Organizing your home looks so fun and easy on TV. There are so many helpful organization tools they use. They get you all excited about becoming organized and so you head out to grab those tools and get started.
Then, full stop, you see that purchasing all those “great organization tools” can be really expensive. So, you can either revamp your plans by buying one or two and do less than you had planned, or you can just blow the whole thing off and feel defeated.
But, the good news is that there are plenty of storage and home organization solutions you can find at your local dollar store for a fraction of the cost of those advertised in those shows. So, if you're living in a disorganized space and want to get organized, this is for you.
These home organization tips from the dollar store are sure to get you excited:
Small Jars
It can get really frustrating when you’re cooking and you can't find the exact spice that you need, right? One way to solve this problem is to use small jars from the dollar store.
You're actually knocking out two birds with one stone: neatness and uniformity. You can achieve this by putting all your spices in the same type of container and label them. They will look very neat and orderly once you’ve done it.
Storage Bins
The kitchen pantry can be quite tricky to organize but storage bins from the dollar store can go a long way in helping organize this space.
For example, you can put all your candles in one bin and label it. Same goes with your napkins, utensils, cups, and plates for parties or picnics.
Investing in transparent bins can be really helpful because you can instantly see what's stored inside. But for a less cluttered look, opaque bins that are labeled might be the way to go.
Label Items In Your Fridge
Labels are actually one of the best organization tools. Because let’s face it, we’ve all found a science experiment growing in a container in the back of the fridge that could have been avoided with this tip.
All you have to do is write the date the food was put in the fridge. This is really helpful because when you’re searching through the fridge for anything you can see the dates and know when to throw things out.
An added plus is the kids don’t have to dig through the fridge for half an hour looking for something to eat, because it’s all labeled and they can see What they have to choose from.
To do this, simply use some masking tape or sticky labels that you have purchased from the dollar store.
Hooks
You can find the most clutter in many homes in the garage. That's why it's important to have your garage organized. One way to do that is by using hooks in your garage.
Most all of the items in your garage can all be hung by a hook on the wall or ceiling. Just be sure to buy hooks of different sizes. Doing this will leave plenty of space for your car and you'll never have to worry about running over anything. Yay!
Drawer Compartments
Drawers can also be really messy because they usually serve as a graveyard for small items. This can make it a pain to find anything in your drawers when you're in a hurry.
In order to fix that, all you need are those plastic drawer containers to organize all the items. They come in a great variety of sizes too.
Hanging Shoe Racks
Purchasing these hanging shoe racks at the dollar store is another great tool for organizing. They can hang on the inside of any door to save space and help organize your stuff.
Use them in the pantry to organize spices, foil, wax paper, baggies, and so much more.
Use them in the bathroom to add extras for when something runs out. You can add soaps, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. anything you might need to replace.
Use them in your closet to stash necklaces and bracelets, undergarments, socks, and of course, shoes. These hanging compartments can come in handy almost anywhere in your home.
Organizing your home doesn’t have to be expensive, it can be fun and you’ll feel less crowded and quite accomplished when you’re done. Plus, all of these can be purchased at the dollar store for next to nothing, saving you money - always a good thing!
Do you have other brilliant home organization tips using items from the dollar store? Please tell us in the comments below, we’d love to hear about it.
One of the ways I began to save extra money was by ditching some of the disposable products we used in our home and replacing them with reusable household items.
In the beginning, this did cost us a few more dollars but quickly turned into big savings each month we weren’t purchasing the disposable versions!
Now, I know the appeal of disposable items. They can be so gosh darn convenient! But by simply switching out one disposable product for a reusable product, not only will it have a positive impact on our planet, it will also have a positive impact on your wallet! Before you know it, you'll be trying to replace every household product with a reusable one!
Below, I've listed the best reusable household items that we’ve been loving in our own home lately!
Wool Dryer Balls
For years now I have been using wool dryer balls in place of dryer sheets and fabric softener. In fact it's been a while since I bought my wool dryer balls so they're finally starting to fall apart!
