Cleaning up and getting organized doesn’t always mean running out to buy the latest, greatest set of plastic dividers, or brand new rotating spice rack. When most people think about cleaning the house, this is exactly what they think they have to do. How about you? Did you end up spending bucks on organizers and such the last time you decided to clean out a drawer? I’m sure it’s happened to you all at least once, but before it happens again, try out a few of these money saving strategies before you hit the office aisles next time…

Rule number one to home organization, organize what you can, create a list of what you need (with measurements!) and then, and only then, do you buy what’s left of your essentials.

Whatever you plan on cleaning up, go through it first. There’s no point in separating a pile of junk into somewhat-cleaner piles of junk. Throw away the 50% of miscellaneous items in the drawer that you don’t need (we all know at least half isn’t meant to be there). Whether it’s a pile of magazines you don’t read, old candy wrappers you kept in your car, or extra pens and pencils you don’t use anymore, it’s time to take out the handy-dandy trashcan! Use what you can around the house to substitute for store-bought organizers; empty bottles, cans, and boxes all make great DIY projects! Get a little creative with paint or decorative paper to cover the labels, and you’ll have a brand new place to store all those old knick-knacks!

Measure, measure, measure. We’ve all gone to the office store, ready to organize our bathroom drawers and then, how tall are my cabinets again? You’ll end up buying the organizer that’s an inch too tall and an awkward width for your cabinets…it’s just not worth the hassle of going twice! Make sure you have the dimensions written down before you hit the store. This will save you time in the long run, we promise!

Now if you still have things left on your “to-get” list, you are allowed to purchase in moderation! An easy way to save money on things like this would be looking at yard sales before commercial stores. You’ll get a much better deal, and it’s more convenient! After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure…