I’m in a full-scale panic attack about the economy today. My trip to Cleveland, the Bill Moyers’ special, conversations with friends have taken this already neurotic blogger into Insane Land. It’s not a pretty sight.

So, I’m distracting myself this afternoon with thoughts of how I’m going fix up the new back patio. The guys are almost done. If all goes as planned, there will be outdoor cocktails tonight.

The good thing about fixing up the outdoor areas is that once the patio is done, everything else is cheap, cheap, cheap.

The easiest and cheapest and prettiest things are containers of herbs. The plants cost $5 tops. And there so many inexpensive containers. Sure, you can go with expensive, galvanized steel containers, but they rust and make a mess of the patio. I’m really happy with my faux-terra cotta pots from Home Depot. They don’t seem to be online. Let’s see what they have on Amazon…I like these Zinc-Finished Planters. Very modern look. Terra-cotta is nice, but it cracks in the winter time. If you really want it, then go for the IKEA brand. You won’t cry, if they break. Honestly, the plastic ones are so good right now, I would just go with something like this one.

We’re doing two raised gardens this year. One is happy. Well, it WAS happy until the deer found it yesterday. The other is a newer one and I think we shouldn’t have used straight top soil in it. The plants aren’t thriving in there. Next year, we’ll mix the top soil with some potting soil.

We have two patio tables. One is from IKEA. The other is metal and glass; we purchased it for $75 at a garage sale. Sure, the Crate and Barrel outdoor furniture is beautiful, but the cheap stuff is fine, too. Just add new cushions every year, and honestly, nobody knows that you picked up your furniture at KMart at the end of the season.

If you like candles, then there millions of fun options. There are Moroccan Lanterns, cool tea lights, and string lights. Honestly, I love them all and probably overdo it in the lighting department.

I’m not a huge fan of garden doodads, so I avoid them. Bright cushions, bright lights, and lush plants are really all you need. And a pitcher of sangria, of course.