There is something about the impending New Year that makes me want to get my life reorganized. New Year New Me-mentality! I recently looked around my house and saw different spots that I had been putting off dealing with. They weren’t terrible, just not set up in the best way for me to actually use the space without getting irritated for one reason or another. In most of those areas the clutter builds and builds until I have to do something about it, and now is the time to tackle it all. For example, my husband has a million pairs of shoes, but the shoe rack in his closet doesn’t seem to be their only home. He continues to kick them off at the front door until I am walking into a pile of no less than 15 pairs of shoes. So I did what any OCD hyper-organized, Lesley Knope-wannabe would do: I made a list of each area to tackle and have started going down the list one by one.
If you are in search of simple, inexpensive ways to make your life look and feel more put together, this is the post for you!
I’m lucky in that I have a really large laundry room for being in an apartment. However, the shelves above the machines became a catch-all over time. This was one of the first areas I tackled and it required pulling everything out and rearranging it with a new organizational tool from Target (you can also find it on Amazon). I used this shelving add-on to create a second story of shelving so that things weren’t just thrown up onto the shelf and instead had actual space to create everything a home.
The other tool I found was a drying rack. Yes, I could have hung stuff on hangers above my machines, but too often the fabrics truly need to lay flat so they do not get hanger marks on the shoulders. This rack fits right next to my washing machine so that as soon as I pull something out that is in a washing bag (I use them for delicates or for items that shouldn’t be dried in the dryer) I can drape it on the rungs to dry.
Even though I am not a beauty product fiend like so many of my friends are, I still have a TON of makeup/beauty products. I realized one day that I had 3 little buckets full of stuff plus two makeup bags; some of it was in use daily and some had been completely forgotten. If I don’t see it, I likely won’t think to use it in the morning when I’m getting ready for the day, so I found this revolving storage unit at Target so that I can easily see and access all of the many things I kept after going through it all.
I am a sucker for a good pair of shades. That means they are kind of everywhere. I love this little organizer to help with that! It holds 9 pairs of sunglasses in a clear case so that you can easily see and get to the one you’re after. You could also use it for other items such as eyeglasses, makeup, etc. I’m keeping one near my front door to make that one last accessory easy to grab.
Remember the shoes from earlier? The front door problem didn’t solve itself! I found a shoe rack at Home Goods that measured out right and looked nice enough that I don’t mind guests seeing it. Here is a cute option from Amazon that is similar:
I have a dead zone of space in my apartment behind my couch. I am 100% sure it was meant to be a little dining area, but there is no chance that there is actually enough space between the couch’s back and the wall to truly fit a table and chairs. So the solution to making it feel intentional and purposeful is now my favorite decor spot in my home: a console table. I searched this one out and waited for a sale from Target on their home items then used my Red Card for free shipping and another 5% off. It was well worth the wait! The wood color is beautiful and I have been using it as a seasonal display area that still have use for storage.
In additional to the many many shoes, my husband also has a thing for hats. I swear there are a hundred of them! But he does look cute in them so I can’t be too upset. The problem was that they are tough to store. You don’t want them getting squished and can’t put them out of sight or they’re out of mind, so what do you do??? Answer: hit up Home Goods and find you a doorway hat holder! (Don’t worry, you can also find them on Amazon! I just happened upon one during a Home Goods run.) Now we have all of his hats neatly hung on his closet doorway. They’re easy to grab as he’s getting dressed, out of the way, and still stored where he can see all of his options. Win/win/win!
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