If I ever feel like having a bit of a scent to the laundry, I'll add a couple drops of essential oil to a couple of the balls.
When purchasing wool dryer balls, make sure they are 100% wool. This will ensure fluffiness, reduce static and reduce drying time.
Reusable Water bottles
Before we leave the house, I make sure all of our reusable water bottles are filled up so we can avoid buying a bottle of water when we're out and about.
While any reusable water bottle will work, our favorites are the ones that are insulated. They keep water cold for much longer! My husband and I are using bottles like these while I like the Thermos ones for our daughters.
Kitchen towels
Ditch the paper towels once and for all! I have one roll of paper towel on hand and that is to check the oil in our vehicles and for wiping up cooking grease. Other than that I use kitchen towels, cloths, and big bath towels for cleaning up spills, and wiping dirty fingers and faces. Basically reusable towels are used for everything paper towels are typically used for.
It's so easy to make the switch to reusable straws! We've got two different kinds that we use at home. Stainless steel and super fun silicone ones. I don't have a preference for myself, but my daughters like the silicone ones the best. Probably because they're soft (safer for kids!) and fun colored.
Be sure to get a small straw brush to keep your straws clean!
Reusable K-Cup
We were gifted a Keurig coffee maker years ago and it's still one of our favorite appliances and gets daily use. The one thing I don't like about it is the k-cup waste. However, we recently switched to a reusable K-Cup and love it! It's so easy to use and the coffee tastes just as good. Plus now we can get a big bag of ground coffee beans (cost effective) or use the locally roasted beans that we love.
Reusable shopping bags
Now that most grocery stores are charging for plastic grocery bags, I want to avoid that unnecessary expense as much as I can! I have reusable grocery bags stashed in the car and both of my bags in hopes that I won't have to use a plastic bag.
The reusable shopping bags that I have are similar to these ones and fold up really small and are so easy to stash in my purse. I love that they are washing machine friendly so I can toss them in the wash once in while!
Silicone baking mats
With silicone baking mats, there's no need to spray your cooking sheets or use parchment paper. That means you could possibly eliminate two grocery items from your list saving you a bundle in the long term.
Silicone baking mats are really easy to clean and hardly take up any space in your cupboards.
Mason jars
Open up the cupboards or even your fridge and you're bound to find some sort of glass jar! Wash and reuse the glass jars that you find for so many things. I use mine for storing dried beans/lentils/rice, freezing broth, holding makeup brushes and so much more.
Mason jars are fairly inexpensive to buy if you want matching jars. Scour the garage sales too!
Reusable Sandwich Bags
This is a new purchase for us and I'm loving it! I used to wash our plastic sandwich a few times before tossing them, but I'm liking this alternative way better.
These reusable storage bags are freezer friendly, leak-proof, come in various sizes and clean easily.
Travel Mugs
These are a must-have in our family! Every morning, instead of hitting the drive thru, my husband makes a travel mug full of coffee for his morning at work. Saves a ton of coffee money over the long run! I'll bring mine along when I've got a bunch of errands to do. But even if you do go to a coffee shop or something, many places offer a small discount if you bring your own mug. (Starbucks, for example.)
Using these reusable household items is such a great way to begin moving towards a more eco-conscious way of living plus you’ll be saving a lot of money over the long term!
I'd love to know what reusable household items you would add to the list!
Our family is about to head out on, what we hope will be an epic road trip, to Winnipeg. We are all so excited to see family, play with cousins, see new sights and make memories!
But, I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not anxious at all. Haha no. This will be our very first major trip since our youngest daughter was born. That was more than three years ago! She was a terrible sleeper for the first 3 years of her life so the thought of sleeping anywhere but home would practically make me sweat.
But here we are, just days away from our road trip and I have been in planner mode all week trying to calm my nerves. I have multiple lists going on for car activities, packing essentials and, my favourite, snacks. No road trip is complete without snacks!
