Help with soil test

I would like to get a soil test done and I keep hearing everywhere that they are very inexpensive....maybe only $10. I have been calling around here, in Washington state, and have been told that our cooperative extension no longer does soil tests. They say I have to go to a private lab. The labs want to charge me $200 for a soil test. Does anyone know where I can get a cheap soil test here in Washington state? I can't imagine having to spend that much money for a soil test if you really need to do one every year.

Thanks so much.

What do you want to test for? You can get an inexpensive kit to test for PH and N-P-K at almost any garden center. If you need to check for heavy metals or something very serious like that, maybe you can specify exactly what you want tested rather than getting the comprehensive job. I had my soil tested for lead and arsenic several years ago, and it cost $20 per element I was testing for. I can't remember what lab I sent the sample to. It might have been the State extension service. That's too bad they are no longer doing soil testing as it seems like an important service to offer.

I have done a soil test myself once using the inexpensive test kit from a garden center for NPK and PH. I just wanted to get a real test done because I wasn't sure that the self test was very good. I just want to test for fertility and PH basically. Just so I know how my soil is doing and what I may need to add for my plants to be healthy.