Under Budget: Perfecting the Picnic
Our lives have been so hectic these last few months and we've been on the move 24/7. From planning our princess' perfect birthday party to following traditions for Father's Day, I have been collecting so many different things to talk to you guys about. I did notice one common denominator within all of my topics and it was how impressed I was with the outcome of all our parties/events while being SO under budget! And WA-LA, the newest series to the La Manuia stage: Under Budget. We all love making our events "worthy of the gram" and you still can without breaking the bank!
A few years ago I unknowingly started a annual tradition of taking Brian to the park to celebrate Father's Day with a special picnic. We have done everything from packing a full picnic basket of sandwiches and sides to ordering a pizza to bring with us; but this year I wanted to up our picnic game to show Brian how much we truly appreciate him. I've seen the cutest set-ups for picnics on Pinterest and immediately knew the aesthetic I was going for: elegant and comfortable.
There are a few necessities to pulling of the perfect picnic: a table, silverware/plates, and a blanket. The only thing I already had from years prior was my favorite picnic basket that was stocked with 4 plates and 4 sets of utensils from Bed, Bath, and Beyond (linked at the end of this post!). Everything else I gave myself a budget of $150 and got to searching. I knew I would get many uses out of everything I ordered so it would be a bang for my buck! Most of my finds were from the usual front-runner Amazon with some other big names sprinkled in. Some of these names you'll automatically think big ticket prices....BUT Under Budget is all about discounts and coupons.
Blanket: $19.99 (20% off coupon available)
I wanted a blanket with some cushioning because let's face it...sitting on the ground is not the most comfortable. I found this UGG picnic blanket online from BB&B and used one of my MANY 20% off coupons I had in my email inbox. It's also a great blanket for beach days!
Table: $40 (DIY project)
Short tables are beyond expensive, but so is lumbar right now. I was able to find some great deals locally and found step-by-step instructions on building the table!
https://www.melissagarchiediy.com/post/diy-picnic-table-low-profile-short
Basket: $36 (20% coupons available)
This basket was the original basket I bought years ago when I started this tradition and it was one of the best purchases I have ever purchased. It has a zipped cooler section for cold items and has all the plates/utensils you need!!
Charger Plates: $4
The dollar store has great options for charger plates! I couldn't find any online to show you, but Dollar Tree is the way to go!
Napkins/Rings: $26
Nice cloth napkins and napkins rings have been on my list of things to buy for our home for years so I used Father's Day as my excuse to finally pull the trigger. I found the perfect napkins from Pottery Barn and rings from Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0837K37Q5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_AES1Z7VWTYYVBKKXX5VJ?psc=1
Pillows: $21
These were originally a purchase solely based on creating the "aesthetic" of my picnic but ended up being life savers! They made sitting on the ground that much more comfortable by giving us a plush surface to rest on! These I found on Amazon are perfect for a picnic!
All these purchases considered....the final tally was $148 and was filled with items that have MANY uses. The most important thing was that Brian was blown away by how special our picnic was, making it a priceless project. These upscale picnics are perfect for ladies lunches, birthdays, anniversaries...basically any special occasion!
I cannot wait to see what aesthetics you guys come up with for your special picnics!