If you’re like me, your outdoor To-Do list has grown quite lengthy over the past few weeks, as weather warms up and the sun’s shining on springtime beckons us outside. Along with the to-do list, however, is an expenses sheet that seems to grow exponentially with our exterior dreams and plans to create a casual and aesthetic outdoor living space.

If you find yourself facing the dilemmas of being able to afford all the things you want to do, let me suggest you look toward one trusty resource for some ideas: wooden pallets. They are so versatile! Here are some ideas for using them to create the outdoor space of your dreams:

Pallet Swing.

If you, like the rest of the world, are intimidated by the thought of taking pallets apart for the boards, this is a wonderful project for you. Keeping two full pallets intact, simply attach them together with the side (“armrest) 2x4s…as well as attaching the back and seat of the swing. Make the project even easier by mounting the swing to an existing hammock swing frame, and you have yourself some pleasant outdoor seating for very little cost!

Pallet Coffee Table.

To add some personality and/or character to a more modern outdoor living space, stack a couple of well-chosen wooden pallets. Paired here with simple white cushions, the pallets look right at home. Adding some “indoor” touches, such as the flowers in glass vases and woven window shades, makes the space feel inviting and liveable…not to mention organic and outdoorsy. A perfect blend. To keep the pallets from sliding around, consider securing them with screws or nails.

Pallet Potting Station.

If you have a pallet that’s in less than pristine shape (takes “rustic” to a whole new level), consider camouflaging its blemishes with a watery coat of colorful paint. This whitwashing technique, here used with aqua, transforms the old pallet into a stylish, eye-catching ornamental piece. (This is a great use of a pallet with missing or inconsistently spaced boards.) Mixing both colorful and neutral pots adds to the charm of this vertical, and highly visible, space-saver.

Pallet Fence.

Often, wooden pallets are super sturdy…sturdy enough to scare away the most avid DIYers who might want to take them apart, in fact. One cost-saving outdoor use of the resource is to keep them (the pallets) intact and combine them to create a fence. You could screw them together or rope them together or anywhere in between. Although in-ground supports are required, the natural width of the pallets themselves aid in keeping the fence vertical. Quite the charming – and inexpensive – repurposing method.

Pallet Garden.

If you’re short on outdoor space but big on green-loving ideas, use the pallet boards to create a vertical garden. (The more weathered the pallets, the better, in my opinion.) Simply staple heavy-duty landscape cloth to the back of the pallet, as well as underneath each slat that will hold the soil plants, then turn the pallet so it’s vertical. Plant your lovelies directly into the rows, and sit back and enjoy. One word of caution: Beware of chemicals that might exist in the pallets if you’re using this method to plant vegetables.