Cheap Home Organization: 6 Repurposed Storage Ideas

In this article: Cheap storage solutions using repurposed items from around your house.

by Alison Wood

Cheap Home Organization Repurposed Items photo

It’s exciting when we get an overwhelming desire to eliminate clutter and organize our home. However, too many of us think, “Oh, I need to buy new canisters, a laundry organizer, a closet organizer, a kitchen drawer organizer, and anything that will help me get and keep this house organized!”

If you’ve ever purchased those items, you know that buying organizational ‘helps’ for your home can be very expensive. You could easily spend a few to several hundred dollars trying to organize your home.

But, it doesn’t have to happen that way. With a bit of creativity, you can organize your home on the cheap. Many times, you can spend $20 or less or even nothing at all!

Check out these cheap home organization ideas using repurposed items to get you started creating a clean and organized home.

1. Jars

Save mason jars, spaghetti sauce jars, jelly jars — the list goes on! Use those sturdy glass jars to organize all your knickknacks and small food items. You can also use them to keep your hair bows and accessories organized. Add some fun chalkboard stickers to the front of the jars and some ribbon, or even paint them for a cutesy decor.

If you’re trying to organize a man’s space, how about using these jars to organize nails, screws, and other supplies? Just label the jars and place them on a shelf for easy access.

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2. Soda Can Tabs

Go ahead and splurge and buy that can of pop you like! Save the tab on the can, and use it to add some room to your closet. Just slip it over a hanger and pair pants with a shirt, a skirt with a blouse, or even hang two shirts on one hanger. It creates more room in your closet and a more organized feel and look.

3. Cardboard Boxes

If you shop online, you probably receive some pretty sturdy cardboard boxes. Don’t toss them. Use them for storage!

To make some super cheap and crafty storage bins for magazines, toys and who knows what else, here is what you need to do:

Grab some sturdy boxes and measure and cut to your desired shape. A popular shape of most store-bought, fabric-covered storage bins is a bottom piece that is 10 x 9 inches, two side pieces that are 11 x 10 inches, and front and back pieces that measure 10 x 9 inches. I recommend using one 1.5 x 3-inch opening for the front piece for a simple handle to move the box around easily. You should aim for 1/2 inch of thickness or use two pieces of cardboard for each piece for added sturdiness.

After cutting your cardboard into desired shapes:

Glue the cardboard pieces to form your cube-shaped storage bin.
Once the glue is dried and all pieces are sturdy, cover with Mod Podge or your favorite adhesive and add some decorative material.
Let it dry completely before using.

You just saved a lot of money and recycled. Yay for you!

4. Food Cans

Save those tuna, soup cans and other metal cans. Clean them thoroughly, let them dry, and get to organizing!

Try gluing them together in a fun shape for kids’ school supplies. Place smaller cans, like the tuna cans, in pull-out drawers to organize safety pins, paper clips, erasers, and more. Paint them or add some decorated fabric to match your kitchen, bathroom or any other space that needs organizing. The possibilities are endless!

5. Trash Cans

You can store lots of things in a clean trash can — sports balls, wrapping paper, golf clubs, mops and brooms. Use trash cans to organize indoors and out. Just make sure they’re squeaky clean before you using!

6. Cereal Boxes

Yep, you can use those to organize things, too! Try decorating three cereal boxes and gluing them together for a simple file folder for papers. Cut off the bottom of cereal boxes to use as a drawer organizer for utensils, crayons, markers, pencils, and anything you can keep in a drawer.

Reviewed January 2024