Alright folks, today I gotta tell you about my backyard money-saver mission. Let’s be real – setting up a decent pool area usually means emptying your wallet. But this season, I swore I wasn’t gonna do that. Gotta be smart, right? So, I decided to hunt down stuff that’s actually cheap but doesn’t fall apart or look awful.
My Cheap Pool Stuff Hunt Begins
First stop, obviously, was hitting the web, looking for deals people actually liked, not just whatever the ads pushed. Wanted real opinions from folks who also hate throwing cash away. Focused on basics: floats for relaxing, something to actually get the pool clean, and maybe some toys for the nephews when they visit.
Started digging through stores online and offline. I’m talking bargain places, big discount chains, even checked the garden center nearby you wouldn’t normally think of for pool stuff. Went to at least five different spots. My main rule? If it looked like it might crumble just picking it up, forget it. Gotta have some quality feel, even if it’s cheap.
The Actual Stuff I Ended Up Grabbing
Okay, so after poking around, comparing prices, and giving things a good squeeze/test in the store, here’s the cheap haul that actually worked out:
- Floaties Don’t Have To Cost A Fortune: Found some giant inflatable loungers – like, the “spend all day” kind – for literally half what the pool store wanted. Package said “commercial grade” or whatever, but honestly? Felt just as thick blowing them up. One had a soda cup holder built right in. Perfect.
- The World’s Most Basic Vacuum: Seriously. This little manual vacuum head was under five bucks. Hooked it straight onto my existing pool pole. No bells, no whistles, just a piece of plastic with brushes. But guess what? Slammed it onto the pole, attached a garden hose, and boom. Scooping leaves and gunk off the bottom like a champ. Simple works.
- Clever Toys, Cheap Prices: Forget those pricey dive toys. Found a set of sinking glow-in-the-dark discs online. Like, maybe $1 each? Kids loved ’em at night. And those foam pool noodles everyone uses? Snagged a bunch at a place that sells everything, way cheaper. Cut one up later to patch a small tear in the pool liner… temporary fix, sure, but hey, it worked!
- Maintenance Helper – The Weirdest Winner: This one surprised me. Needed something to scrub the waterline scum without scratching. Saw people mention… toilet brushes? Swore they were joking. Bought a plain, white one with stiff bristles for next to nothing. Took it poolside, got it wet, and yeah. That scum wiped right off the tile. Seriously. Just rinsed it super good after. Cheapest brush in the place.
Putting It All to the Test
Got everything home, tossed the floats in the pool – held air solid. That little vacuum head? Easily kept the bottom clean. The glow-in-the-dark discs were a hit during the family BBQ. Honestly, the hardest part was explaining the toilet brush sitting by the pool filter. But after it handled that tile grime like nothing? Had to eat my words.
Been using it all for a couple of months now. No floaties popped. Scrub brush is hanging in there, just looks a little funny. Vacuum head keeps doing its simple job. Noodles are still bendy.
Bottom line? You absolutely don’t have to spend big bucks to have a good time by the pool or keep it decently clean. Open your eyes, ignore the “pool specific” hype sometimes, check those bargain bins hard, and sometimes a cheap solution actually just works fine. My wallet breathed a huge sigh of relief.