You've already spent thousands landscaping and furnishing your outdoor space do you really want to spend more money on your patio chair cushions? The answer may surprise you...you do want to invest in your patio chair cushions. Here's why and how to make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck.

Tip #1 Durability is key to lasting life and let's face it, the longer your patio chair cushions last the more return on your investment. Here are some things to look for to make sure the patio chair cushions you're thinking about are the right ones. If you're going to spend $100 on a cushion, you certainly want to make sure that it is going to last.

-Durable fabrics like cotton are essential. Cotton canvas is soft, durable, and it can be washed. Vinyl is inexpensive but it cracks and pinches, it just doesn't last, cotton canvas is a better choice for durability.

- Superior manufacturing. Look for cushions that have reinforced stitching, reinforced zippers, and reinforced piping to protect the seams these little details mean that your cushions won't rip the first time someone sits on them.

-Patio chair cushions can have a variety of fillers; the best filler for your dollar is a high density foam core not only because it's durable but because it keeps its shape. Take the sit test to determine how thick you want your cushions to be.

Tip #2 Make sure your cushion meets the needs of your furniture. This means that if you have two beautiful Adirondack chairs, then you will want to fit them with patio chair cushions designed for Adirondack chairs. A chaise has three to five sections, a chaise cushion should have three to five sections too; it should fit perfectly.

When setting up my outdoor space I fell in love with two beautiful chemise cushions. They were of course designed for interior chairs, who on earth would buy chemise cushions for the outdoors? I did. With the mental note to always bring them inside when the weather looked bad, I placed them on my bistro chairs and was happy. The indoor chair cushions just didn't work or fit well. There were no ties to secure them to the chairs either.

Well you can guess what happened. These expensive chair cushions did get left out in the rain but worse, I had to go on a neighborhood hunt for them after a particularly windy day.

Lesson, if you're going to invest in patio chair cushions make sure that they're designed for outdoor use and that they're designed to fit your specific chair. It's incredibly embarrassing to have to knock on your neighbor's door and ask for your chair cushions back.

Tip #3 Purchase patio chair cushions that will grow with your life and personal tastes. Life changes quickly. One day we're chasing little children around our back yards and we need our outdoor furniture to be sturdy and family friendly. Soon our children have left home and the back yard becomes more of a retreat, a quiet place to go to read, garden, or simply nap in the sunshine. You expect your furniture to last through the years and change with you. If you make sensible patio chair cushion purchases, you can expect the same longevity.

If a patio cushion set feels out of your budget, consider how long you plan on keeping them. 5 years? 10 years? More? A $50 dining chair cushion averages out to $5 a year over ten years. Suddenly that cheap cushion doesn't seem so cheap.

While it is easy to find patio chair cushions for less than $20 a piece what you'll likely find with these cushions is an inferior fabric, poor design including seams that rip or tear easily, and filler that lumps and doesn't hold its shape. For a bit more money you can easily find gorgeous patio chair cushions that are not only made with attention to detail and pride, you'll also find that great care is paid in making sure your cushion fits your chair's shape perfectly and that it will stay in place.