Managing household items can feel like trying the tidy the sand at the beach. In an article in the Los Angeles Times (here) its says that “The average U.S. household has 300,000 things, from paper clips to ironing boards.” That is a lot of stuff to have careful stewardship over! So before you get down to organizing your home, you might need to declutter. (There is a reason decluttering is the first step of the organizing process). But once you get rid of a lot of your stuff, you still need to find ways to take care of what is left.
Sometimes it feels like you need hundreds of dollars to organize your house. From baskets and shelf dividers to closet systems, it really adds up! But I have some good news. There are plenty of ways to organize your home without emptying your bank account.
Here are a couple creative money saving solutions I have found.
1. Gift Bags
It is easy to build up a collection of gift bags. We have exchanged one gift bag back and forth with my eldest’s godparents so many times it has worn out! But other gift bags sit unused.
Let’s put them to use!
Gift bags are a good solution for replacing baskets in the organizing process. They can hold small or large items, depending on their size. They can work on an end table, or on a countertop. Gift bags are great for linen closets too. They can hold extra sheets, pillow cases, towels, wash cloths, and things like extra shampoo bottles. And, as a bonus, they can be super pretty.
2. Tissue Boxes
Tissues come in pretty boxes, which can also be converted to a small container for organizing. When the box is empty, cut off the top bit. Viola! A beautiful little box. This size is great for a diy drawer divider, or for sorting small things like makeup, medicine, and batteries. Even phone charging cables could go into a tissue box. (Speaking of cords and cables, toilet paper rolls can separate these to prevent tangling)!
You can also get some funky sized tissue boxes at the dollar store. It could be worth getting a design you like knowing you a) get tissues from it and b) will use it to organize your house.
You can always go back and replace the tissue box containers later when you have money for baskets from the dollar tree or another store that sells containers.
3. Cereal boxes/Dollar Tree Trays
Do you have trouble keeping your young children’s toys organized?
Would you believe me if I said “I don’t.”
For real life! I keep all my kids toys and educational materials in trays (or sometimes small baskets). They can easily find what they want to play with all the time. And my three year old puts it away almost every time when she is done. Sometimes I need to remind her, but even then it isn’t a big mess. (Although that may partially be due to playmats … thank you Maria Montessori!).
Young children are all visual organizers. They need to see their stuff. But having everything everywhere does not equal being able to see their stuff. Rather, store their toys on trays. These trays can work with cube shelving, bookshelves, or even coffee tables. Once the toys are on trays, there will be no need to dump everything everywhere in order to find what they are looking for. (For more on toy organization, read this).
Trays are good for more than kid’s toys though. I also use them for towels, extra pantry items, incoming mail, and to hold projects I am working on. The list is endless! Every time I go to the Dollar Tree I pick up more trays because they are so great and versatile.
If you need to organize for free, cut the tops off of cereal boxes and tape the sides shut, similar to the tissue box DIY. To make a cereal box prettier, you can cover in with contact paper or wrapping paper.
4. Repurpose Old Furniture
Once you declutter, you may find you no longer need some of the furniture you were using before. Perhaps you have emptied a bookshelf, or an end table. Or perhaps you have cleared out a dresser. While it is great to just get rid of these items and have more space, if you are working on a tight budget it may be beneficial to move these to another space in your home. Don’t have a linen closet? Try a free standing cabinets. Need a closet organizing system? Put a bookshelf in your closet.
5. Use Extra Food Storage Containers
Finally, use extra food storage containers. Do you have too many reuseable takeout containers? Repurpose them for containing the clutter instead of the leftovers.
The Byzantine Life
Working on organizing your home? Read my article: the Organization Crash Course. Or check out my article on Organizing For Your Personality.
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