4 SECRETS to Buying Outdoor Furniture for Less!
Looking for outdoor furniture that fits your budget? Here are my secrets and sources for buying outdoor furniture that just looks expensive!
Don’t have a big budget for your porch and patio furniture, but love the look of the higher end brands? Me too!
One of my super powers is creating high-end looks for less (longtime single working mom here).
Sharing all of my outdoor furniture sources and budget shopping secrets, so you can buy outdoor furniture for less! It will just LOOK like it’s expensive.
Check out my Pottery Barn, Serena & Lily, and West Elm budget friendly outdoor furniture dupes.
Contains hand selected products, with affiliate marketing links where I may earn a small commission if a purchase is made. {full disclosure here}
Outdoor Furniture for Less: What We’ll Cover
DIY Outdoor Furniture for Less
A natural skill I have is finding a cheaper alternatives to higher end home decor items, without sacrificing the look I want to achieve.
I’ve named it having “champagne tastes on a beer budget” ha ha.
My parents taught me to be frugal, live below my means, work hard, and save more than I spend. All good lessons that have served me well financially and to spend money wisely for the things I love.
You can imagine with the name “Porch Daydreamer” I love outdoor living and patio furniture plus spending time daydreaming on my porch!
Oh and by the way, I worked in the furniture industry for 5 years and learned a LOT about mass produced seasonal furniture imported from overseas!
The truth is I like the higher end looks from the more expensive furniture and catalog companies.
Especially outdoor furniture from Pottery Barn, Serena & Lily, and West Elm, but in truth I don’t have the space for it nor do I have the budget.
I’ve even gone so far as to MAKEOVER my existing furniture to match the looks I love.
Then with a few accessories (that I can afford) from these higher end stores I get the look for far less.
Guess what? I even made over a basic porch swing and painted my outdoor resin wicker sofa and a bench all to get the looks below:
- Porch Swing Makeover: 3 Easy Ideas
- Spray Paint Outdoor Resin Wicker Furniture!
- Create a Tan Wicker “Target” Finish with Paint!
Love those barrel chairs on my front porch? Yes, those were SUPER budget friendly and give me that high end look for less. (sorry if they are sold out now).
I’ve searched high and low to find the same LOOK that is AFFORDABLE.
People are shocked to hear I didn’t pay a ton for the set on my back porch either.
I wanted a full sized sofa to lounge plus two large club chairs, but I didn’t have a big budget.
To my surprise, I was able to find something affordable that looks good too and is oh so comfortable. Check out this 4-piece all weather wicker set for under $1,000!
Waiting for a sale is key to saving of course, so that is exactly what I did.
Read about why I painted this porch a different color than my house
I was able to purchase all of the pieces with thick cushions covered in SUNBRELLA fabric for under $2000.
Yes, I understand that is a lot of money but if you start comparing the quality versus the price, this was a huge value!
I use this room like a 2nd family room much of the year. In my mind it’s been money well spent.
Last spring I updated the back porch and have even more budget friendly tips for decorating your porch or patio.
How to Save Money on Outdoor Furniture
I’m going to share my four BEST tips to save money when you are buying outdoor furniture.
These four tips will save you $1,000s of dollars if you have a lot of outdoor furniture to buy.
Every one of these things I do myself and how I’ve created high-end looks for less decorating my 4 outdoor living spaces!
Outdoor Furniture Money Saving Tips
Tip 1: buy outdoor furniture early and on sale
As I mentioned earlier, I worked for a furniture manufacturer but more specifically in the seasonal furniture industry.
Part of my role was forecasting what we would make and import from all over Asia for a MAJOR retailer. When I tell you to buy when the inventory first arrives, I know what I am talking about!
Only a certain number of pieces are manufactured each season months in advance and travel by container to the US.
So when an outdoor seasonal furniture item runs out that typically the end of the inventory until the next outdoor furniture season.
The retailers are motivated to move through their inventory within a 3 month window, so buy your outdoor furniture no later than MAY!
Take advantage of the early season sales March through May, with the final big closeouts typically happening Memorial Day weekend in the US.
Inventory will be much lower by this point, so you may not be able to get what you want.
Tip 2: Shop online and not in retail stores
Retail stores only have so much money to invest in physical inventory in their stores. Also, they are limited in space to display outdoor furniture.
Where online it’s completely different, with the retailers being able to warehouse LOTS of different options and finishes they can sell online to you.
If you see something in a store, ALWAYS hop online to see if you can find all of the options for the collections.
