Getting the Backyard Ready for Summer

If you are in a sunny state, run if you are interested in buying patio furniture. Before Spring Break is the optimal time to buy furniture. However, I know it’s still cold in Northern states so I decided to write this blog. The one thing I learned during this pandemic is having a home to relax in is priceless. I’m thankful to live in a state I can afford a backyard, and after buying a new house one of the major upgrades needed was getting the backyard ready for summer.

What did I already have in my backyard? My husband and I already had a grill. When we purchased the house in September almost all the home improvement stores were empty on patio furniture. Our house came with a Pergola with no covering. We bought two red chairs because we had two outdoor tables my husband’s grandfather built. In November we bought a fire pit. Our backyard was not a dream to come to, but it was not our priority at the time.

I promise to be honest about money on this blog. I normally try to keep everything in my teacher budget. I normally buy large purchases in small amounts or save up and buy it However, due to my teacher salary, I was able to get a stimulus check. Since it wasn’t money I earned, my husband and I agreed to buy something for the house. I let him choose between a new king bed or a patio set. He chose a patio set, and it began our search for our backyard dreams to come true.

What should be my first purchase? A grill! I’m thankful to have a husband who grills often, and the weather is good enough to grill almost once a week year-round. In our first home, we made the mistake of buying a large grill because we thought we would entertain more. However, getting wiser and with COVID, we realized a mid-size grill works best for us. I know there are a lot of arguments about coal versus gas but buy whatever you will use. After a grill, a couple of chairs is all you need to enjoy your backyard. If you have a tree, then you have shade. I will never tell anyone to go outside their budget! I have a much younger brother and many things get donated to him after we upgrade our house stuff. Ask friends and family, go to thrift stores, and check out garage sales. No one regrets buying a grill!

I think its quite clear we use the grill often.

I was very proud of myself for building so much by myself!

How did you find your patio furniture? I began looking at Costco because who doesn’t love their rebate program? However, my husband said he preferred couches to an outdoor dining table. He looked at Athome and found our set. I went to pick it up and decided to get the matching coffee table. I am incredibly grateful that an Athome worker took it off the shelf and packed it in my car. The set was too heavy for me to carry it by myself. I went home and immediately began to build. I just opened the box and began taking parts out I didn’t want to wait on my husband to come home. I want to praise the people who made the directions. It was extremely easy for me to build the coffee table and work on the begging states of the seats. My husband came home that night and finished putting it together with his drill. After spending a thousand dollars, we had our patio set.

You didn’t keep that red chair on the patio, did you? Nope! I would have loved to get the matching chair that came with the set, but $300 was a bit much when I still needed lights and a cover for the pergola. Off to target my husband I went to find lights and a chair. It is very windy in Texas and finding lights that would not break in the wind was particularly important to us. We picked up 4 sets of lights for $120. We picked up a wicker chair and bottom insert for $100. My husband picked up a $30 tarp from Amazon and we thought we were good to go.

This target chair is very comfortable.

After the first heavy rain, we realized the tarp was not going to work. We didn’t want to spend $200 on a tarp specifically made for the Pergola because we didn’t know if we were missing any pieces since it came with the house. Off to Home Depot, we went looking for a waterproof Tarp. Our tarp was perfect! We were able to use zip ties and hold them down. We have been using it for over three weeks with no problem. Our backyard was officially ready for summer.

Are we done with our backyard? No, slowly improving our house and following our budget is important to my husband and me. We are currently purchasing wrap-around solar lights for all three of our backyard trees so we can use the patio more at night. We would love for my nephews and niece to be able to play in the yard or swim in a plastic pool while we are enjoying our patio set. We would like to have a little more privacy from our neighbors when we are standing on the patio. One day I would like to have a herb garden. Making a dream backyard takes time.

I would love to know if you are getting your backyard ready for summer. *I am not affiliated with any companies mentioned in this blog.