31 Days of Organizing Tips: Day 6 (Containers)

Welcome to Day Six of the 31 Days of Organizing Tips series!  I’m so glad you’ve joined me.  Throughout this series I’ll be sharing organizing ideas that I’ve found around the web that I love and that will help you on your journey from overwhelmed to organized. 

Today’s tip is about containers.  I love containers!  There are so many different options you can use for storage.  Some are very practical and some are more decorative.  Ideally you can find containers that are both.

This is one area of organizing that often keeps people from starting to organize because they get overwhelmed looking at all the options and thinking about the cost to buy containers.  But please don’t let either of those things stop you from getting organized!  I’ll walk you through various options in this post to make it less overwhelming.

There are definitely lots of expensive options out there and stores that specialize in a wide variety of containers like the Container Store or Solutions.  If you have the budget you can go crazy buying whatever you want.  I love browsing those places for ideas and inspiration but I don’t actually buy much there.

For those of us who need to be a little more conservative in our purchases, here are some ideas.

• Watch for sales at stores like Target and Walmart.  
• Check out storage options at dollar stores (one of my favourite places to buy containers!).  
• You can also find great containers at thrift stores and garage sales.  
• I get containers from Freecycle too.  
• Look around your home for containers that are not being used (if you’ve done some decluttering lately you’re likely to have empty ones!)

So don’t let containers be the reason you don’t organize!  It’s just a matter of keeping your eyes open for what you need!

You can also adapt everyday household items to serve your purposes too.  I’ll do a separate post on that later in this series.

Make sure you measure your space before you buy containers!  There’s nothing worse than bringing home some great storage options but they don’t fit where you want to use them.

Why are containers so important?  Well, just like their name suggests, they contain your items.  If you’ve grouped your like items together then you can now put each group or category into its own container.  Your container then defines and limits how many items you have in each group.  When your basket or bin is full then you know it’s time to purge!

Here are some of my favourite types of containers and possible uses for each:

1.  Plastic bins, tubs, and totes – use plastic containers when you need something durable, stackable, or easy to clean such as toys, toiletry items, shoes, craft supplies, decorations and clothes

Source:  http://lifeasmom.com/2010/09/plastic-boxes-organize-our-stuff.html

Source:  http://delightfulorder.blogspot.ca/2012/05/storing-children-hand-me-downs-more.html

2.  Baskets – Use baskets for linens, clothes, toys, electronics, cords, and pantry items

Source:  http://organizeyourstuffnow.com/wordpress/emilees-closet-makeover

3.  Jars – Use jars for office supplies, craft materials, hardware, food, spices, and leftover paint

I may be a little biased on this one!

http://fromoverwhelmedtoorganized.blogspot.ca/2012/06/purging-and-storing-leftover-paint.html

Please pin any of these pictures from the original source – not this post.

For Day Six, find containers for the groups of like items you made yesterday.  If you don’t have money for containers in your budget right now then “shop” around your house to re-purpose items that can be used to contain your items.

Tomorrow I’ll be talking about labels for your containers so stay tuned for some great label ideas!

And just a reminder that as the series progresses, I’ll be sharing tips for various organizing challenges.  Feel free to leave a comment with any particular areas you’d like me to cover.  I look forward to going through this series with you and hearing your tips too!

How did your grouping like items go yesterday?  What are your favourite containers?  What is the best organizing tip you’ve implemented?

If you need help decluttering or organizing, contact me for in-person organizing services in the Mississauga area, or virtual organizing services anywhere else. 

Happy organizing!