Many times you’ll find additional cushion colors and a variety finishes too!
Plus during the sales you can usually get free shipping or discounted truck delivery. So buy online, but that typically does mean some assembly…
Tip 3: Put it together yourself
You know I LOVE DIY, so putting together furniture to me isn’t a big deal. The outdoor furniture manufacturers save a TON by shipping the furniture not assembled.
The containers coming over from Asia can be packed more efficiently and inexpensively if the furniture is in a box.
This keeps the cost lower for both the retailer and ultimately YOU! To help speed up assembly I recommend a power drill and a hex drill bit.
Tip 4: Use reverse image search to find the best deal
Literally, I use Google image search almost EVERYDAY to find the best deals on just about anything.
It’s how I found lower priced options for EVERYTHING in my shopping guide (my secret revealed!).
It’s especially helpful when you find something expensive and LOVE the look, but the price doesn’t fit your budget.
It literally takes 1 minute to do this and that’s how long the video is! UNMUTE to hear my instructions.
How to Use Google Lens Reverse Image Search
I found that I could buy the same looking side table and save $150 off of the price just by using Google image search.
Cool right and super easy! I HIGHLY recommend only using this on your desktop to make it as easy as possible to scroll the variety of options.
Where to Buy Affordable Outdoor Furniture
Now you know how I find the best deals, but say you just want to look and find affordable outdoor furniture options without a lot of work.
I rely on several retailers to find stylish high-end outdoor furniture looks for less.
Guess what? This picture isn’t from the West Elm catalog, but straight from Amazon!
Before you go shopping, it may be helpful to read about how to maximize space on your small porch or patio.
I show you how I creatively arranged furniture pieces to create a TON of seating!
Don’t be scared to order furniture online and assemble it at home.
It’s all I’ve done for close to 20 years! I was an early adopter of shopping online and putting stuff together myself.
Best places buy inexpensive outdoor furniture:
The outdoor furniture is usually really easy to put together and the only hassle is getting rid of all of that cardboard LOL!
Never have I been disappointed by the quality and have have many of the pieces for 15+ years. Great, right?
Pin it for Later!
Budget Friendly Outdoor Furniture Dupes
You like me may lust after Serena & Lily, West Elm and Pottery Barn outdoor living looks.
Their coastal and modern styles speak to me, but I simply don’t want to pay the high prices when I know I get get the look for less!
Doing what I do best, I searched my favorite online sources to find the best looking dupes at affordable prices for popular Serena & Lily, West Elm, and Pottery Barn options.
These lookalikes will save you at least 50% and many options you get 2 pieces for the price of one!
PIN for Later!
West Elm Concrete Outdoor Coffee Table | Affordable Dupe
Serena and Lily Monterey Outdoor Table | Affordable Dupe
Outdoor Furniture Finds on Amazon
One of my FAVORITE places to shop is on Amazon! I was an early adopter as a career woman, who traveled and a single mom…time is everything!
With quick delivery, no trips to the store and a little bit of assembly that saved me a fortune AMAZON is my go to for outdoor furniture.
I’ve put together some of my favorites for you to shop!
See what I mean! What a price difference and the looks are so similar most would be fooled.
This is just the TIP of the iceberg when it comes to finding the best deals as you shop online for outdoor furniture.
Maybe you love the LUST and have the budget, I say GO FOR IT and save money on the accessories.
At my heart, I’ll always be a bargain shopper regardless of what is in my bank account 🙂
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Until next time…
Porch Daydreamer
Tracey
Great ideas – so practical, more affordable and still beautiful … it’s what I stress to all my design clients … HOWEVER, ‘what to do’ with all the cushions for the outdoor furniture – It’s a constant – ON/OFF – ON/OFF and trying to keep the cushions dry can be exhausting. Other than a big, ugly resin storage box, which takes up space … do you have other suggestions?
Hi, Elynn! There are always furniture covers instead 🙂
Wow. Just wow! Thank you for doing all the leg work. I never would have thought it possible to get the same look for less and still get good quality. Just in time for my new outdoor furniture shopping this spring!
Jeanne, Yes! It’s amazing what Target has and it all looks SO good! I’m glad this post helped you 🙂 Have fun decorating!
LOVE this post!!! I love studying Ballard & PB catalogues and then recreating the looks on a budget. I need to refresh my patio so this is super helpful!! Thank you ❤️
Liza, Yay! A fellow high-end design lover who looks on a budget. Love it and SO glad I could help. Have fun with your refresh!