Organizing On A Budget? How To Do It Without Buying Containers

Warning! Drooling over organized closets, pantries, and garages on Instagram could delay your organizing goals. The pristine, hyper-sorted spaces on social media make you think you need to buy a bunch of pricey bins, baskets, and storage solutions to get results. But here’s what you really need to know. You don’t have to buy containers to get organized!

Gather potential storage solutions from around your house, such as shoeboxes, gift bags, shower rings, and food storage containers. These things represent alternatives to pricier organizers, and you can always DIY them to fit your style. Getting creative with pieces you might otherwise overlook or even toss saves money, and you’ll end up with a space that’s just as efficient.

Understandably, you want your space to look like the ones on Pinterest. They look like they’re straight out of a designer’s portfolio. However, if you’re pinching pennies, these images could derail your hopes and dreams. You might assume you need big bucks to streamline your space. Instead, focus on making your home more efficient than making it Pinterest-pretty.

Why Do We Think Organizing Needs To Be Expensive?

When you start to scope out organizing ideas, you turn to social media, magazines, and maybe watch a few HGTV shows. You absorb millions of inspiring moments and see many meticulously arranged spaces in the process. All of the closets, drawers, and rooms showcase highly specific storage solutions, such as boot shapers and lipstick organizers.

Rainbow order jumps out at every turn, and don’t even get started on all of the acrylic drawers and boxes. Dollar signs start to flash before your eyes. You figure you don’t have the budget for the project, so you don’t even bother starting. You assume that if you can’t get the budget together to make your spaces match the ones you’re seeing online and on TV, you can’t be organized.

Don’t Forget, It’s All for Clicks, Views, And Consumerism

The media does an excellent job of making people think they need things because it’s their job to sell. They push products and ideas to gain followers, sponsors, brand deals, and money. When it comes to home organization, it’s no different. You see a stunning closet system, and instantly think how much you need it because it will solve all of your problems.

In the spirit of full transparency, these beautifully designed spaces could make life easier and streamline your space, if it suits your style and unique needs. Most of them work great, and you can absolutely turn your closet or whatever area you’re working on into a magazine-worthy after photo. But the debate isn’t whether or not these things are successful at organizing your space. It’s whether or not they’re necessary, and the answer is no.

Focus On Why You Want To Organize Your Space

Organizing your home usually stems from a desire to create a more peaceful living environment. When things pile up and cause clutter catastrophes, it leads to late mornings, constant rushing, lost belongings, and wasted money. All of these things lead to reduced productivity and increased stress, making you yearn for an organized, functional home.

When you start to organize, think about how you want your home to feel and function. Really dial in on your “why” and work through the process with it in mind. Unless your main goal is to make your closet look like it belongs on HGTV, you likely don’t need a big budget. The odds are good that you can achieve a more efficient, streamlined space without buying tons of brand-new storage solutions.

Items That Help You Organize For Little To No Money

Your first step in any organizing project should be to declutter. Decluttering before organizing is essential so you don’t waste time and energy on creating systems around items you don’t even want or need. But there’s another reason you want to declutter first. It saves you money on storage, and not just because you’re freeing up more space.

As you go through your items, you’re likely to come across bins, baskets, bags, and other random containers. When this happens, place these things into a pile. Once you begin organizing, you’ll have an assortment of storage options to choose from without leaving the house. Here are some common container options for storing, sorting, and organizing items.

• Shoe boxes
• Food storage containers
• Zip-close plastic bags
• Small totes
• Paper gift bags
• Jewelry gift boxes

Shoe Boxes

Not just for shoes! Use them to corral toiletries, rolled up t-shirts or socks, small collectibles, photos, and more. Choose to keep them lidded or use the lid separately as a shallow drawer tray for jewelry. Paint or wrap them to make them pretty; it's up to you. But repurposing old shoeboxes saves you money and keeps the cardboard out of a landfill.

Food Storage Containers And Zip-Close Bags

Some foods you purchase come in relatively sturdy plastic containers. Wash them instead of tossing them and use them as drawer dividers, snack sorters in the pantry, or for craft supplies. Baggies are great for keeping small items contained without taking up much space. Pair them with a clothespin to clip several to a hanger or the edge of a wire shelf.

Small Totes And Gift Bags

Put shoes into gift bags or totes and hang them on hooks on the back of a closet door. Fit several smaller clutches into a gift bag, so they can hang from a shelf.

Jewelry Gift Boxes

These assorted boxes are excellent as drawer dividers for, well, jewelry and other small items. Use the boxes and the lids to keep tiny things from getting lost in the abyss. They’re also great for sorting makeup, sponges, or even screws, nails, bolts, and other hardware.

Dollar Store Finds

Dollar Tree has really upped its game in storage lately. Of course, most things are no longer just a dollar, but you can still score some pretty good pieces for between $1.50 and $5. If you’ve exhausted your repurpose pile and creativity, fill in the gaps with a trip to the dollar store.

You Can Find Storage Solutions In Unexpected Places

Shoe boxes, tote bags, and food storage might seem pretty straightforward as organizing solutions. But don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

• Some grosgrain ribbon attached to a hanger becomes a perfect way to sort and display earrings.
• Several simple cup hooks attached to a painted piece of wood serve as places to hang necklaces, bracelets, utensils, and tools.
• Plastic shower curtain rings hook onto a wire shelf and provide instant hanging space for purses and scarves.
• Glue several clothespins to a decorative piece of wood or an old shelf and create clips for scarves, belts, hats, keys, or mail.
• Instead of suitcases sitting empty in the attic, nest smaller bags inside of them.
• Skip the boot inserts and use rolled-up newspapers, empty gift-wrapping tubes, or cut some pool noodles.
• An old muffin pan becomes a great way to organize push pins, paper clips, and other supplies in your desk drawer.

These are only a few examples of how you can organize your belongings without a costly trip to The Container Store. It’s all about keeping an open mind when you’re sorting through your stuff.

You Don’t Have To Keep It All Forever

Holding on to potential storage solutions as you’re decluttering isn’t meant to make you keep them forever. You’re only creating a pile of possibilities until you finish your organizing project. Once you get to the organization phase, you can design your system and space to determine what you need. Then, visit your pile to see what you can use. When you finish everything, donate or toss whatever is left.

Also, over time, if circumstances change and your financial picture expands, you can always switch some of your found storage for the fancy stuff. Organizing is personal, so it needs to work for you, functionally and aesthetically. But the point is, you don’t have to spend tons to organize your space. You only need a bigger budget if you want a specific look, style, or system.

Repurposed Storage Solutions That Match Your Style

Once you decide on your repurposed, or insanely budget-friendly, storage pieces, think about your style. Just because you’re using found or inexpensive pieces doesn’t mean you’re stuck with how they look.

Paint boxes, wrap them, embellish them, or leave them as-is. It’s up to you. Channel your creativity and DIY your way to an organized space that gives champagne vibes on a beer budget.

Related Guides:

• Why Kid's Clutter Feels Worse In The Winter (And How To Fix It)
• Organize Your Home To Make Life Better, Not To Look Perfect
• Practical Tips For Seasonal Storage In Smaller Homes