Getting deck ready for Spring on a budget

[Mrs. Ciz]

I am so excited right now! The past couple of months or so I've been browsing Pinterest for deck décor ideas. I want to make the deck look really nice this year because we have lots of family coming to visit. The outdoor room concept really appeals to me. I saw so much I really liked: ceramic garden stools as side tables, black lanterns, outdoor rugs, pots filled with flowers, a buffet table, etc. I started pricing the things I liked and holy moly! I couldn't afford anything on my list.

Over the last month, lots of stores have had deck & garden stuff on sale. I saved the circulars that had my favorite items in them. After payday this week, I went shopping.

I got:
3 black lanterns at Aldi on sale for $6.99 each
Outdoor 5x7 rug at Target on sale for $49
2 garden stools from Tuesday Morning for $29 each

Yesterday I cleaned off the deck, washed the chair cushions, filled the citronella torches. Today I put out the new stuff. It looks so good! I still need to plant my containers with flowers, but I have to wait until the last frost. I've budgeted about $40 for plants for 12 containers of various sizes (my usual budget, I'm very frugal & creative with the plants). So for $171, I have a beautifully decorated outdoor room!

I think I'll wait until next year for the buffet unless I find a super good deal.

Share your good outdoor deals!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I am so excited right now! The past couple of months or so I've been browsing Pinterest for deck décor ideas. I want to make the deck look really nice this year because we have lots of family coming to visit. The outdoor room concept really appeals to me. I saw so much I really liked: ceramic garden stools as side tables, black lanterns, outdoor rugs, pots filled with flowers, a buffet table, etc. I started pricing the things I liked and holy moly! I couldn't afford anything on my list.

Over the last month, lots of stores have had deck & garden stuff on sale. I saved the circulars that had my favorite items in them. After payday this week, I went shopping.

I got:
3 black lanterns at Aldi on sale for $6.99 each
Outdoor 5x7 rug at Target on sale for $49
2 garden stools from Tuesday Morning for $29 each

Yesterday I cleaned off the deck, washed the chair cushions, filled the citronella torches. Today I put out the new stuff. It looks so good! I still need to plant my containers with flowers, but I have to wait until the last frost. I've budgeted about $40 for plants for 12 containers of various sizes (my usual budget, I'm very frugal & creative with the plants). So for $171, I have a beautifully decorated outdoor room!

I think I'll wait until next year for the buffet unless I find a super good deal.

Share your good outdoor deals!

The temperature was 80 F here today, so we have started doing our yard clean up. We put out our patio furniture yesterday. We have a new Weber grill that we bought on sale at the end of last year (saved about $400) and will be putting together tomorrow. We have a 2 tier raised concrete patio that needs some cleaning, so we are going to use our new pressure washer to get it all cleaned up.

Today DH and I just went to Costco and bought 8 rose bushes to plant around the perimeter of the patio for $120. Then we went to Home Depot and bought 35 bags of mulch to fill in our beds. That cost $70 (minus $10 coupon and 5% Amex rebate, so $57ish). We also got some pavers that we plan to trench into the grass around the patio so we can just mow over the pavers rather than having to trim around the patio each time. Those cost $12.50.

Next month we will buy some flowers for our planters to give the deck some nice color.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Spring is in full swing here, and DH are in a position to outfit our deck! I'm a total tightwad, and our house needs a lot of updating, so I don't want to go overboard on spending. Plus, we actually need to replace our deck, but won't do that until Nov. or so, because we'll use it a LOT until then.

So far, we've bought 21 bags of mulch, and will need a lot more. This house is fabulous, but has been neglected for years. The good news is, there are nice mature trees and plantings, so it will be more of a rejuvenation than starting over. DH noticed 7 blueberry bushes in the pool area, which already have (green) berries on them. We have our teenaged son pulling weeds, and saving most of the plants.

So far, we've bought a grill, glass-topped table, 2 folding deck chairs (in addition to the 6 that came with the table), an umbrella, a lemon tree, and a pot that had both a lemon and lime tree in it. Those trees will stay potted--it freezes her in winter, so we'll move them into the sunroom for the coldest months. We have a tree in the back that really attracts butterflies, so I want a fountain for them and the birds and bees. My DD12 planted a hummingbird/butterfly garden in a fallow raised bed we had, and that's just starting to sprout.

In addition, our house has a large, beautiful porch. We got a couch and two chairs for it at Walmart, and two cute end tables from Tuesday Morning. It has two stone pot/urn things that I want to put something pretty in, haven't decided on what yet. we might also add some solar lights out front, along our walkway.

Dh had a $1000 budget for the grill--grilling is serious business in the south, and don't expect any great sales (like the floor model in November type thing you might get up north). He came in way under, so he's looking at a grill gazebo. One of my favorite places to shop is Old Time Pottery--plenty of great outdoor stuff, plus beachy decor, which we're using in our sunroom.

I love reading what other people are doing. Pinterest is great, too, but can be overwhelming (in a good way).

 

[CandyCane31]

I am in the process of finding a good deck stain for our new pool deck....any recommendations?

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I am in the process of finding a good deck stain for our new pool deck....any recommendations?

I am interested in this too. DH just told me this morning that he has set aside some money to stain/seal the deck this month. We are considering the Behr semi transparent stain in a brown color. I need to read some reviews and check the pricing.