One of my major keeping the home goals for 2016 is to get better organized, mostly in my office and my kitchen. The fact is, when my office and kitchen are a mess, I am a mess! I struggle to get things done in the midst of clutter and chaos.
I couldn’t wait to put the Christmas decorations away this year. Don’t get me wrong, I love my home decorated for Christmas, but I had a mess of old boxes and containers storing my un-organized decorations in the attic.
It felt so good to finally get them better organized this year. I had to buy a few new containers from the local Dollar Store, but in the end I got rid of so much that wasn’t getting used or had broken over the years that I cut the amount of boxes in half. Phew! That means less work and less clutter for me next year!
Last year, I wanted my bathroom organized, but I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money. I looked around for some inexpensive drawer organizers, but couldn’t find anything I would actually feel good spending money on.
On a whim I decided to just use some things I had around the house as a temporary solution. A chocolate tin (which somehow I have lots of), a pretty clay bowl one of my kids made a few years back that was collecting dust on a shelf somewhere, and another chocolate tin with its lid turned upside down!
After throwing away all of the old crusty makeup, colors that I never wear, and the receipts, notes, and junk that had made their way out of my purse or pockets and into my bathroom drawer, I was left with just a few hair ties, bobby-pins (in the tin), grooming items, and somewhat fresh makeup.
My plan was to continue to look for drawer organizers, but I’ve been so happy with my “drawer on a whim” that I forgot to keep looking! It’s been a year, and wow! It’s still uncluttered! Same with the cabinet under my sink. (I wonder if I could get my husband to do this with his drawer???)
Now that I’m ready to tackle my office and kitchen I’ve been looking again on Amazon for drawer dividers and containers to hold little things. The problem I face now is that I don’t have enough of my cute little tins and precious handmade bowls. Besides, it’s hard to find something that fits well in each drawer.
I’ve been going back and forth between Amazon and the Container Store and will probably choose some of the items from one or the other.
I like these interlocking systems that I found on Amazon. These would be great so I can change them around the way that makes sense to me and rearrange as my needs change.
The problem is, I also like these drawer organizers from the Container Store…it’s a good thing I don’t live close to one of their stores, I could get ‘lost’ in a place like that!
My biggest problem in organizing will be some super deep drawers, 14” to be exact, I have in my kitchen. I keep all of my baking ingredients in them and waste so much time just digging through them to find what I need when I’m trying to cook. I’m hoping something like these baskets from the Container Store will help!!
Tips for Organizing Drawers
Here are some tips I have found helpful as I’m organizing the various drawers in my house:
- Be sure to measure as you decide on your organizers of choice, whether shoebox lids, chocolate tins, or something you purchase.
- If you are going to the store to shop for organizers, use newspaper, tissue paper, or old fabric cut to the size of the drawer. This beats carrying all of your drawers into the store, and it will also help you to have a visual of the size of things…then you won’t have to make returns or find yourself with another piece of junk you have to get rid of.
- Once you have the tools you need, purge! Throw away the trash! Remove anything that you don’t really use!
- Give away unused items to your kids for their school/study area, craft room, or donate to your office or neighborhood charity.
- Do a little at a time and celebrate your wins. I don’t know about you, but I can get overwhelmed by the size of the messes I have to clean and organize. So I’m trying to focus on one area or drawer at a time and I’m celebrating each one that gets done…because it’s better than what it was before, even if it’s not all done yet!
I have a feeling this project may NEVER be done, but one thing I’m hoping is that as I continue through my house and with organizing, my kids will catch on. However much we may or may not be natural at this, it is so much easier to live in an organized space. It adds peace to our lives!
How do you organize your kitchen, bathroom, or other household drawers? What are your favorite tips and tricks?
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