Small Backyard Oasis Ideas on a Budget – 5 Tips To Create Your Oasis!

Sharing is caring!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Walmart and LTK. All opinions are 100% my own. Find our disclosure policy here for more information. 

Small Backyard Oasis Ideas on a Budget – 5 Tips To Create Your Oasis!

I live in the Pacfic Northwest, and we treasure our outdoor spaces – especially in the summer. Since we get all four seasons, the summers are magical and getting outdoors is one of my favorite things to do this time of the year. Coming up with small backyard oasis ideas on a budget is a priority for me. Here are 5 of my favorite tips to create a gorgeous backyard oasis – especially if you are working on a budget.

I am always shopping with a budget in mind, regardless of where I am financially, so I LOVE to start by checking out the Walmart Summer Patio options. In my experience over the years, I will be able to stretch my budget without compromising on style by checking out Walmart first. My backyard oasis has been created from all my favorite Walmart finds, and at super prices – so I wanted to share some of those here for those of you also wanting to create a beautiful backyard Oasis on a budget! There are so many options, so we have done the work of narrowing them down to our favorite picks, but you can find all of the options currently available on Walmart here.

You can shop Walmart season after season, and build your backyard oasis over time. That is how I have done it. For example, we grabbed our inflatable hot tub during a previous summer, but were able to take it from just a hot tub, to a backyard oasis by building on what we had this year.

Plus, be sure to check out our article on 7 Small Patio Decorating Ideas on a Budget + 10 Picks for Best Patio Budget Buys,  for more great backyard budget buys that will look like you spent a lot more than you actually did!

Here are my 5 Favorite Tips to Design a Backyard Oasis:

1. Create a hot tub surround for an inflatable hot tub
2. Create a lounge area or conversational area
3. Set the Mood With Lighting
4. Add more privacy + shade areas
5. Dont Forget the Details – plants, rugs, pillows, etc.

Create a Backyard Oasis You Can Enjoy Year Round with these Ideas!

Pro Tip:: Find all the products we used to create our backyard oasis hot tub surround by clicking on the item in the picture at the top of the page to shop them. 

Inflatable Hot Tub Surround Ideas

The reason why providing beautiful inflatable hot tub surround ideas falls at the top of my list is because you get great bang for your buck. Not all of us can afford a swimming pool. I know in the pacific northwest they are rare. However. adding an inflatable hot tub to your backyard has become a very popular idea in recent years, as they are so affordable, and easy to set up. I cannot believe the prices you can get them for compared to traditional hot tubs. I know from sharing these deals with many of our Thrifty Northwest Mom readers that tons of you are buying them. The next step is taking them from ordinary to extrodinary (creating a backyard oasis enviroment that you will want to use year round).

I bought the Intex one myself on Walmart a few years back, and for the first year or two I just set it up in the backyard and used it. While I enjoyed that, I knew I could do so much more – and surprisingly for not a ton of extra money.

You can also find Gazebos to cover it year round, starting at just $99.99 here!

Turn your inflatable hot tub into part of your Backyard Oasis design on a budget –

Add a shelter over your inflatable hot tub. 

This is important for a few reasons. It provides a cozy and beautiful atmosphere (the oasis feeling) for your hot tub. You can drape lighting around it, or close the curtains if you need more privacy for example. Plus, with the affordability of these inflatable hot tubs on Walmart, it is the best way to get a luxury item in your backyard oasis on a budget, in my opinion.

I have this Intex hot tub I got on Walmart, and we are going on three years of use now. You can get one of these gazebos for under $200 on Walmart, so it is a much more affordable option than building a protective structure. I grabbed this one when it was on a price drop, but you can find other options for as low as $100 here.

On the practical side, it will help keep debry out of your hot tub. I have a tree above mine, and pine needles and pine cones would constantly fall in when I did not have the cover on, without this structure.

It helps defines the space of your hot tub area – without having to buy expensive surrounds or build expensive patios etc. I love that I can decorate just inside my 10×10 space of my gazebo, and it looks like a purposeful space that I have created for my oasis. Small vingettes are easy to put together, can cost less, and really dress your spot up. Add some lighting, greenery and any outdoor decor you love. Keep it all together in one space, to draw your eye to that area – making it more of a wow factor.

And lastly, it allows me to use my hot tub year round, and on rainy evenings (which happens to us here in the Seattle area often)!

Shop The Backyard Oasis Ideas for Surrounds and Privacy Here – 

Create a lounge area or conversational area

This is one of the most important aspects to creating a backyard oasis. People need areas to comfortably congretate in your backyard. To sit back and relax, and want to hang out for awhile.

