and choosing what areas of the house get our attention. We laid a flagstone patio so we can have cookouts but we aren't budgeting plant money into the equation this year. So how do I create a pleasing to look at backyard without breaking the bank? I ask my friends and neighbors if they need to thin out any of their plants. I then offer to dig them up and plant them in my yard. I just picked up some garden phlox from a church friend. She is as relieved to get rid of them as I am excited to have free plants! It's a win-win situation.