Hi Carol, I hope some others will chime in, but if I was you I would put my budget towards hardscaping. My senior in-laws practically paved their entire yard and do container gardening and it works well for their present and possibly future mobility issues. I don't think I would suggest paving, but instead doing something with paving stones and gravel to limit weeds (and snakes). At least the center pathway to give you a safe place to walk down, with beds for the plants on the sides. It will cut down on maintenance, grass cutting dramatically. There may be resources in your area for seniors to help improve their homes that you might want to seek out that may help with funding it. The costs for this-- labor, materials will vary, so it is worth getting a few opinions. Maybe the service that does the grass cutting does work like this. Good luck, and I hope you find something suitable and within budget.