Organizing doesn’t have to be an expensive feat to take on. There are many frugal ways you can contain and organize with little or no cost to you. You can reuse some products right from the recycle bin, shop the dollar store or in most cases find new purposes for things you already own. Here are a few ideas to get you started…

Egg Carton

An egg carton can be reused as a jewelry organizer in a drawer or to store office supplies in your desk!

Wire

A little bit of wire can hold your wrapping paper in place… or in this case up on the ceiling.

Canning Jars

Canning jars come in all sizes and are perfect for airtight storage of baking goods in the kitchen. Top them off with a pretty label and you will have a magazine styled kitchen!

Tin Cans

All washed out and ready to be used for arts and crafts! All you need is one big chili night and you will have enough cans for a project like this.

Shoe Boxes

Shoe boxes can be used for just about any type of storage not just shoes. I prefer to pay a little money, usually under a dollar, to get the plastic shoe box size containers. We use them to store snacks in the cupboard, medicines in the bathroom and ties in the closet. This is probably the ost versatile size container around!

Cardboard Boxes

My favorite box ever was the kind that diapers came in, they were always the perfect size for storing books when we moved and oh so sturdy, which is actually strange because after all they were for diapers, not exactly the heaviest thing around. You can keep a box in your closet for donations or you can dress them up with wrapping paper and use them for storage just about anywhere!

What have you found around the house that was used as a frugal organizer?

This giveaway has ended thank you, everyone for entering! Carla from Twitter (@carlastamps) you are the winner! You will receive an email from me shortly.

Since my first son was born I started collecting yearly ornaments for him, a tradition that has grown as our family has.  When my children leave the nest I plan on passing on to them their ornaments and perhaps other decorations I save for them over the years. In all these years I have been on the lookout for the perfect box to keep these ornaments in.

There are several options out there for storing ornaments and I almost settled on a clear plastic bin, however I really wanted this collection to be special and wanted a box that was of heirloom quality. That is why I was so excited when Sterling Pear contacted me and informed me about their Signature Ornament Storage Box an offered one for a review. I was more than excited! This was exactly what I had been looking for and by the pictures on their website it looked like the perfect option for me. In all honesty though, it is hard to see something online and know what quality you are getting and when this particular item regularly costs $149.00 I might have passed on the basis of not being able to see it first hand before ordering.

With that being said I have to let you know that when this box arrived it met and beat all of my expectations! I was floored. Now I can get pretty excited about storage but this one is special. My husband sometimes snickers about my love of storage but even, he was impressed by this box. What’s so special you ask?

First of all you can see from the photos at the beginning of this post that this box is absolutely beautiful! If you didn’t have hidden storage space this ornament storage box would be pretty enough to leave out on a shelf or under a table.

This box holds up to 52 ornaments and as you can see leaving ample space for each ornament. You can’t tell by the pictures but the bottom is padded slightly to protect the ornament. I might add a little bit of bubble wrap for the smaller breakable ornaments but even without it the box itself is sturdy enough that is won’t cave in on the ornaments. The sides and corners are reinforced and while I don’t suggest standing on the box and jumping on it, my daughter did start getting rough with it and sat on it a couple of times and nothing gave.

We have three floors of storage here! The top section for smaller ornaments has it’s own lid and fits perfectly on top of the other sections. The middle stores slightly larger ornaments and the bottom houses sections with dividers that can be moved for larger ornaments and decorations. I will have more than enough room for all of my children’s ornaments and then some. They will have a nice collection by the time they are ready to fly the coop and will have enough room for some of their own decorations as well.

Attention to detail was taken when making this box right down to the ribbon handles for the inside compartments. I am so very pleased that I now have a quality storage option for collecting our children’s ornaments in. We will be getting boxes for the other two kids as well. I want them each to have their own box and I don’t doubt that this one will be strong enough to pass on to the next generation as well.

When we thought about the cost compared to the quality we were pleased with the price in the long run. We figure we generally spend $10-15 dollars for each of our keepsake ornaments and it is well worth the money to store this collection properly over the long term. I am very pleased with this heirloom quality ornament storage box!

Now for the super fun part! Now is your chance to get your very own Signature Storage Box valued at $149.00! I hope you are as impressed with it as I am. You have 4 ways to enter…

1. Leave a comment on this post.
   
2. Follow me on Twitter. Come back here and let me know you did so.
   
3. Become a fan on Facebook. Come back here and let me know you did so.
4. Subscribe to the blog for more great storage finds and organizing tips!

You have until Monday, December 21st to enter. I will choose a winner on Tuesday the 22nd. Happy Organizing!

*A Signature Storage Box was sent to Complete Organizing Soltuions for free for this review. Luckily we liked it so much we will buy more! :)

For a quick storage DIY project try using paint cans as cubbies. Great for sorting mail or holding towels. If you don’t like the plain metal look you can always decorate the outside with scrapbook paper for a whole new look.

[photos: top image from MathaStewart.com , bottom image from DIYIdeas.com]

During a recent apartment makeover for the June issue of O: the Oprah Magazine Danny Seo used these thrift store teacups to organize toiletries in the medicine cabinet. They might have a few chips but once you turn them around you wouldn’t know the difference. What a great and frugal way to find some extra storage and bring in some color at the same time.

If your looking to add a little garden inspired look to your home and get organized at the same time try using a hand rake as a letter holder, belt and tie hanger or creative wine rack.

[photos: Country Living]