Organizing not only takes a lot of time and hard work, but it also can be pretty pricey when we consider the extra items needed to help create true organization. The costs of bins, baskets, and other storage solutions can really add up! Luckily there are some thrifty solutions to make a few genius home organization ideas a reality. And they're available at the local dollar store.
Inexpensive items can look just as posh and put together as the pricey ones — it’s all about how they’re styled and placed. Besides, when a home is neat and organized, everything looks better. Many of these organizing solutions are no-brainers (yes! blankets look neater when placed in pretty wood bins), and others offer clever ways to re-use items seen everywhere — all in the name of neatness and keeping the cost low.
Transform the kitchen with new ways to store bulky items. Help the playroom feel like a place the kids can truly play (and actually find their favorite toys). Make the bathroom look as if an interior designer came along and added a magical touch. Take every room in the house and give it the attention it needs to be a more fun or relaxing place, and all with functional solutions. These ideas will help transform each room into a more harmonious and tidy place. Finally! A place for everything. And the best part is that it can be done on a dollar-store budget.
This article originally appeared on Cafe Mom.
Fridge Labels
Labels may seem innocuous, but in reality, they are one of the best organizational tools. Label foods in the fridge so you know the date they were stored, as well as ingredients if needed. This is an especially useful idea for large families or people who cook a lot. That way, it's easy to know when something is past its prime and ready to be tossed.
Mini Jars
There are two important elements of organization — neatness and uniformity. Spices can get out of control with all the different labels and containers. To obtain a neat uniformity, get matching jars and re-home the spices with little labels. Suddenly everything looks a whole lot neater.
Hook Organization
The garage tends to be the place where all the clutter lives — but we still have to look at it every day. Combat that with hooks. Almost everything can be hung on walls or from the ceiling, getting it off the floor and leaving room for the car.
Wall System
Dollar stores often have a whole lot in their aisles, and chances are there is a wall system there just waiting to organize the heck out of the laundry room.
Closet Bins
A closet without organization tends to have piles of stuff with no rhyme or reason. To solve that, invest in bins and keep everything in its own place … and from spilling out into the room.
Drawer Divider
Bathroom counters can easily get cluttered with products. Stop the messiness by taking everything to a drawer. But first, get a drawer divider to keep it streamlined and easy to find.
Clear Bins
Store items within cabinets in clear bins. This helps keep things contained yet easy to spot.
Clear Containers in the Pantry
Clear containers are also excellent for flour, sugar, and even cereals. They keep ingredients sealed and make it easy to see just how much is left of each item.
Crate Shelf
A simple, budget-friendly idea? Use wood or plastic crates to create a shelving unit to store all the things that don't belong on the floor.
Canvas Boxes
Making toy storage a little cuter are canvas bins that often come decorated with kid-friendly designs. These little boxes can hold blocks and tiny toys in the kids room … or anywhere.
Market Bag
Any bag can keep things contained and organized, but is it visually appealing? When the bag is like this market bag and storing fruit, yes … yes it most certainly is.
Bath Toy Organizer
A simple mesh bag held up by suction cups is a genius way to store all the bath toys so the water drains out.
Hair Tie Organizer
Never frantically search for missing hair ties again! Keep them all together on a simple and cheap clip, so they don't get scattered all around the house.
Clothespin Photo Display
Clothespins seem like a thing of the past, but there are so many modern-day uses for them. We love this idea to use them to hold and display family photos. Switch pics out as seasons change or when this year's school pictures arrive.
Magnetic Strips for Toy Cars
Store all kids' favorite toy cars on magnetic strips mounted to the wall. Genius! This makes it so easy for the kids to find that green one they've been searching for.
Magnetic Strips for Tools
Magnetic strips are great for toy cars and in the kitchen for knives, but just look at how well they work for tools too.
Ice Cube Tray for Hardware
Finding the right nails, washers, and screws has never been easier than when they are stored in an ice cube tray.
File Box
Instead of throwing papers in a messy drawer (or leaving them in a pile on the countertop), contain them in a cute file box.
Apothecary Jars
Lovely apothecary jars stylishly store cotton balls and swabs on the bathroom counter.
Coat Rack for Jewelry
Old-school style coat racks also make great jewelry holders. Hang necklaces, bracelets, even hair ties from these simple hooks.
Towel Bar Transformed into Pot Rack
Transform a towel bar it into a pot rack with simple hooks. Genius.
Oil Warmers Used as Succulent Pots
Create an eye-catching tower of succulents with dollar store oil warmers. It makes such a lovely visual for any room, and stacking them saves space.
Shoe Rack Organization for Wrapping Paper
Store shoes? Absolutely. But take this shoe storage to a whole other level of clever and use it to hold wrapping paper by just cutting out the bottom of a few pockets.
Under-Sink Storage 24
Instead of letting things get messy under the sink, keep it all neat and streamlined with simple, yet so useful, bins like these.
Linen Closet Organizing
These simple bins are the secret to keeping the linen closet organized. Simply label each one per person, and stash only the sheets for that person's bed in the bin. Matching pillowcases just became much easier to find!
Medicine Organization
When we're sick, the last thing we want to do is go fumbling through a mess in the cabinet. This idea is beyond great — store all the OTC meds in a plastic drawer organizer, separated by type.
Storage Pockets for Pantry
In every pantry, there are little items that don't seem to have a proper space. Solution? Using simple storage pockets like these, mounted to the wall or the back of the door.
Utensil Tray for the Bathroom
Utensil trays are wonderful in the kitchen, but when they enter the bathroom, they are superb for storing toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other toiletries.
Wicker Basket for Baking Pans
Wicker baskets can really hold so much and fit into nearly every type of decor. And they also have incredible function. Store muffin tins and baking sheets with so much ease in the cabinets.
Lint Bin for Laundry Room
Take a simple bin or mailbox from the dollar store, affix it to the wall, and it's the most brilliant thing ever. Bonus points for writing the word "lint" on it in pretty script.
Stick-On Hooks for Curling Irons
These hooks can be used almost everywhere, but this is the first we've seen this brilliant idea. Storing curling irons in this way is not only space-saving, but it also keeps the cords from getting tangled together.
Bead Organizer for Batteries
Batteries for the kids' toys become easier to locate with this clever organizing hack.
Shower Caddy for Feminine Hygiene Products
A shower caddy can be used to perfectly store feminine hygiene products. During that time of the month, whatever's needed each day is easy to spot. And it's easy to know with a glance when to restock.
Fridge Bins
It may seem strange to some, but fridge bins are key to keeping the refrigerator in order. They make it easy to group similar items together, so they're easily found without shuffling things around. Buy smaller ones to store each category neatly within.
Sorting Rack
Utilize a sorting rack in a cabinet to store large serving trays and cutting boards.
Large Jars
Pick up a few large acrylic storage jars at the dollar store to organize the kids' markers and crayons. This idea is so much neater than keeping them in the boxes they came in.
Mini Jars
The smallest jars work wonders for any workspace. Store tacks, paperclips, safety pins, and a whole array of tiny things in clear jars to score major points for organization.
Drawer Dividers
Drawer dividers are an organizer's dream. They can transform most any messy drawer, creating order and increasing the ability to find things.
Wicker Storage Bin
Keeping anything unsightly, like a collection of CDs, in a wicker bin makes it blend right in with the decor.
Jean Storage
Buy an extra shoe organizer for the closet, but this time use it for jeans. Denim folds neatly into each compartment, and that frees up shelves for storage bins.