Reuse old check boxes in your home office

Use small containers, such as old check boxes, to separate and store office supplies in a drawer or on a shelf.

Garage Sale Prep: Reuse Plastic Bags

Save plastic shopping bags prior to your garage sale. Store the bags in a container or mesh laundry basket and place near your "check out" area for easy access.

Reduce your supply of tiny shampoo bottles

Why do we accumulate so many small bottles of shampoo and conditioner? Go through your supply and separate the bottles you plan to use from the ones you'll never use. Then, take your discarded bottles to a local shelter.

Store items near where you use them

If you have limited drawer space in your bathroom, you may want to store toilet paper in a free standing shelf. The shelf in the photo above is actually a CD tower.

Small Trays are great to hold Remotes

Use a small tray to store your TV remotes. If you always put them back in the tray, you'll always be able to find them!

Designate a Spot for Donations

Designate a spot in your garage, basement or closet for stuff you no longer want or need.  Gather boxes or totes and label each one accordingly: Donate, Sell, For Family. When you decide you no longer need an item, simply place it in the appropriate box. When a box is full, take it to your donation center or store it with your other garage sale boxes. When you see family or friends, look in the box to see if you’ve set anything aside for them.

Use Cloth Napkins

To reduce your paper usage, switch to using cloth napkins. You can purchase napkins at the store or make your own from small pieces of material leftover from other projects.

Handy Utensil Holder

Pitchers make great utensil holders in the Kitchen. Place the utensils you use most often in the pitcher. 

Garage Shoe Cubby

This larger shelf isn’t intended for shoes; however, the extra space in each cubby makes it easy to store larger shoes, including boots.

Use a Vase to Store Pens & Pencils

Use decorative vases or jars to store pens, pencils, markers, and scissors on top of your desk.  This makes it easy to access the items you use often while adding some style to your desk.

Repurpose Furniture Items

Bakers Racks are typically meant for Kitchen areas, but with a little creativity, your Bakers Rack can be converted into a highly functional Garden Center! As a Garden Center, a Bakers Rack can dress up your Garage while adding an organizational element. In this picture, frequently used garden tools are grouped together and organized for easy access.

Convert a coat closet into a functional Catchall Closet!

First, remove the closet doors and any shelves or hanging rods inside the closet.  Next, you can either patch-n-paint the walls or use wainscoting and trim as illustrated in the picture.  Add a bench, shelf, hooks and baskets to make it easier to catch all the stuff your family brings into your home!

Photo submitted by Karen Redalen in Columbia, South Carolina.

Reuse Plastic Food Packaging

The plastic packaging inside cereal boxes, crackers, and other packaged foods can be reused!  Save empty packaging and use as a replacement for wax paper and/or sandwich bags.