3 Ways to Organize on the Cheap

Do you ever flip through the IKEA catalog and lust after bedrooms with entire walls lined with hidden storage? Or bookcases with so much leftover space you could finally display that vase your great-aunt gave you for your wedding? Me too. But just as I begin envisioning a home so organized Martha Stewart would weep with approval, I look at the price and remember that I don't have enough money to buy even cheap particle board shelves.

I do, however, create lots of garbage, and some of that trash can go to better use. Here are three ways I've reinvented items headed for the dumpster, so that my home is better organized. And we all know that better organization leads to less stress and less time wasted searching for the match to those darn little baby socks.

1. Cereal Boxes. We recycle at least one a week, so there's always thin cardboard handy when I need it. That did just the trick when I tired of rummaging through my sock drawer to find the right pair of socks. I divided the drawer up into unequal thirds: long socks, ankle socks, and those little booties worn with flats or heels. I didn't even have to tape or glue anything, just left the little folded flap at the bottom to hug the corners. The socks hold the cardboard in place, and the cardboard keeps me from dumping the entire drawer every time I open it.
2. Food Containers. Especially the tall, plastic yogurt ones. These are great in the kitchen as backup tupperware, but I use them all over the house. In my baby's drawer I used three for the small items that get lost easily: hats, socks, and baby legs (sweater leggings). I've also used them to organize my tights, sports bras, and slips.
3. Cardboard Boxes. This might seem like a no-brainer, because everyone uses these for storage. I like to cut off the top flaps and make them open topped. This is great for toddlers first learning to clean-up, especially since you don't mind if they destroy the box while playing (because they will try, I guarantee it). To make it more sturdy I added gorilla tape to the top edge. I've also pasted non-holiday wrapping paper on the outside of other boxes to make them pretty enough for display on a bookshelf.