Organizing on a Budget

In my Fresh Start post, I talked about how I really wanted to get on top of the house and get things on a schedule and organized. Well, getting organized sometimes means buying things to stash your stuff in and that can get really expensive. I love bins, baskets, and tubs but our budget just doesn't allow for my house to look like an ad out of Pottery Barn, so I decided to use what I already had on hand.

I have a cabinet in my kitchen where I stash leftover food containers - everything from french fried onion cans, Nesquik tubs, and bulk Pop-tart boxes. I don't keep a ton, just a few in all different sizes and shapes. As I buy something from the store that needs a new home I pull out a container and go to work!

This canister used to have chocolate milk powder in it. I simply washed it out and dried it and now it's ready to become a home to things like gummy snacks, goldfish crackers, or bottles of food coloring. I also used them for little toys, blocks, and hair supplies....the possibilities are endless!

My supplies are things you probably already have on hand scrapbook paper or construction paper, double sided tape, tape, and scissors. If you don't have double sided tape just use the regular tape and it will work beautifully! After holding the paper to the can to measure it I just simply cut it out and start putting double sided tape in vertical lines randomly around the can.

Then just simply wrap the paper tightly around the can and tape the seam with regular tape for extra strength. If your paper isn't long enough to go all the way around, I just simply cut an extra strip of paper and place it on the can first then tape my two sides of my wrapping paper to it.


Voila!! Finished can! It takes under five minutes from start to finish and probably cost me around $0.25 for the paper and tape, not to mention it's also re-purposing something that would go into a landfill!


Here are some of my completed canisters in my cabinets. I just decided to do fun random patterns, but you could easily coordinate your cupboards, play closet, or bath cabinet.

I also have some cute square boxes that I have covered with cheap wrapping paper. They were bulk Pop-Tart boxes and I used them to store things like Easy Mac packages, lots of Pop-tarts, and other sleeves of crackers and snacks. They fit great in my cupboards, I'm able to minimize packaging on my shelves giving me more room, and I can easily pull down the bin to get what I need to.

Here is my cute model, displaying my newest canister!! The boys love to get these down and eat Goldfish crackers out of them and I don't have to worry about the cheap paper bag getting torn or the crackers getting smashed and broken.