I work full time, and study through dis ed, and am a single mum, so I dont have time to do everything. One of the things thats been neglected, is my garden. I got a quote today from a home services company $70! The gardens only about 3x2metres. The cost seems excessive to me! Am now thinking about biting the bullet and trying to get it done myself. Any tips to make the job easier? As some of the weeds are rather hard to get out, I broke gardening tools on them during my last attempt.
This plastic covering thing is interesting, but will it kill the plants>? My "plants" are some grass like bushes that were there when I moved in. I live in SE QLD Australia, and we are not allowed to water our plants and definitely not our weeds. I could face fines if I did. And the ground is very dry and hot.

Spray the entire surface with Roundup. Once everything is dead, cut them low with a weed-eater and till everything under. Pull out the rest by hand. Use a pre-emergent like Preem to keep it under control.

Kaya has the right idea, also and most importantly:

After planting, apply a layer of organic mulch between your flowers. Cover the soil but do not allow it to touch the stems of your plants. Organic mulch is so valuable in the garden: it breaks down slowly over time to feed the soil, it helps keep down weeds, it helps maintain a more even soil temperature and it even helps cut down on watering. This is probably your best and most valuable gardening tool. So make sure you mulch.

Keep the mulch topped up to a depth of two to three inches throughout the growing season. You'll need to fluff it up with a rake and/or add more periodically.

If you have had a bad weed problem in the past, place layers of damp newspaper under the mulch. This will exclude light and discourage weed seeds from germinating better than mulch alone. Dampening the paper makes it easier to lay out flat in the garden and keeps it from blowing away as you work.

Try putting some clear plastic over it for about a week and let the sun do its thing and then try again - make sure you put some dirt around the sides to keep it hot inside. If it has been dry then water it first.

Agree with James. 7 - 9 layers of news paper, then mulch. Inexpensive and effective weed barrier. Using damp paper is easier to work with.

good luck