Yikes! That’s pricey! It’s one of the benefits of having someone rent your land for crops for his dairy herd.
We get two HUGE bales of Hay to feed the mule and steer in the winter months, and the smaller bales of Straw for my garden from the same farmer.
I am a total devote of Ruth Stout. She’d cover the WORLD with a thick layer of straw/mulch were it allowed. However, her method really works. Great for water retention and weed control and I really like how it gives my raised beds a finished look. (Others really hate the look...)
I am DONE spreading straw and have two bales in the greenhouse for backup. Now, to take a shower and get all the straw dust off of me. Itchy!
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/ruth-stouts-system-for-gardening-zmaz04fmzsel/
Sometimes, especially dairy or cattle farmers, will have old hay bales past their prime, even by a couple of years (which means most of the weed seeds inside are dead) and they’ll give you these for free.
Ask around!
I got several free, five-year-old big, round bales that were half rotted about ten years ago. The farmer actually loaded them up and brought them to me as he wanted the space they were in. Not only did they make great mulch, but their state very quickly broke down on my flat garden area and really improved the soil.
I’m sold on mulch after last year. Mulched the little front yard garden while my buddy went bare soil through that 2 month heat wave. He had to water ever other day while I watered once a week.