One of my new years resolution is to totally organize my house. I'm talking every single room, closet and drawer. May take the whole year, but I'm going to do it.
So, I need closet organizers, drawer organizers, etc.
Where is the best place to purchase from? I know it won't be cheap, but don't want to break us either.

I so need to do this! I need those Clean House or Clean Sweep people to come and throw stuff away--I have too much crap and keep hanging on to stupid stuff!

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I looked on Lakeside.com, as they have some decent stuff for affordable prices. Here are a couple things I've found:
Storage Solutions
Colorful Organizers
Also, I have found Big Lots to be very affordable for rubbermaid containers. I like the 18 gallon totes - not the super huge ones, but the smaller ones, as they are easier for me to move around. I paid $5 for mine, which isn't too bad. I would take $5 from our grocery budget once a month so it didn't really affect much and buy one a month til I had what I needed.

Check your local dollar store & thrift store for things you can repurpose. Grab a utensil holder to put in your junk drawer and separate things - matches, lighters, batteries, etc. or use one in your bathroom for hair accessories, razor/razorblades, nail stuff. Ice cube trays work well to contain little things and separate accordingly. Sweater bags are great underbed storage for out of season clothing or extra blankets/sheets. Sweater hangers (the ones that have box openings stacked on top of each other and hang vertically from a closet rod) work great, not just for sweaters, but for diapers/baby & kids stuff, lightweight food (boxes of stuffing, pasta, marshmallows, chips, seasonings) paper goods, light bulbs, extension cords. They follow the "think up" rule - go vertical to take advantage of unused space. Every dollar store I've been to also has plastic containers - tons of different sizes. Plastic washbasins are great for under the sinks - I have one under my kitchen & bathroom sinks to hold cleaners, sponges, etc. I can throw them in the dishwasher to sanitize/clean. Grab a hanging shoe organizer (with a multitude of pockets on it) and stash bathroom supplies, socks, shoes, pantyhose, office supplies, kid stuff, crafts, etc in it.

Use what you have around the house - shop at home first. Cut cereal boxes to make magazine/paperwork holders for your desk. Have friends or family with babies that buy boxes of diapers? Ask if you can have the boxes.

Cardboard boxes work wonders for basic storage. If you work (or your DH does) at a department/grocery store, ask if you can bring home some boxes they are going to recycle. They always let me do it at Walmart when I worked there years ago. Shoe boxes were the best!

Put your bed up on riser blocks (like the picture below) to add space under your bed for additional storage.

The biggest thing is to declutter FIRST - then figure out what you need for organizational tools. That is the top tip of the Clean Sweep organizer. Last summer I took inventory of all the organizational tools I'd need to redo my desk area. But then I started decluttering and once I was done, I really only needed about a 1/4 of what I had figured.

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I personally wouldn't buy anything right now...I would declutter and organize first and then see if I actually need anything to keep it organized, but that's the way I operate. I organized and decluttered our first house by doing a little bit at time. It does take a while but you do get it done. Key for me was not make sure that areas that I already had organized did not fall back into chaos.

Good luck!

i do the same, i take small sections of my house at a time, for example: closet one day,
then drawers the next.
In a few days, my whole room is re-organized, declutered, and i don't feel like ive spend a whole day at it.
Then i tackle another room...and so on.
This is ongoing for me though, i do it all the time, and it keeps my house free of too much junk.

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I agree! I have SO many totes and tubs that I purchased for one purpose or another, but then decided it didn't work! Sometimes I'm able to find another purpose for it, but many times I have spare tubs just sitting around - too big or small for something I need!

One tip I heard is to start organizing (bigger spaces - say a playroom) using cardboard shoe boxes first. Once you're happy with it and it works, then maybe upgrade to plastic tubs, if you're still happy with it later then move on to the baskets!

Good Luck!!!

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Stay at home mom to my 3 boys... ages 5, 3 & 1!

I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Flybygrace hit the nail on the head.


You MUST MUST purge and Get rid of unwanted and unneeded stuff first.

You will only Enjoy the organization part if you are only organizing stuff that you want to organize.

I really only keep what I use or love. I cannot deal with clutter. I Throw Stuff out so fast its unreal.
I have many people with kids that I can donate to , or I donate it to goodwill.

Other things that hold sentimental value are stored in a SMALL section in my basement.

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I agree with the other ladies: purge and organize before you buy any storage containers or organizers! For instance, you may think you need a sock organizer for your sock drawer, but after whittling your stash down and discarding the ones with holes and the singles you may find you only have 6 good pairs of socks--not enough to justify a complete organizing system! For smaller storage, Dollar Tree has great products--I've even found Rubbermaid items there. For larger containers/organizers check out Bed Bath and Beyond--they have innovative products and will beat any advertised price, plus they always send out 20% off one item and $5 off $15 coupons that you can stack! Michael's almost always has 40% off their baskets--hold out for that 50% sale though! Joann's often offers the same deal, but their original prices are high so I've found that Michael's is cheaper. January is a great time for sales on organizing products--it's everybody's New Year's resolution! So the quicker you can get to organizing, the better. Good luck!

Yes I agree with the others get rid of stuff FIRST and then decide what containers you need. The best places to find them would be dollar tree or BIG LOTS. You dont have to spend a lot of $$ on containers. I have done lots of purging the last couple of days after coming home from the inlaws where CLUTTER ABOUNDS. It has given me a determination that nothing that isnt used remains in my house. The GOODWILL is the lucky recipient of lots of bags of goodies.

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Marla

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