99 low cost organizing tips (part two)

{Note: As promised, here are tips #51 to 99. For tips #1 to 50, check out last week's blog. Remember...start small and try out one or two tips at a time!}


by: Claire Smith, styleathome.com newsletter (july 20 issue)

51 Don’t limit closet storage to hangers. Hang hooks on the door for frequently used items.

52 Tackle that kitchen junk drawer problem head on. Today. Purge, edit and keep things in place with a drawer organizer.

53 Are you a piler, not filer? That’s fine, just keep piles of paperwork organized by using folders and write-on clips.

54 Recycle leftover gift-wrap ribbons by using them to tie up extra electrical and other cords in your utility closet.

55 Dedicated tie, belt and scarf holders are closet must-haves.

56 Upgrade your address book for a classic Rolodex. They’re retro-chic and easy to keep updated.

57 Buy a framed corkboard, hang it in the kitchen and pin up favourite recipes, clipped from magazines.

58 Make space by putting your CDs in organizers, by genre. Recycle the jewel cases or put them into storage in the attic.

59 Or, purge your CD clutter once and for all by having your CDs converted to digital files at riptopia.com. Sell or donate the used CDs.

60 Buy a hotel-style hairdryer that can be installed on the wall to save space, time and energy in a small bathroom.

61 A pot-lid holder puts the vertical space behind a cabinet door to good use.

62 A wrap-organizer does the same, creating the perfect spot for plastic wrap, aluminum foil and waxed paper.
63 Organize vanity essentials on a vintage tray. Très organized and très chic.

64 Use an extra wine rack to hold rolled-up magazines.

65 Use cutlery trays in your drawers, but to save even more time, stash everyday flatware in a countertop caddy.

66 Shrink-wrap out of season clothes, blankets and duvets to save space while storing.

67 You’ll never fit sheets back into those reusable vinyl zip pouches they were sold in, but you can stash cloth napkins in them. Use one pouch per set and label the quantity with a Sharpie.

68 Buy 10 pairs of the same gym socks, to minimize sorting.

69 Do the same for your hubby.

70 Do the same for his dress socks if he can get away with always wearing the same black ones during fall/winter at least.

71 Stash kids’ art supplies on a lazy Susan so everything is easily accessible.

72 Organize household bills in an accordion file with month-by-month pockets.

73 Hold onto paint chips, fabric swatches and brochures from your last redecorating session. You never know when you’ll need to reference them. Store them in an accordion file.

74 On your mudroom wall, hammer in two nails, then string wire between them. Provide clothes pegs and have your kids hang their wet mittens and gloves to dry overnight.

75 Banish tiny piles of coins and start saving in style. Get a designer piggy bank and keep it by the entranceway, laundry or kitchen—wherever you’d like to dump your change.

76 Tired of that circa-90s cast-iron pot rack? Move it from the kitchen to the garage or potting shed and use it to keep garden tools organized.

77 Get – and use – a garden hose caddy.

78 Edit your hangers. Choose: wire, plastic or wood and unify the hangers in every closet.

79 Use pillboxes to stash your earrings and rings when traveling.

80 Use a soda-can dispenser in the fridge so you can access your pop easily without tipping.

81 Use a wall-mounted broom and mop holder, or tie ribbon loops on the end of poles and hang them from hooks in your closet, garage or utility closet.

82 Make a party kit. Stash napkins, extra glassware and plates, votive candles and holders, extra vases, cocktail picks and other necessities in an old wine crate and pull it out pre-party or pre-holiday entertaining so you don’t waste valuable cupboard space.

83 Use a binder to store all medical records and information for everyone in your family, including each pet. Use dividers for each family member and include plastic pouches or expandable pockets to contain receipts and tiny record cards.

84 Stash awkward, easy-to-misplace necessities (extra hairbrushes, lint roller) in decorative reusable tote bags. Hang them off a doorknob in every room.

85 Burn digital images to CD once a month so you’ll never lose them if your computer (gasp!) crashes. Or print them ASAP!

86 Store photos in archival-quality, acid-free boxes until you have time to organize them in albums.

87 Get a heavy-duty paper shredder for peace of mind – and efficient shredding without risk of overheating.

88 Place your shredder where you intercept daily mail. If that’s the kitchen, so be it.

89 Put a small plastic caddy in your gym bag so you can manage hair care and skincare products without dropping anything. Excess water will just drain out.

90 Stop losing lock combinations and computer passwords once and for all. Jot everyone’s codes and combinations down in a notebook and store it in your family’s fireproof lockbox.

91 Store reusable shopping bags one inside the other.

92 Always keep one cute, foldable shopping tote in each of your heavy-rotation purses so you’re never caught without.

93 Avoid the last-minute drugstore run by always having a kit of your favourite travel-sized toiletries (and common OTC meds like allergy pills) packed and waiting in your suitcase.

94 Get a gift-wrap organizer and stock up on a year’s worth of wrap and ribbons, or ready-to-fill bags and tissue.

95 If perishables regularly go to waste in your fridge, start planning weekly dinner menus. Just buy ingredients for those meals, plus lunch basics. Post the menu on your fridge so you’re on track.

96 Mount a magnetized knife rack to a wall in your utility closet or basement, to keep your most commonly used screwdrivers and wrenches handy, not buried in the toolbox.

97 Donate your battery-powered emergency flashlights and stock up on windup models so you never have to worry about replacing batteries.

98 Stop stressing over the emergency preparedness kit the Canadian government recommends all families have. Just make one and get on with your life. Visit getprepared.ca to learn what to put in it. Stash it in a rolling suitcase so it’s mobile in case you have to be, too.

99 Plan a closet cleanout once per season. Less mess makes staying organized a lot easier.