This 7 Ways To Upgrade Your Backyard post is sponsored.

We love our backyard. It’s so great to have the extra space for when we have parties over the summer. When we bought our house, though, our backyard was just a plain, normal backyard.

Which is cool.

But boring.

If you’re like us, you know exactly what I mean. So I put together a list of 7 frugal ways to upgrade your backyard. None of these tips will break the bank, but they’ll all add something to your outdoor space.

And, don’t feel like you have to do everything at once. Little by little is how we upgrade our space. And, if you come up with any of your own backyard ideas on a budget, be sure to let us know in the comments.

7 Frugal Ways To Upgrade Your Backyard

This list, as with most of our lists, is in no particular order with the exception of the first example. That’s who sponsored the post, so obviously that idea gets top billing.

Hang string lights

We got a set of outdoor string lights and they instantly transformed our backyard. I hung the string lights around the trim of our screened in porch using light clips holders, then plugged them in to turn them on. They’re so incredibly bright. It reminded me of that scene from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where Clark finally gets his Christmas lights on (all 25,000 of them!) and it blinds Todd and Margo nextdoor.

We do have a lighted ceiling fan out there already, but there’s something so special about string lights. Plus, these ones remind me of Edison bulb lights, so that’s really trendy right now.

We have them all in our screened in porch, but you could string them outside since they are water- and weatherproof.

Change your outdoor umbrella

When our neighbors moved, they gifted us their cast iron outdoor table. It’s amazing. We loved the gift and were super appreciative of it. One of the caveats, though, was the umbrella shade was on its way out. So this year, my parents got us a new outdoor umbrella, shade, and base for Christmas.

What a difference!

We went with a black and white striped umbrella shade so that we can match the new pillows I’m (eventually) going to sew. The umbrella shade has solar powered LED lights, which you can easily turn on and off, because no outdoor space can ever have enough lights or seating.

Take care of the weeds

One of the worst parts of owning a house, honestly, is the weeds. We don’t use any sort of chemicals on our lawn, so the only way to take care of the weeds is by manually pulling them.

So, as often as necessary, I’ll go outside with my gardening gloves and shovel and pick the weeds.

What a difference it makes. This is absolutely free to do and really changes your house from looking haggard to looking pristine. And if you don’t do it, well, having someone come in to take care of your lawn after it has been overtaken by weeds is expensive.

Make a rock garden

If you want to change your outdoor space, a great way to do that is to add a new focal point, like a rock garden.

My mom really wanted to build one in my parents’ North Carolina house, but it can be pricey buying rocks. Luckily, while they were in Florida, Pete and I found a home construction site that was breaking up asphalt. They allowed us to come with 5-gallon buckets and take as many rocks as we wanted.

I honestly think it took us four hauls, but we were able to build a beautiful rock garden as a surprise for my parents.

Add a firepit

We had been talking about getting a firepit for years, but it wasn’t until we saw someone discarding one that we actually got one.

You can pick up an inexpensive, brand new firepit, or you can just wait until someone is having a garage sale or getting rid of one and just clean it up. If you do get a secondhand one, just make sure to check that the bottom isn’t rusted out.

You can build up bricks around it to make it a nice focal point, or you can just leave it as is. Either way, you should probably grab some s’mores sticks for summer nights by the fire.

Stain your fence

If you have a fence already, you know how amazing it is. It blocks out your neighbors, really making your backyard somewhere cozy.

But, with a fence, there’s a little bit of upkeep to it. You can’t just build a fence and then ignore it until you sell your house. Instead, you have to stain it annually.

The good thing, though, is that breathes new life into your fence and backyard, totally updating it and refreshing it easily.

Water the grass

This one feels like a no brainer, but I had to add to add it to the list. Just in case. Water your grass. Green grass adds so much to your backyard.

If you have an irrigation system, this is so easy. Just set it to run when you want, for as long as you want, and it does the job for you.

If you live in an area where it rains quite a bit, be sure to tell your system not to run if the grass is saturated. That way, you won’t be wasting water. Watering, weeding, and mowing are really cheap backyard landscaping ideas — a lot cheaper than laying sod in your backyard.

Which of these frugal ways to upgrade your backyard is your favorite?