Make Do with Less: Inexpensive Organization Options

Clutter no more! Whether at home or in the office, take control of your environment and get your stuff in order! To find what you need, when you need it, try these ideas:

Get it off the desk.

If you have stacks of envelopes, mail and memos cluttering the much-valued real estate of your desk, consider installing baskets or boxes on the walls surrounding it. This will allow you to get clutter off your desk and will make it more accessible for those who need to pick up or drop off items at your desk. Just be careful not to replace the paper with knickknacks, photos or other unnecessary desk items.

Rubbermaid® to the rescue.

Before we look at other options, remember that Rubbermaid® does a pretty darn good job of providing a wide range of containers for reasonable prices. For example, you can pick up a 15-quart container for just $4 at Wal-Mart. Just don't forget the lids! I'm notorious for pushing overflowing carts full of various Rubbermaid containers out the door, only to get home and realize that I forgot to grab the matching lids.

Just jar it.

There are very few small items that cannot be stored in jars. But, what kind of jars work well? Mayonnaise, pickle and jelly jars are among my favorites. All of these items come in different sizes, so you can arrange your storage jars by size and content. To decorate, take a handful of cotton balls, a small piece of scrap cloth - cut one-inch larger than the lid of your jar - and hold the cloth in place with a rubber band or fine satin ribbon. Hint: Baby-food jars do the trick for smaller items, as well.

Wipe it up.

Baby-wipe containers also make great storage containers. Use them with or without the snap-on lids, and mark the contents on the outside with a Sharpie® marker. For decoration, use double-faced tape to hold a wide ribbon in place.

Break out your laundry baskets.

Laundry baskets are great for hauling clothes around the house, but they also work as storage containers. Personally, I use them for gift-wrapping materials and horse-and-stable supplies, such as brushes and leg wraps.

Box it up.

Shoe boxes are probably one of the oldest storage containers ever used. When you buy a pair of shoes in a sturdy cardboard box, remember this oldie-but-goodie for a super storage option. Pictures and negatives store especially well in shoe boxes; recipes and notes on index cards do, as well. Shoeboxes can also be wrapped in decorative paper or thin cloth for beautiful organization boxes, which are worthy of display.

Think: Ice cream, Cool Whip® and cottage cheese.

So, what do these things have in common? Well, they all come in containers that can be reused for excellent stackable-storage options. To label what's inside, the plastic also takes well to Sharpie markings. For the kids' rooms, take out markers and stickers and let them decorate their own storage containers. When using permanent markers, have the kids wear latex gloves.

Roll out the towels.

Paper towel and toilet-paper rolls aren't just for bathrooms and kitchens. Hang onto those empty rolls and use them to wrap your ribbons, Christmas lights, loose string or computer cords for non-tangling, no-mess organization.

Zip it up.

Don't forget the value of a plastic bag. For instance, grocery bags can be used as linings for your garbage cans. Also, snack bags from dry items, such as pretzels, don't need to be thrown away after a single use. Hang onto them for tiny toy or paperclip organization. With a handful of Ziploc® bags, your junk drawer at home or in the office will be clutter-free in no time.

Use your imagination - look around to discover items that can be reused as organization objects. Not only will you save money, but you'll also feel better about your surroundings when you're neat and tidy!