Pre-emergent early spring.

Spot spray weeds as needed middle spring through late spring

Fertilize around the end of spring.

RoundUp on undesirable grasses in late summer.

Seed and starter fertilizer in early fall.

Fertilize in middle fall.

Fertilize in late fall (6 weeks before first frost)

Fertilize within 1-2 weeks after top growth ceases ("winterize").

I appreciate the response. I will definitely follow that time line you laid out.

What kind of pre emergent do you recommend? Scott's weed and feed ?

What kind of fertilizer? Is it worth buying name brand fertilizers like scotts turf builder or just buy generic blends like a 10-10-10.

Hate to sound so frugal but I figure there are probably more affordable ways around simply buying "name brand" mixes. My lawn is roughly an acre so I have a fair amount of square footage to maintain although this one section that is in trouble is rather small.

Get the cheapest fertilizer you can find that meets the nutritional needs of your grass. There's nothing special about name brand fertilizer. Urea for example can be had for about $12/50 lbs bag. 2 bags of urea will provide 1 pound of nitrogen per thousand sq ft for an acre. Potassium chloride is also fairly cheap. This stuff can be found at agricultural outlets or landscape supply stores.

To give you an idea, an application of 1#N + 0.25#K per thousand for an acre would cost you $40-$45. Prices may vary in your area, so YMMV.

Scotts Weed and Feed isn't a pre-emergent. Don't use that.

You can buy a product from Scotts called "Halts" .... get the one without fertilizer. This is a pre-emergent. You will want to spread it with a rotary broadcast spreader and then water it in about a 1/2 inch to activate the product.

In 2-3 weeks, you should consider following up with a weed killer. You want to use a concentrate product that you mix in a pump sprayer, such as Orthodox Weed B Gon or Bayer Advanced All-in-One. Spot treat the weeds---you're just wasting money if you spray the entire lawn.