Buying comfortable furntiture to create a lounge or conversation area for your backyard oasis can seem daunting if you are on a budget. But it does not have to be! All you need to know is where to look for classy and comfy pieces that will not break your budget.

Here are some of our favorite picks to do that.

This Mainstays Adina Bay Outdoor Patio Furniture 3 Piece Wicker Chat Set is the set I recently added to my backyard oasis. I loved the boho look, but I loved the price for it even more (just $147 for all three pieces – reg. $324)!

Or check out this 3 Piece Rocking Patio Bistro Set for just $89.99. It is the perfect size for a small patio/backyard setting. If you would prefer to have one that does not rock, this modern 3 piece conversational set is just $80.

If you want more chairs, this Costway 4 piece Patio Wicker Rattan set of chairs is $159.99 for all 4 chairs, and that works out to under $40 a chair, and it is a best seller too.

Shop The Backyard Oasis Ideas for Conversational Sets Here –

Set the Mood With Lighting

Using mood lighting will make your backyard oasis easily transition from daytime into evenings. When I have gorgeous lighting for my backyard oasis, it draws me outside during the eveing hours. This is one of my very favorite things about summer – enjoying outdoor spaces well into the evening.

If you do not have an outdoor outlet – no worries! There are so many great solar options these days as well as battery lights.

Some of our very favorite picks for outdoor lighting include:

I love these Solar Torches that you can use to light a pathway or in your planters. They add such a magical glow in the evenings, it makes me want to just sit outside to enjoy the ambiance. I show you what they look like in one of my planters above, but I use them to light the pathway to my front door too.

These Edison style string lights are always a win, and you can get them in both plug in and solar options. You can string them over your patio cafe style, or just use them to line your arbors and fences. You cannot go wrong with these in your backyard. This Better Homes & Gardens 15-Count Shatterproof Edison Bulb Outdoor String Lights is a best seller, and the set I lined my gazebo with.

If budget is your primary concern, grab this set of Better Homes & Gardens 20-Count Clear Glass Globe G40 Bulbs Outdoor String Lights for just $13.78 a string!

This Better Homes and Gardens Natural Wood Battery Candle Lantern is one I added to my back yard and love. The candle has a timer option, so I can set it to light up at a certain time each evening. I move it around, and will use it near my hot tub set up if we are enjoying that, or over by my conversational set if we are just relaxing outdoors in the evening.

Shop The Backyard Oasis Ideas for Mood Lighting Here – 

Add more privacy + shade areas

I live in a townhome, so creating privacy in my small backyard is important to me. Depending on where you live, this may fall high upon your list, or lower.

However, creating a shaded area to enjoy your outdoor space will be important to most of us during the summer months too.

Here are some of my top picks that are budget friendly, to do both of these things!

I love to use these artificial plant wall panels. They come in lots of varieties (I chose the boxwoods for my yard). No watering is needed, they are very easy to install on a fence, and not only do they provide privacy, but beautiful decor too.

Use curtians on your gazebo to add another element of privacy to your hot tub space. You can close or open, so they are very flexible in how you use them.

Dont Forget the Details – Plants, Rugs, Pillows, etc.

Once you have the basics in place for your backyard oasis, it is the details that will take your backyard from ordinary to Oasis! You can throw a hot tub and some seating out in your backyard, but without pulling it together with the detailed pieces, it might not create the atmosphere you were hoping for.

The good news is that we have lots of ideas on how to add these special details that will pull together an Outdoor Oasis on a budget.

Here are some of my top picks for this year!

These Outdoor Pillows are as low as $4.97, so one of the best ways to add decor to your backyard on a budget.

This is one of the best deals on outdoor rugs, starting at under $20 here!

I love the Better Homes and Gardens Rattan Plant stands so much, that I got three of them! They can be used to not only add great style to your backyard oasis, but also provide different heights to display your plants on. The black one is here, and the natural colored one here.

You always need someplace to put your towels if you are using an outdoor hot tub. I like to add s hooks to the top of my gazebo and everyone can hang their towels there. I always keep these Mainstay Cabana Towels on hand at my house, so we have plenty of towels if we have guests over too.

If you need a hose to fill your hot tub in your backyard oasis, this Expert Gardener Light Duty 5/8″ x 25′ Garden Hose is a super price at just $10.88! I grabbed one, and added this Expert Gardener Heavy-Duty Metal 8-Pattern Watering Nozzle for just $4.97 so I could also use it to water my plants in my oasis.

Shop The Backyard Oasis Ideas for Accessories Here –