So, who has some tips for organizing the home that won't break the bank? I see so many cool items and gadgets for home organization, but I'd have to be rich to buy them all. I've found some very cool ideas (on good old Pinterest of course), but I'd love to hear some of the ideas you guys have tried. Feel free to tell me what to do as well as what not to do. Share your money-saving tips for getting organized. I want to re-organize my whole house. It's a small house with limited storage, so the first step is to purge and purge some more, but I do have to keep some stuff.
I think for magazines you could get some of those holders from Ikea or a similar store. They don;t usually cost too much. Baskets can be inexpensive if you get them form yard sales and they are usually good for organization. One thing I plan to do is to get some floating shelves to display nick nacks that are laying around. I had one decorator shelf in here and it kept getting knocked down...somehow.. but I think I will get some better quality ones.
A great place to get ideas is from Pinterest. This will show you many different ways to get organized at any budget. It will also give you a lot of ideas for do it yourself projects. You can buy a lot of organization items at dollar stores. They carry items such as containers, closet organizers etc.
I agree I like the Dollar Store for storage bins. They have collapsible canvas bins that you have black chalkboard like spots that you can write on to personalize the bin. I use them in my classroom. Also I like Ikea for storage ideas. Their containers aren't too expensive and mix and match well with most decors. Also if you really want to save money you can paint old cereal boxes and cut them to be magazine holders. Old milk crates could be spray painted and stacked to make a storage unit. Here's a great website with some DIY shelves ideas.Log In
I like to use old cereal boxes to hold papers and magazines. I get a lot of papers that need to be stored and have found these boxes work well to control some of the papers that I have to have for the different companies I work for.
Well our usual go-to organization tool are plastic boxes that we can stack on top of each other. My mom usually puts all of my files in a single box and our other stuff on other boxes. Then every week before the year ends, we do our little garage sale as a form of decreasing our clutter, and earn some cash as well. As for myself, I use different jars to organize my coins and electronic stuff.
The first thing you need to do before buying any containers is finish sorting and purging your stuff because you need to figure out how many containers you'll actually need. Right now I'm just reusing organizational gear that I already have but I'm repainting everything. My magazine files, CD boxes and photo boxes from IKEA were starting to look faded so I spray painted them in cool colors , now they look new. I realized that I had a ton of craft kits and half completed home decor projects, so I've been doing one project a day since the new year. Yesterday I painted my flowerpots because they looked old and faded. Today I decoupaged a lampshade and made some refrigerator magnets. This is the year I use up my craft stash or throw it away. None of these projects cost me any money because I'm using things that I already have.
Well right now I'm at an age with no children called Senior Citizen with discounts, graying hair, slowing walks and what we're doing is sizing down, by selling or donating things we no longer need. Stop buying things we won't need in the long run like another gold bracelet for we sold gold pieces when gold goes up. If you have enough money for things you can't part with, but children are too young yet you could store it at those storage places. Be sure to have written instructions about it so it won't go for a "Storage Wars" episode. You know what I'm one who loves to buy little costume bling every now and then, but I refrain and not buy and keep the money. You can always use money at any age, so it's a learning experience still at this age. I hope this helps and good luck organizing your new home.
Yes, the cereal box thing is my go to. I also use other assorted boxes as well. I love to repurpose as much stuff as possible before spending money on anything. I will probably need to buy a few containers though. Still, I'll use what I can and what I already have, first. I could (should) probably make some collapsible bins from fabric or old clothing remnants. Wow, @ACSAPA it sounds like you are really on a roll. Good job and thanks for the tips.
I think wall mounted shelves are one of the most helpful tricks for this. They are inexpensive and not that difficult to put up. With this you are able to eliminate clutter on the ground level and you get a lot of storage space that previously would not have existed. The only downside is that if done wrong or if it is placed wrong it might not seem as good in terms of the room design or if it isn't organized properly then you will just end up with floating clutter but if it is done right then it could add a lot of beauty to the room as well as providing some extra room for your items.
This is a good idea too. I like the looks of the floating shelves. I'm definitely going to add more shelves in the bathroom and laundry area. I need more surface space and going vertical is going to be a necessity. Floating clutter, ha ha... very true that it will just be another mess if not done properly. I like shelves to look nice though, so I'll be sure to avoid that. I think I'm going to build "self hanging" or floating shelves instead of having to buy shelf brackets and all that from the home improvement store. I've also seen some cute shelves hung from rope or even leather strips (could use leather belts from a thrift store).
