I'm also a 37 year old who screams like a4 year old girl when I see a slider.
This obviously isn't a popular thing to do, but I have the pest control company (I used Armored Pest) spray around the perimeter of the house.
Spiders live in grass and mulch. We have huge wolf spiders, and even a dead one gives me a near heart attack.
The spraying pretty much takes care of them for 3-4 months.
I'd much rather have bugs than spiders.
Though, I haven't noticed any increase in bugs since I started killing the spiders.

I am pretty freaked out by spiders as well. However, I have come to appreciate them outside of my house. As the previous poster said, they are natural pest control. I have noticed when outside on their webs, that is generally where they stay. Now, when they come inside my house, that is another story. We moved to an area near Seneca Creek State park and spiders and bugs are par for the course. However, I have been trying to conquer my fear by learning more about them and observing them in their natural environment. It has actually helped me a little bit. Though, when they are inside, in MY house, I scream like a little girl and make DH take care of it!

If you really want to get rid of them, maybe try looking up some natural spider remedies. I believe they do not like citrus. Maybe get a citrus based oil and mix with some water and spray on the shrubs?

dont kill spiders, that will bring bad luck

I'm terrified of spiders as well. My standard response to encountering one is to scream like a four-year old girl and run away.(And I'm a 37-year old man, so it can be funny to watch) That being said, we have similar issues with shrubs in our front yard(Lots of spiders and webs), and I don't do anything about them. Despite how I feel about them, I know that those spiders keep a lot of other bugs under control. In fact, I wish the backyard had more spiders, since the bugs can be really annoying out there. They aren't going to hurt you, and you should think of them as natural pest control.(Which is really what they are) Yes, it can be annoying, particularly at night, but killing them would be pointless, since others will just move into the now-vacant prime real estate.

We have a serious spider problem in the shrubs right by our front door. It is disgusting and looks like something out of a bad halloween movie. The pest control company will not do anything because it is outside, not inside the house. To make matters worse I am terrified of spiders and now hate leaving throught the front door. Any advice on getting rid of them without removing the shrubs?