Thanks to , our snacking has been taken care of. I popped in the other day and grabbed our must-haves as well as some fun new things to try. Because the in-season produce selection at FreshCo is amazing, we will have a great selection of fresh fruit added to our dry goods. Not only is the quality of products noteworthy, the prices are the best in town - you can’t beat that!
And guess what? There are two new FreshCo stores in Winnipeg that opened this spring! I’ll be making a pit stop to restock on food for the car ride back.
Since I always like to see what other families bring along on road trips, I thought you would like that as well. So today I'm excited to share a list of our snacks! I also have a fun way that I have packed some snacks for the girls that I think you might enjoy or find helpful too.
First of all, here's a list of the fresh produce we will bring along this time:
Watermelon (cut up into sticks)
Grapes
Blueberries
Sugar Snap Peas
Carrot sticks
Apples
This will all be kept in a cooler that we will bring out when we make stops to stretch and get gas.
Now for the fun surprise for the girls. I picked up a couple of divided organizers from the dollar store that I filled with a variety of healthy and not so healthy snacks (but always a crowd favourite!) from FreshCo. I think they are going to love the smorgasbord of choices. The organizers aren't that big so when they finish the tray, I'll refill them during one of our stops.
Here is a list of what's in the divided organizers:
Nuts would also be a great choice, but we're trying to avoid them with my youngest. However, I think that list above will be plenty to get us there! We'll stock up again on our way home.
Now I'm wondering. What sort of snacks do you like to bring along on road trips?
Next week, I'm going to have a list of all the car activities I have planned so be sure to watch for that post! #Sponsored
Are you finding yourself surrounded by clutter? Does it seem like you just can’t stay ahead of household cleaning tasks? Keeping a clean house can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be a struggle. In fact, there are small steps you can take each month and implement on a regular basis to enjoy a cleaner space. Look at these 12 monthly tasks to help you enjoy a cleaner space and see what a difference they can make.
January: Go paperless.
Now is the time to clear away paper clutter. Go paperless in the New Year. Switch to paperless billing and opt to do online banking. This will help you avoid the paper piles in your home and office.
February: Declutter the kitchen pantry.
How much food are you holding onto that isn’t even fresh anymore? Grab a few trash bags and take an hour to declutter the kitchen pantry. Throw away any items that aren’t good anymore and donate items that are good but you won’t eat.
March: Organize the linens.
Clean out your linen closet and remove anything that doesn’t belong. Take a few hours to thoroughly clean linens and towels. Fold and assemble them in baskets. Find places for each in your linen closet, well labeled and easy to access.
April: Tackle tile.
Take the time to tackle tile this month. Clean away shower tile grime, floor tile grime and tackle kitchen tiles. I love, love a combination of hot water, bleach and powdered Tide. When combined with a scrub brush or old toothbrush, the results are fantastic on grout!
May: Refill your cleaning basket.
Go through your cleaning supplies and re-stock. Remove any old and dirty towels, sponges, or cleaning tools. Replace them with fresh supplies and don’t forget to add in some essential oils to make homemade cleaning productssmell fresher.
June: Call for an extra trash pick up.
Tackle the garage, removing any old and broken items taking up space. Donate toys you no longer use, and schedule an extra trash pick up so broken items can be hauled away and recycled if necessary.
July: Treat all area rugs and carpeting.
Use a deep cleaning machine to clean area rugs and carpeting. This is a great way and great time to remove built up soiling, dirt, and grime.
August: Deep clean the kitchen.
This means emptying cabinets, scrubbing floors, wiping down cabinetry, etc. Dedicate a weekend to cleaning out the kitchen, removing broken or unused items, and replacing cracked dishware.
September: Clean the refrigerator.
Remove all food items and clean out the fridgewell. Scrub away any stains or food spills. Discard any expired food before returning items back to their place.
