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30 Cheap Organization Ideas to Tame Your Chaos at Home

Get organized at home without breaking the bank with these 30 cheap organization ideas. From budget-friendly buys to creative DIY solutions, discover practical ways to tackle clutter and create a more organized living space.

Having an organized and clutter-free living space is the key to a stress-free environment. However, buying expensive home organization supplies can quickly add up. The good news is that there are plenty of budget-friendly ways to get organized without spending a fortune. In this article, we’ll explore 30 cheap organization ideas that will help you tame the chaos and create an orderly home.

Before Starting the Organization Project:

Before diving into the organization process, it’s crucial to declutter first. Separate items into what you want to keep, donate, or toss/recycle. Knowing what you’ll actually keep will help you determine the necessary organization tools. Take it one step at a time, focusing on individual rooms or specific areas to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Cheap Store-Bought Organization Solutions

As you look through your master list of items to organize, take note of how you’d like to store certain items. What needs to be out in the open for regular access and what can be stored out of reach for most of the year?

The following two lists will highlight store-bought home organization solutions plus other ideas that you can DIY. If your DIY attempts don’t turn out Instagram-worthy, don’t worry. You can always use them for items tucked away on a back shelf.

Organization Solutions That Are Budget-Friendly Buys

For cheap home organization products, shop at your local dollar store or other discount chains like Walmart, Target, Ikea, HomeGoods or Big Lots. Thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales are other good options. Online neighborhood buy-nothing groups could be a source to score items for free.

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1. Plastic Bins or Crates

Use these to separate and store items by category. In a linen closet, you can use multiple bins for bathroom supplies, washcloths, hand towels and extra rolls of toilet paper. In a kids’ room, you can use colorful plastic crates to store toys and books.

2. Canvas Storage Bins

These are good options for lightweight items, such as extra throw blankets in the living room or the dog’s various chew toys. You can use them in a bedroom closet to keep items like scarves or belts together.

3. Pill Organizers

Separate and store small items like jewelry or ponytail holders.

4. Adhesive Magnetic Strips

Attach peel-and-stick magnet strips to the wall over your kitchen counter to display knives or inside your bathroom cabinet to hold manicure tools or stray bobby pins. You can also attach small pieces of magnet to the back of important papers or photos to display on your fridge or on a magnetic dry-erase board in your home office.

5. Ice Cube Trays

Purchase extra ice cube trays to organize office supplies and small knick-knacks in your desk, such as paper clips or rubber bands.

6. Lazy Susan

Stick one of these rotating turntables in any cabinet as a way to group like items together and make sure you don’t neglect what’s stored in the back. They come in various sizes and styles. Consider one in the kitchen cabinet or pantry for food items and another under the bathroom sink for cleaning supplies.

7. File Box

A file box is the perfect place to store important paperwork. If you have kids, you can use these boxes to collect artwork, essays, report cards and other mementos.

8. Pop-up Hampers

For all the parents tired of stuffed animals taking over everywhere: Buy a couple of cheap, wire-and-mesh pop-up hampers to use as designated homes for all your little ones’ stuffies.

9. Three-Ring Binders

This common, inexpensive, school-supply item is a great tool for organizing bills, mail and other paperwork cluttering your countertops.

10. Shower Caddies

Portable shower caddies may be reminiscent of college dorm life, but they’re also a fitting storage solution for arts and craft supplies or office supplies. They can easily be carried around for household members to use in multiple rooms.

11. Drawer Organizer

Tame a junk drawer with a low-cost drawer organizer that will separate items into their own compartments.

12. Pegboard

Display items you frequently use or want to easily access. Attach a pencil holder, scissors and tape to a pegboard in your office, or use one to hold tools in the garage.

13. “S” Hooks or Shower Curtain Rings

Use these hooks in your closets to hang items like belts, scarves or purses.

14. Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer

These multi-pocketed organizational tools are great for many items, not just shoes. Use them to store toys, art supplies, toiletries or cleaning supplies.

15. Carabiner Clip

Wrangle rubber bands in a junk drawer or ponytail holders in a bathroom drawer by grouping them together using a carabiner.

16. Travel Soap Containers

These small storage solutions are the perfect size for crayons, business cards or clipped coupons.


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17. Tension Rods

Use a tension rod in your under-sink cabinets to hang spray bottles of various household cleaners. Or you could add an extra rod along the inner wall of your shower to hang little baskets with body wash, shampoo or tub toys.

18. Magazine Racks

Place a cheap magazine rack on the kitchen counter to store your aluminum foil, plastic wrap and parchment paper. Or use it in the living room for its intended use — organizing magazines or coffee table books.

DIY Home Organization Solutions

Don’t empty out your recycling bin just yet. There are tons of ways you can reuse items you already have lying around at home. A few coats of paint, some colorful washi tape, scrapbook paper or wrapping paper can help you turn drab boxes or containers into attractive storage solutions.

19. Plastic Takeout Containers

Reuse sturdy takeout containers to store similar items together. Use one as a makeshift first-aid kit and another for crafting supplies.

20. Cardboard Boxes

Cardboard boxes are very versatile DIY storage solutions. You can use larger boxes to store extra throw pillows in the living room or to round up toys in a kids’ room, while smaller boxes can be used to organize mail, important papers or magazines. Be sure to decorate the outside so they look more appealing.

21. Old Backpacks or Suitcases

If you have old book bags or luggage lying around, use them to store out-of-season clothing so your closet and drawers are less crowded. You could also use them to store hand-me-down clothing that your younger child is waiting to grow into.

22. Paper Towel or Toilet Paper Rolls

Cut these rolls to size to hold various power cords for all your electronics that aren’t in use.

23. Recycled Cans

Tear the labels off tin cans and use them to hold pencils, pens or paint brushes. A repurposed can could also store beauty supplies like mascara, eyeliner, lipgloss or foundation brushes.

24. Ribbon

Attach a ribbon to your wall using nails or push pins. Hung horizontally, use it to hold sunglasses, bracelets, necklaces, scarves or belts. Hung vertically, use clothespins to display hats or photos.

25. Comforter Bags

Comforters and bedding sets often come in sturdy plastic packaging with a zippered enclosure. You can reuse these to store out-of-season clothes or bulky winter jackets.

26. Plastic Cups

Bundle up power cords and store them in plastic cups to keep them organized. Cups also work well to hold crayons, markers or paint supplies in a kids’ room. Smaller plastic cups — like former yogurt or pudding cups — can contain batteries or other knick knacks in a junk drawer.

27. Glass Beer or Soda Bottles

Spray paint these recyclables and then use them to organize bracelets or ponytail holders.

28. Glass Jars

Glass jars can be used for multiple purposes, depending on their size. Old pasta sauce or jelly jars can be turned into a piggy bank. Empty baby food jars can hold paper clips or push pins.

29. Tea Boxes

Tea boxes divided into multiple sections are good options to organize jewelry or small knick knacks.

30. Old Egg Cartons

Use the bottom half of an egg carton as a drawer organizer for small items like paper clips, rubber bands or twist-ties.

Achieving an organized home doesn’t have to be expensive. With these 30 cheap organization ideas, you can transform your living space into a clutter-free and orderly haven without breaking the bank. Whether you opt for budget-friendly store-bought solutions or get creative with DIY projects, taming the chaos at home is within reach.

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