Beach Totes Under $50

1. Nine West Bayshort tote ($40) | Kelly & Kate straw tote ($30) | Merona Striped tote ($25) | Love Me by Curtis Kulig bag ($13) | O'Neill Chevron straw bag ($42) | Victoria's Secret beach tote ($32)

The weather is warming up and you're just itching to spend some time relaxing in the sun (slathered in SPF, of course), sipping on an ice cold beverage, reading a book, or simply sitting back and digging your feet in the sand. A day at the beach or by the pool can be incredibly satisfying. But to enjoy it, you need to have some of your beach essentials with you (towels, sunscreen, lip balm, snacks), and most of us depend on a nice large tote bag to help us lug around our summertime essentials.

If you're like me, you're not to keen on spending a lot of money on a beach bag. After all, I don't want to have to fret over a designer bag getting covered in sand, melted lip balm, sunscreen and beverage spills, and salt water. That kind of worry pretty much destroys my laid back beach vibe. And who wants to deal with that?

I normally rely on nice, large, free, gift-with-purchase bags to serve as my beach/pool-side carryalls. But I've also been known to purchase a beach bag or two of my own when I find one that meets the following qualifications:

• Fair price. I tend to stick to bags that will cost me $50 or less. Emphasis on less (whenever possible).  
• Good size. Beach items take up space and I need it all to fit easily in one bag. I tend to gravitate toward medium, but more often large totes. Small bags need not apply. 
• Easy to clean material. We've already mentioned all the mishaps that can befall your beach bag. Because of that, I tend to look for bags that are made of canvas, cotton, plastic, or straw. The idea being that I can easily wipe away a mess or toss it in the wash. 

I'm also drawn to colorful bags with fun patterns or cheeky sayings. The bags pictured above all fit that criteria and should be pretty easy for anyone to access. 

Where's your favorite place to shop for beach bags?