Whether you’re trying to tame a messy junk drawer or bring order to your bedroom closet, having reliable organizing supplies matters.
You want your possessions to look neat and accessible. You want to stop buying extra boxes of batteries or bandages because you can’t find the ones you already own. But a trip to specialty stores for organizing gear can quickly become expensive.
Luckily, there are free and low-cost strategies to organize your home without spending a fortune. Below are 30 inexpensive organization ideas to spark some inspiration for wrangling the chaos in your living space.
Before You Start an Organization Project
One key rule before you dive into organizing: don’t bother organizing things you don’t actually need.
Before choosing the ideal bins, jars or shelving, sort through your belongings and decide what you truly want to keep. Items in good shape that you no longer need could be donated or sold for a little extra money. Recycle or trash the items that are just clutter.
As you create your keep, donate and toss piles, you’ll better understand which organizing tools are necessary. For instance, if you’re donating half your book collection, you’ll require less shelving than you thought.
If you’re tackling the entire house, divide the work into rooms so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. You might prefer to address one trouble spot at a time — like the pantry or the coat closet.
Keeping a master inventory of the items you plan to keep helps in two ways: it shows what organizers you need and reveals duplicates you can pare down.
Once you’ve completed this prep work, you’re ready to choose practical, budget-friendly storage and display solutions.
30 Low-Cost Organization Ideas
As you review your master list, think about how you’d like items stored. Which things need to be within easy reach and which can be tucked away most of the year?
The lists that follow include inexpensive store-bought solutions as well as DIY options. If your homemade attempts aren’t magazine-perfect, don’t stress — they’ll still work great for items kept on a back shelf.
Affordable Store-Bought Organization Options
For low-cost organizing products, check dollar stores or discount retailers like Walmart, Target, Ikea, HomeGoods or Big Lots. Thrift shops, flea markets and yard sales are also excellent places to find bargains. Neighborhood free groups online can yield items at no cost.
1. Plastic Bins or Crates
Use these to sort and store items by category. In a linen closet, separate bathroom supplies, washcloths, hand towels and spare toilet paper into different bins. In a child’s room, colorful plastic crates can corral toys and books. (The Dollar Tree offers many varieties and is a good place to begin.)
2. Canvas Storage Bins
These work well for light items like extra throws in the living room or a dog’s assortment of chew toys. They’re also handy in a closet for scarves, belts or other accessories.
3. Pill Organizers
Keep tiny items like jewelry, hair ties or bobby pins sorted with a pill organizer.
4. Adhesive Magnetic Strips
Stick peel-and-stick magnetic strips to the wall above the kitchen counter to hold knives, or inside a bathroom cabinet to keep manicure tools and stray bobby pins in place. Small magnets can also be attached to the backs of important papers or photos for display on the fridge or a magnetic board in a home office.
5. Ice Cube Trays
Extra ice cube trays are excellent for organizing tiny office supplies and trinkets in desk drawers, such as paper clips or rubber bands.
6. File Box
A file box is ideal for important documents. For families, they’re perfect for storing artwork, school essays, report cards and other keepsakes.
7. Pop-up Hampers
For parents weary of stuffed animals taking over every surface: grab a couple of inexpensive wire-and-mesh pop-up hampers to act as designated homes for plush toys.
8. Lazy Susan
Place a rotating turntable in a cabinet to group similar items and avoid neglecting things stored at the back. They come in many sizes — use one in the kitchen or pantry for foodstuffs and another under the sink for cleaners.
9. Three-Ring Binders
An inexpensive school staple that’s great for organizing bills, mail and other paper clutter on countertops.
10. Shower Caddies
Portable shower caddies may conjure dorm memories, but they’re also practical for craft supplies or office tools, easily carried from room to room.
11. Drawer Organizer
Tame a junk drawer using an inexpensive drawer organizer to separate items into neat compartments.
12. Pegboard
Showcase items you use often or want easy access to. Add a pencil cup, scissors and tape to a pegboard in your office, or use one for tools in the garage.
13. “S” Hooks or Shower Curtain Rings
Hang belts, scarves or handbags on closet rods using S-hooks or repurposed shower curtain rings.
14. Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer
These pocketed organizers are versatile — store toys, art materials, toiletries or cleaning supplies instead of shoes.
15. Carabiner Clip
Gather rubber bands in a drawer or ponytail holders in a bathroom by threading them onto a carabiner.
16. Travel Soap Containers
Small travel soap containers are perfectly sized for crayons, business cards or clipped coupons.
17. Tension Rods
Install a tension rod under the sink to hang spray bottles of cleaning products, or add one inside the shower wall to suspend baskets holding shampoo, washcloths or bath toys.
18. Magazine Racks
Use a budget magazine rack on the kitchen counter to store rolls of foil, plastic wrap and parchment paper, or use it in the living room to corral magazines and coffee table books.
DIY Home Organization Ideas
Don’t throw out those recyclables yet. There are countless ways to repurpose items already around your home. A coat of paint, some colorful tape, scrapbook paper or wrapping paper can transform plain boxes into attractive organizers.
19. Recycled Cans
Peel labels off tin cans and use them to contain pencils, pens or paintbrushes. They also work well for makeup brushes, eyeliners or lip glosses.
20. Plastic Takeout Containers
Sturdy takeout containers are handy for grouping similar items. Use one as an impromptu first-aid kit and another for craft materials.
21. Cardboard Boxes
Cardboard boxes are flexible DIY storage. Large boxes can hold extra throw pillows or gather toys, while smaller boxes help organize mail, documents or magazines. Dress them up with decorative paper for a neater look.
22. Old Backpacks or Suitcases
Repurpose old backpacks or luggage to store out-of-season clothes so your closet and drawers have more room. They’re also useful for holding hand-me-downs saved for a younger child to wear later.
23. Paper Towel or Toilet Paper Rolls
Cut these cardboard rolls to size to organize and contain various electronic cords you aren’t using.
24. Ribbon
Secure a ribbon to the wall with push pins or nails. Hung horizontally, it can hold sunglasses, bracelets, necklaces, scarves or belts. Hung vertically, attach clothespins to display photos or hats.
25. Comforter Bags
The sturdy zippered plastic bags that bedding often comes in are great for storing away seasonal clothing or bulky winter coats.
26. Plastic Cups
Bundle cords and tuck them into plastic cups to keep them neat. Cups also hold crayons, markers or paint supplies in a child’s room. Small plastic cups — like yogurt containers — are ideal for batteries or tiny odds and ends in a junk drawer.
27. Glass Beer or Soda Bottles
Spray-paint empty glass bottles and use them to hold bracelets or hair ties.
28. Glass Jars
Glass jars have many uses depending on size. Old pasta sauce or jam jars can be turned into coin jars. Baby food jars are perfect for paper clips or push pins.
29. Tea Boxes
Tea boxes with divided compartments are excellent for sorting jewelry or small trinkets.
30. Old Egg Cartons
Use the lower half of an egg carton as a drawer organizer for small items like paper clips, rubber bands or twist ties.
Jamie Carter is a former senior writer at Savinly.
