Organized and Attractive

What is the difference between the adorable, neat little rooms you see in home decor catalogs, and the rooms in your own house? Besides the name-brand appliances, expensive paintings, and the fact that for the purpose of the picture the only things present are those which are attractive, the big thing is organization. That's why they want to sell you all those assorted baskets and metal boxes with built-in labels to put everything in. Those would completely solve your life's problems! All of your magazines, books, craft supplies, and yarn would have their own place. But what about everything else?
The truth is, there is no need to spend a ton of money on things to help you organize the things you have already spent money on. With a little creativity, you, too, can have organized and attractive rooms.

Shoes are one of my biggest problems. I have probably a dozen pairs too many. And that shelf at the bottom of the closet? Just not enough room. I invested several dollars (you could even make your own!) in some hanging shoe holders that go on the back of closet doors. They're totally worth the sight of the hooks on the other side. They allow you to easily see and access every pair of shoes, without the others falling down.

My bathroom is always a mess. Makeup, hair products, oral hygiene items, and facial products clutter my counter constantly, and throwing them in a drawer doesn't help with the organization factor. My solution? I took baskets, boxes, and bowls that I had from gift sets people had given me, and recycled them into good use. I have one basket with all of my hair products on a shelf; another on the counter holding my obsessive amount of mouthwash, floss, and toothpaste; a bowl in a drawer for all of my not-every-day makeup, and a divided box in another drawer separating everyday makeup, tweezers and nail clippers, and nail polish.

My desk is my other huge problem. I do everything at my desk: homework, writing, painting. The problem is, this desk is only big enough for one project. Out came the baskets again. A divided basket holds my sharpies, pencils, notepads, staples. A file holder helps with my letters and paperwork. And the cutest thing? A glass coke bottle to hold my paintbrushes. They can't roll away or clutter my workspace, I never have to go looking for them, and it looks pretty neat.

Another cheap alternative is those rolling, plastic drawers. I got a set of three at Wally World for less than ten dollars last year. It doesn't take up much space, but provides a place for me to store all of my old schoolwork and notebooks that I may need access to again.

There are many other ways to keep your stuff organized that doesn't involve too much work or a lot of money. Show those magazine people up, and be just as organized and attractive without paying them to do it for you.