Landscaping Nightmare--Please help. Do I yank everything?

First of all make your know it all boyfriend go out there and do it since he lied. Stand over him if you must in order to get it done. Just pulling up weeds is only a temporary fix. There are products that will kill grass and some spray products that kill weeds. You can use a hoe if want to initially get the weeds out instead of pulling them all day. A hoe is easy to use but it just takes a little muscle. The best thing is to go to a locally owned (not a franchise) nursery and ask what products to buy. After you get all the weeds out a good layer of mulch will keep them from growing. Preen is a great product to use because it prevents the seeds from growing.