organizing.. on the cheap

once upon a time i heard myself tell a friend that we had seemingly avoided the stomach bug that had found it's way into so many homes. then only two days later was greeted at 4 AM by a sweet, but oh-so-sick boy. he was followed by his older brother that very afternoon, and despite all of my hand washing and cleansing, it claimed me victim three. praying it leaves soon and skips right over the remaining three.

but being home, with little energy for much else, i have some time to share a bit with you.

i mentioned a while back that i had begun going through some closets.. purging and organizing. a couple of friends asked to see pictures. now before anyone gets their hopes dashed, i assure you.. this is nothing fancy. my goal in organizing is how to do it on-the-cheap. it's not that i don't like cutesy baskets and bins, it's that free boxes from Aldis are much more in our budget. i debated on covering them with decorative paper, but when it was all said and done, simple computer paper and tape won out. our closet is clean and functional.. that is what matters in the long run.

we have found that coats are more likely to be hung up when there is a simple hook available for each family member. our four boy's hooks are against the far wall, with mine and my hubby's on the right wall. they're screwed into a simple 2x4, which is secured into studs in the wall.

 each family member also has a row on the shoe rack, with a pair of play shoes, a nicer pair and sandals. there is a hanging rack with a standing rack beneath it. the basket above holds snow gloves.

the boxes on the top hold baseball caps and winter gear. before, the hats were all stacked on the shelf. they easily toppled over when someone insisted on wearing the one on the bottom. now, we just grab the box, choose a hat and slide the box back onto the shelf. no more leaning tower of hats.

while home, taking care of the sick ones, i took advantage of the time and dismantled a couple of my kitchen cabinets. (who says i can't multitask .. catching throw up one minute, cleaning out cabinets the next.) with the help of some little shelves and baskets from the Dollar Tree, they're now better laid out and function beautifully. again, nothing fancy.. just functional.

 a corner shelf makes it so that my tortilla holders do not fall on my head every time i open the cabinet door. i had gotten pretty good at catching the lids in mid air as they took aim at my face. now, i just find myself flinching for no reason.

this cabinet holds all of my baking gear and small appliances. the green baskets are a perfect solution for all of our sprinkles and food coloring. and the stack-able wire baskets on the left now hold our cheese grater, hand mixer, food chopper and sifter. i loved that these baskets stacked.
if you're in need of some cheap organizing tools, head to your local Dollar Tree..or grab a box or two next time you're at the grocery store :-).

i close with a thought...
i think that in this pinter*st world that we live in that it can be a little frustrating to try and organize your home. sure, there are some good ideas floating around out there, but all too often, i see perfection as the goal. what i try to remember is that what works for someone else might not work for me and my family. each one of us is different, in personality, gifts, talents, and the way we make our homes work for our families. do what works for you, and love the result.