On top of that, we were up-sizing which meant we needed a lot more furniture for the new house. After doing our best to mostly furnish the house our time, patience, and budget were stretched to the max!!!!
I was so excited about our very private backyard and patio until we started shopping for outdoor furniture. I understand that outdoor furniture needs to be durable enough to withstand the weather, but in my worn down state of mind, I felt completely dejected when I saw the prices of patio sets!
At this point, everything in our actual house had taken priority to the backyard, but I still couldn’t face just sticking some plastic chairs in the yard until we could get around to properly furnishing it. I had visions of family meals on the patio, quiet cups of coffee as I put my feet up and enjoyed the view, taking my laptop outside for a working lunch….and these would require some furniture!
I’m impatient and didn’t want to wait until we could afford something with a fancy price tag. Here’s how I justified buying patio furniture for less than the $2,000.00 and up prices I was finding: the truth is that outdoor furniture takes a beating from the elements and unless that high priced furniture comes with an absolute guarantee against fading and wear and tear I’m not willing to risk paying that much for furniture that will possibly need to be replaced in a few years. As it turns out, all-weather wicker which is made from synthetic fibers (as opposed to traditional wicker that is created from natural fibers) is far more durable and more affordable.
So I went bargain hunting and found a very reasonably priced set of table and chairs, a bigger second table that we use for larger gatherings where we do pull out the extra plastic chairs, a storage bench, and of course a hammock. We got all of that for much LESS than the sets of table and chairs we initially were looking at. It’s been almost five years and everything’s still holding up. Sure the cushions are fading, but we live under the extreme southern Arizona sun – I really believe fading cannot be helped. Every once in a while I start drooling over the gorgeous outdoor patio sets in the Costco ads, and then I think again!
Here are some functional, beautiful, and affordable outdoor patio furniture sets:
4 Piece Outdoor Patio Rattan Furniture Set with Red Cushions
4 Piece Black and Grey Rattan Patio Set
4 Piece Outdoor Patio Loveseat Set
Outdoor Garden Sofa and Convertable Sun Bed Lounger with Cushions and Pillows
6 Piece Complete Outdoor Living Wicker Patio Furniture Set – Grey
