Now, you may be thinking about football fields—but I’m thinking about your great outdoors. Think about it: if you have an area that requires too much maintenance and upkeep or too much water, then synthetic turf may be the way to go.

It’s much more carefree than a grass lawn: there’s no seeds or sod, no fertilizing or weed treatment, no dandelions or grubs or watering or mowing. Some drought-plagued cities are actually encouraging consumers to consider synthetic grass.

Here are some great options for installing synthetic turf:

Landscaping: Each year you spend a lot of time and money maintaining your lawn. Watering it, fertilizing it, and grooming it can add up to a very expensive pastime. There are companies out there that have taken the guesswork out of having a gorgeous lawn. Synthetic grass—often made with durable nylon plastic textured to look and feel like real grass—comes in a variety of grass types: Bermuda, Fescue, and Zoysia. You never have to worry about drought, insects, or making sure your lawn gets the proper amount of sunlight. Installing synthetic grass off your patio, around your pool, or anywhere else you would normally try to grow grass is the perfect application.

Pet Areas: One might not think of pet areas as being the perfect application for synthetic grass, but it absolutely is a great option for making the play area clean and safer for your beloved furry friends. Dogs, especially the larger ones, can be pretty tough on grass. The bare spots or brown spots they can leave behind can be a challenge for any lawn enthusiast, but installing synthetic grass can eliminate those hassles. Specially formulated plastics for the pet area are a bit different than the plastics used in your landscaping: the turf is treated with organic crystals that help control pet waste odors, and it is also tougher and stronger to stand up to your pet’s tendencies to chew, pull, or dig. This grass is also designed to control any of those unwanted critters like moles, mice, or insects, which can be a burden to you or even a danger to your pet.

Putting Green: Of course, if you’ve always dreamed of having your own practice putting green, synthetic grass is an excellent choice for making that dream come true. Not only can you practice putting, but you can also choose a different grass to create the rough so you can have the best of both worlds. Think you don’t have the room or time to install a putting green? There are some companies that have created the perfect portable green so you can set it up and take it down in no time.

Synthetic grass technology has come a long way, thanks to innovations in plastics. With all these advances, having a beautiful lawn, a safe pet area, or a place to practice putting is easy, accessible, and affordable. Most synthetic turf products come with a 10-year or more warranty so you know you will be making a sound investment. And many manufacturers will take back the plastic turf (after it’s reached the end of its life) to be recycled into new plastic products such as composite lumber.

So get your weekends back and become the envy of the neighborhood. Consider synthetic turf … you’ll be asking yourself why you didn’t discover this gem before now!

Jenny Wu of Good Bad and Fab rocks this faux fur vest!

Joanna Baker’s purse was full of plastic sequins!

Not surprising that Sucker for Sequins wore this great sequin top.

Yuka from Nadeshiko Beauty sported plastic heels and those great tights (lycra is made from plastic).

There were plastic sequins everywhere – including this gorgeous top on Cheralee Lyle Style, bonus, her necklace was plastic too!

Court and Hudson was making a statement just by protecting her phone with plastic! Congratulations to Christine for being the winner of our first blogger look!