October: Flip mattresses and tend to bedding.
Vacuum mattress tops well on each side and flip for even wear. Replace pillows if needed and take the time to dust and clean headboards.
November: Clean upholstered items.
Rent a deep cleaning machine and clean all household upholstered items. This will help remove stains and keep fabrics smelling fresh.
December: Declutter holiday decor.
December is a great time to declutter your Christmas decorations. As you decorate your home, place any unwanted items in a bin for donation. Donating items after the holidays is somewhat pointless, as thrift stores have a harder time selling it out of season. Here is a Christmas Decoration Storage Inventory printable that you might find useful too!
Are you ready for a cleaner, more enjoyable home? Tackle these 12 monthly tasks to help you grab clutter by the horns and get your house in shape fast!
Do you want to know my secret for a stress-free Thanksgiving? (or any big family meal for that matter…) Yeah? Okay. Just have your Dad, who loves to cook, prepare all the main dishes and Turkey, then all you have to do is bring along the dessert. 😉
While this is a realistic scenario for our Thanksgiving and special occasions, (my dad is the best!) I’m sure it’s not for most families. We can get away with this because we usually have a maximum of 8 people to serve.
Since I know big family meals can be hectic (I’ve experienced many of my husband’s extended family get-togethers), I thought creating a checklist would be really helpful to those of you that want to cut back on some chaos.
This checklist doesn’t tell you what to cook (I trust you have your family favourites) but I’m hoping it will give you a guideline for when things can be completed. While I called this a Thanksgiving checklist, I think this checklist can be used for any holiday dinner.
How to Get a More Organized Kitchen in Just 15 Minutes
The kitchen is one of the easiest spaces to allow clutter to pile up. Since it is one of the busiest rooms in the house and there’s lots of counter space for stuff, it can quickly become overrun. So how do you enjoy a more organized kitchen without investing a ton of time? Luckily, there are a few tasks you can do each day in 15 minutes or less to help you keep a clutter free kitchen. Look at these tips on how to get a more organized kitchen in just 15 minutes and see what a difference they can make.
1. Assemble baskets for mail and paper work.
Kitchen counters can be a catch all for mail and school papers. Instead, place basketson the counter for these items to go in. Then, check in with these baskets daily so you can read letters, discard junk mail, and sort through papers as needed.
2. Remove all non-kitchen essentials.
So many non kitchen items end up in the kitchen throughout the day. Take a few minutes each day to remove these items that have crept in. Have everyone in the household help you return these items to where they belong. Toys, clothing, books, and other items that aren’t used in the kitchen can all be removed.
3. Choose one drawer a day and organize it.
Trying to tackle every drawer at once can be exhausting. Instead, choose one drawer a day and go through it, tossing what you no longer use or need. Use simple drawer baskets to keep the remaining items organized and easy to grab. Once you make your way through the drawers, take on one cabinet at a time and do the same thing.
4. Comb through Tupperware and organize tops and bottoms.
Storage containers tend to make a mess of kitchen cabinets. Take a few minutes to go through the storage containers and match up the tops and bottoms. Discard any pieces that don’t have a match or have been overused and showing a great deal of wear.
5. Arrange spices and cooking ingredients by alphabet.
Make your cooking ingredients easier to navigate when you organize them alphabetically. Organize your spices and dry goods by alphabet and line them up neatly so the next time you need them, you aren’t playing a game of hide and seek. I use a spice organizer like this in one of my cupboards and I love that it’s expandable.
6. Clear counters as much as possible, utilizing drawers and cabinets.
Remove all non essentials from the counter and place these items in drawers and cabinets. Keep your counters as open and clear as possible. Any item that isn’t used daily can be stashed away where it is out of sight and won’t take up a ton of room.
Are you ready for a more organized space? Consider these tips on how to get a more organized kitchen in just 15 minutes and see how simple getting organized can be!
What’s one area of your kitchen that drives you nuts? What are you going to tackle first?
