I think you’ll agree with me when I tell you that finding attractive yet affordable storage solutions for your home can pose a challenge. It’s not always easy to find affordable ways to get everything in its right place (and keep it there!). We put together seven cheap organization ideas that will lift a weight off your shoulders.
Ways to Organize Your Home for Less
1. Make the most of your sink, counters and cabinets.
When it comes to getting your kitchen in order, sometimes simplicity is best. Little touches, like a dollar store sponge holder, will keep your sponge out of the sink and close at hand.
If you love cooking or baking as much as I do, it’s no coincidence to find yourself with three or four spatulas, a few mixing spoons and a whisk or two. It can be a pain to find space in your drawers or cabinets for so many of these long, vertical items.
My solution? Decorative storage! Try putting all of your longer utensils in an inexpensive container that doubles as an accent for your kitchen counter. You’ll free up drawer space AND have all of your similar tools in one place.
2. Demystify your drawers with dollar store separators.
We’ve all been there. You open one of your kitchen drawers to get the utensil you need, but it’s so jammed full of vegetable peelers and can openers that it won’t even budge. Not again!
Use drawer separators from the dollar store to declutter that cyclone of kitchen utensils. Start by grouping like items together, either by material (wood, metal, plastic, etc.) or by function (bottle openers, measuring cups, etc.) and then place each group within one of the drawer separators. This will not only ensure that you can close the drawer, but it will also help you find the rolling pin 10x faster the next time you open up.
3. Clear the clutter with Mason jars.
Mason jars are both classy and versatile, allowing you to organize just about anything in your household right in plain sight. These cute little jars can store a variety of small household items, from batteries to matches.
Use Mason jars to collect office supplies such as pens, pencils or paperclips. Group like items by color such as crayons in the blue jar and colored pencils in the red jar.
At the dollar store, I was fortunate enough to find the cutest multi-colored Mason jars with handles! I strung them together with twine and hung them using adhesive hooks to create a functional organization decoration. What will you store in your Mason jars?!
4. Keep magazines, mail and paperwork on hand with file folders.
Are you accumulating a mountain of magazines on the bathroom floor or kitchen table? Keep them in check (and on display!) for only $1.00 with plastic file folders or napkin holders. They only hold so much paper which will keep you accountable when it comes to recycling the issues you read rather than building a pile!
5. Make getting organized fun for your kids with VELCRO® strips.
Velcro is versatile, inexpensive and can be used to show your kids how to put everything in its right place. Simply attach a velcro strip to each of their stuffed animals and place the other side on the wall of the playroom. When playtime is over, get them into the habit of returning each animal friend to its “home” on the wall.
The strips can be found at the dollar store and they’re a great item to stock up on for additional cheap organization ideas. Wrap velcro strips around loose cords or rolls of wrapping paper to keep them tidy, for example.
6. Pop some tags at the thrift shop to snag a deal on unique storage solutions.
The dollar store might have the basics, but thrift stores such as the Salvation Army or Amvets might be able to help you discover some more unique options for organizing your home without spending a lot of money. Thrift stores often sell high quality, antique trinkets and other hand-me-downs for only a few dollars. Just dust them off and they’re good as new!
I bought this colorful, tall pedestal secondhand for just $6.00 and have been proudly using it to display my jewelry ever since. (A similar jewelry dish usually retails for about $48.00, so I sure did get a great deal!) Thrift stores are the place to be when it comes to hidden gems for home organization at a fraction of the cost. Estate sales can also have some real bargains when it comes to one-of-a-kind organization options.
7. Use magnets to keep tabs on your odds and ends.
There are many uses for magnets when it comes to home organization. Do your bobby pins always seem to disappear? Simply attach a magnetic strip to the inside of a drawer with hot glue. This creates an easy way to your store bobby pins, hair clips, tweezers, and manicure tools that might go missing otherwise.
Magnets are the one thing you don’t want to buy too cheap, especially if you plan on using them to hold a substantial amount of weight. In that case, look for thin yet strong magnets and test them out in the store to make sure they won’t fail later.
For the kitchen, you can get premade magnetic tins from the dollar store. Stick them to the fridge for an inexpensive way to keep small items like twist ties and rubber bands on hand whenever you need them.
Believe it or not, dollar stores are a surprisingly great place for cheap finds that will organize your household for less. With just $10, you can walk out with ten new ways to help declutter problem spaces AND keep your place looking sharp. Thrift stores and estate sales are also the place to be if you want to score a deal.
