Without noticing, you've amassed quite the clutter in your apartment. But that's OK! After a good spring cleaning and multiple bags donated to your local Goodwill, it's time to organize what's left.
You could be tempted to go the Instagram route of beautiful organized clear boxes and impeccable shelves, but there's no need for you to bust your budget. We compiled 15 affordable storage ideas for you to spend the weekend organizing the clutter and enjoy your new clean place as summer approaches.
A pegboard can easily be hung in your home office, entryway, kitchen or in the kids' room to hold important notes, meal planning, photos, keys and more. When doing so, make sure you use removable wall hooks so you don't have to worry about damage during move-out inspection.
You can easily customize the pegboard by painting it different colors and add small shelves to it to hold plants and more. Or if you're feeling extra do-it-yourself, you can pick up a few wood slabs and make a handmade pegboard.
Wine racks aren't just for bottles of wine, they're also clever storage for towels, magazines and even small shoes. Roll up each towel and put it in the rack.
It saves space if your bathroom doesn't come with a towel rack already and it gives easy access to guests.
A paper towel basket holder can easily store garbage bags, craft supplies and kitchen rags if you're looking to cut back on paper waste.
And the regular holder can also be used to store ribbon, ties, tapes and even bracelets.
When thinking of storage spaces, don't forget about your closet door. An expanding hanger can easily add a few more spots to hang your coats, belts or purses. The over the door hook adds four more hanging slots.
Our brains often procrastinate when there's clutter around our desks, so clear it out and start with a clean slate. Add a few pen cups to store your pens, pencils and other office supplies and start your work day with a new setup.
Keep your desk tiny with a colorful cord organizer. No more tangled USB cords with your headphones or mouse cord.
Maximize your closet shelves by using clothing storage cubes and store off-season items in an efficient manner. You can also use the cubes in big drawers to keep items in place and organized.
If you don't have any more door space for a purse rack, you can use a few shower curtain rings to hang your purses. Add two or three purses per ring and they will hang side by side, saving you space in your closet.
When your closet doors are already occupied with other racks and you're running out of room for your shoes, pick up a shoe holder for under the bed. It's a great option to separate shoes by season, as well.
For only a couple of bucks, you can pick up a few magazine racks and use them to store your purses and clutches in your closet. You can easily see them and grab the one you want as you run out the door.
In the kitchen, you can use a magazine rack to store aluminum foil and plastic wrap boxes on your counter.
The smaller the bathroom, the bigger the mess it seems. Pick up a magnetic strip roll from your local home improvement store to help store bobby pins, small scissors and tweezers.
Measure the inside of your medicine cabinet door, cut them to size and press them firmly. Add bobby pins and any other metal items you want to them.
If you don't have space for full nightstands and need a spot to place your phone, an affordable picture ledge is the right solution. You can easily attach it to the wall next to the bed.
You can also add a picture ledge or two to your pantry if there's room, so you're able to add extra storage and see everything you have in stock at once.
A bookshelf is not just for books. Add a few baskets for storage in between books and other knickknacks to add visual interest to the room.
Use different size baskets to store extra linens, craft supplies, photo albums and more.
Good closet space can be hard to come by in small apartments. If you have space in your bedroom to add an anchored, wall-mounted shelf, consider adding a metal rail below it to add even more wardrobe space.
Are your necklaces a tangled mess in your jewelry drawer? Add a small shelf to your wall with small hooks below it to hang each necklace individually and never see tangles again.
Muriel Vega is an Atlanta-based journalist and editor who writes mostly about technology and its intersection with food and culture. She’s the managing editor of tech news publication Hypepotamus, and has contributed to The Guardian, Atlanta magazine, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, VICE and more. She spends her time eating her way through Buford Highway and exploring Atlanta's arts scene.