Originally Posted by Crystal:
I use wood chips. They are expensive, but worth every penny. I started with an 8 inch depth and add more every year.
I'd rather spend money on safety material than on hospital or liability bills, and it's a tax write off 
We live in a town that was pretty much built around a pulp and paper plant....if we go there and ask, they will give us the wood chips for free.
I don't know if that is an option for the different places in the country but if you are near one; it doesn't hurt to ask. I would also check with wood workers and/or furniture companies or landscapers who may have woodchips as a by-product as they sometimes have to pay to get rid of it. My DH is a wood worker and he gives sawdust to anyone who needs it for mulch, crafts, whatever....they just ask.
We also got a whole bunch of wood chips from our city landscapers as they pruned and chipped the trees and branches along the city streets.