Most holiday lighting advice starts with the house and ends with a number you didn't plan to spend. This guide runs the other way. Pick the budget first, $60, $100 or $200, and here is exactly which string lights it buys, how many feet they cover and where to hang them. Every price is today's price on lights we have in stock, and every set here stays useful after the holidays, because the bulbs are warm white and the cords are built to live on a porch or patio all year.
The Short Answer
- About $60: one 21-foot outdoor string light set for the porch and 4 mini light strings for the mantel and stairs. $62.24.
- About $100: one 29-foot, 25-bulb globe string light set and 7 mini light strings for the mantel, stairs and four windows. $103.85.
- About $200: two 25-bulb globe sets connected into one 58-foot run, 25 red and green bulbs to swap in for the season, and 3 mini light strings. $203.32.
The full breakdown, with what each piece does, is below.
The Three Lights These Budgets Are Built From
You only need to know three products to follow the rest of this guide.
- The 21-foot porch set. Our 10-socket outdoor commercial string light set, $46.44. Ten full-size shatterproof warm white LED bulbs on a weatherproof black cord, with a socket every 24 inches. The wide spacing and bigger bulbs suit a porch rail, a front door frame or a short stretch of fence.
- The 29-foot globe set. Our 25-socket commercial string light set with 2-inch G50 shatterproof LED globe bulbs, $76.20, on a black cord or a white cord at the same price. There's a socket every 12 inches, it's rated for indoor or outdoor use, and up to 12 sets plug together end to end from a single outlet. Each bulb draws 1 watt, so a full set uses 25 watts.
- The mini string. Our 10-light indoor LED mini string, $3.95. It's 8.35 feet long with 10 warm white LEDs spaced 8 inches apart, so about 6 feet of it is lit, with a 2-foot lead to the plug. It uses 2.4 watts, it's UL Listed, and up to 25 strings connect end to end. If one bulb goes out, the rest stay lit. These are for indoors: the mantel, the stair rail, a window, a shelf.
What $60 Lights: The Porch, the Mantel and the Stairs
At this budget, light the two places people look first: the front door from the street, and the fireplace from the sofa.
- Porch: one 21-foot porch set along the railing or up and over the front door frame. A standard front door frame is about 17 feet around the top and two sides, so one set covers it with enough cord left to reach an outlet.
- Mantel: one mini string laid through the garland. Its 6 feet of lights fits a typical mantel end to end.
- Stairs: two mini strings connected and wound down the banister.
- One spare mini string for a bookshelf, a sideboard or a wreath near an outlet.
Total: $62.24.
What $100 Lights: The Front of the House From Inside and Out
The step up to $100 swaps the porch set for the 29-foot globe set, which has two and a half times as many bulbs, and adds enough mini strings to put a light in every front window.
- Porch roofline or living room ceiling: one 29-foot globe set. Outside, it runs the full width of most front porches with a gentle dip between hooks. Inside, it crosses a living room up to about 12 feet wide twice. Let it swag a few inches between hooks. A tight line looks like an extension cord.
- Mantel: one mini string.
- Stairs: two mini strings.
- Four windows: one mini string across the top of each window frame, on the inside. From the street, four lit windows do more than one heavily decorated one.
Total: $103.85, which clears our $99 free shipping threshold.
What $200 Lights: A 58-Foot Run in Red, Green and Warm White
Two globe sets plugged together make one 58-foot run with 50 bulbs on a single outlet. That's enough to follow the roofline across the front of most single-story houses, or to go around three sides of a 15 by 20 foot patio.
The sets come with warm white bulbs. To make the run look like the holidays, swap every other bulb for a color: green, warm white, red, warm white, and repeat. On 50 sockets that takes 13 green G50 bulbs ($1.51 each) and 12 red G50 bulbs ($1.62 each), $39.07 in all. They're the same size and the same shatterproof plastic as the bulbs that come with the set, and they screw into the same sockets.
Keep the 25 warm white bulbs you took out. In January, put them back and the run goes back to being patio lighting. That's the reason to buy bulbs instead of a second, holiday-only string.
- Roofline or patio: two 29-foot globe sets, connected. $152.40.
- Holiday color: 13 green and 12 red G50 bulbs. $39.07.
- Mantel and stairs: three mini strings. $11.85.
Total: $203.32.
What It Costs, by Budget
| Budget | What You Buy | What It Lights | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| About $60 | 1 porch set ($46.44), 4 mini strings ($15.80) | Front door or porch rail, mantel, stairs, one shelf | $62.24 |
| About $100 | 1 globe set ($76.20), 7 mini strings ($27.65) | Porch roofline or living room ceiling, mantel, stairs, four windows | $103.85 |
| About $200 | 2 globe sets ($152.40), 13 green and 12 red bulbs ($39.07), 3 mini strings ($11.85) | 58 feet of roofline or patio in red, green and warm white, plus mantel and stairs | $203.32 |
Already own a 25-socket string with candelabra (E12) sockets? The 25 red and green bulbs alone are $39.07, and they fit.
Hanging Them
- Find the outlet first and plan the run from there. Outdoors, use an outlet rated for outdoor use.
- Put a hook or clip every 3 to 4 feet. Screw-in cup hooks hold best on wood trim. Adhesive clips work on smooth indoor surfaces.
- Hang the cord with the bulbs out. It's lighter and easier to handle. Screw the bulbs in once the cord is up.
- If you're adding color, swap the bulbs at this point, working from the plug end: green, warm white, red, warm white.
- Indoors, lay the mini strings through the garland last and tuck the plug lead behind it.
The globe sets and the porch set have no switch. Plug them into a switched outlet or an outdoor-rated timer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many string lights can I get for $100?
One 29-foot commercial set with 25 shatterproof LED globe bulbs ($76.20) and seven 8-foot indoor mini light strings ($3.95 each), for $103.85. That lights a porch roofline or living room ceiling, a mantel, a stair rail and four windows.
How many feet of string lights do I need for the front of a house?
Measure the roofline or porch you want to follow and add a few feet for the dip between hooks and the run to the outlet. One 29-foot set covers most front porches. Two sets connected give 58 feet, which covers the front roofline of most single-story houses.
Can I change the bulbs in string lights to red and green?
Yes, if the string has screw-in bulbs. Our 25-socket sets use E12 candelabra sockets, so red and green G50 shatterproof LED bulbs screw straight in. Swapping every other bulb on a 50-socket run takes 13 green and 12 red bulbs and costs $39.07.
Can outdoor string lights stay up all year?
Our commercial sets are weatherproof and rated for indoor or outdoor use. Put the warm white bulbs back in after the holidays and the same run works as patio lighting.
How many string light sets can I connect together?
Up to 12 of our 25-socket commercial sets with 1-watt bulbs connect end to end on one outlet. Up to 25 of our 10-light indoor mini strings connect end to end.
How much electricity do LED string lights use?
Very little. A 25-bulb set with 1-watt LED bulbs uses 25 watts, less than one old 40-watt bulb. A 10-light LED mini string uses 2.4 watts.
Shop the Setup
 29 ft Globe String Light Set, $76.20 |
 10-Light LED Mini String, $3.95 |
 Red G50 LED Bulb, $1.62 |
Lighting a party as well as the house? Our holiday party lighting guide has lantern and string light counts for 12, 30 and 60 guests. Or browse every length in Commercial Grade Outdoor String Lights and Christmas Holiday String Lights.
Paper Lantern Store has carried the world's largest selection of paper lanterns and lights for 24 years, every order inspected and shipped from our Union City, California warehouse.
