yikes, i was trying to find a cheaper alternative than the $40 for a dump bed load, dumped at my house.

Where do you find your source? Is Craigslist a good option? I am getting it from a nursery in town.

You would never know exactly what you were getting from craigslist....could be anything and with who knows what kind of contamination - pernicious weeds, residual pesticides, general junk and debris, etc. I'd always want to purchase from a known source :-)

Prices will differ from location to location but agree the $60 per yard delivered cost seems excessively high. Would be less than half that in my area. Look online or in yellow pages for bulk soil providers or landscape supply outfits. Or organizations that provide tree trimming services will often dump wood chips for free if in your neighborhood.

Here is a link that might be useful: Asplundh wood chips

Some utilities have a list for free chips if you're a customer.

I have not had much success getting wood chips from the utility companies or their tree cutters, but the local tree services have been more than happy to unload a truckload or 5 for me.
Just received a price list from one of our local landscape suppliers that tells me the price of wood chips is $22.00 per cubic yard plus a delivery charge depending on mileage. Dyed chips are $5.00 per cubic yard more.

I've gotten two truckloads totaling about 20 yards from a tree trimming company for free. It was nice mulch, too, just some small branches here and there I picked out.

I deal with mulch everyday and I use nothing but double ground hard wood bark or pine bark mulch.. black dyed mulch is 26.00 a yard you pick up. I will not use wood chips. I really don't consider wood chips, ground up pallets, or ground up tires as mulch. Those may make your yard pretty but aren't doing what mulch should be doing retaining the most moisture and conditioning the soil. So if you can get double ground bark mulch I would suggest that you use it instead. As for the price here in the south you can get a yard of mulch bought delivered and spread for about $50.00. Hope this helps.

Ummm...wood chips do exactly the same thing as any ground up bark mulch does. They assist in weed suppression, they insulate soil and reduce evaporation and as they decompose over time - just like bark mulch does - they contribute nutrients and improve the soil. They are virtually the same thing as bark mulch except they include more water absorbent wood and perhaps even some green material from foliage or needles.

Using ground up pallets may have legitimate concerns as that wood is often treated, depending on where the pallets originate and what they have been supporting. And mulch from recycled tires has no redeeming qualities at all. But wood chips are a recognized, acceptable and efficient mulch product and are even recommended for many garden purposes over bark mulch by horticultural scientists.

Here is a link that might be useful: the value of wood chips as mulch

google "mulch delivery New Jersey" and you will get many web sites to choose and compare.
I found many with prices from 21 to 40 dollars a yard for black dyed mulch with varying charges for delivery.
Pick the one that is best for your needs.

I live in an area where there are several log home builders who have shredded bark to dispose of. They give it away free altho one has to arrange and pay for trucking. This depends on how far it needs to be trucked but I get a 15 cubic yard dump truck load for $50. IMO it's a great price.

I might not have all the info but I don't think I'd like to use dyed mulch.

Thanks for the info gardengal48. I learn something new everyday. Although most of my clients prefer looks over function. I personally will not use pallets or tires. As for dyed mulch if you get it from a trusted dealer the dye is biodegradable. And I've been told that it helps with the ph of the soil but I don't know if it does.