School is in session! This time of year we can all use a little organization advice. Use these creative and helpful tips to store more in your home.
Organize Your Important Papers, Bills, Receipts & More
Just Drop It
Take charge of underused kitchen items that could be repurposed for organization. This vintage toast rack becomes an elegant in-box on an entry table. Use the slots to keep postage stamps handy for outgoing mail and to sort what comes in.
Portable Projects
Forget boxy filing cabinets. Flat-bottom tote bags are sized right for file folders and make perfect project carriers. Tuck a separate shelf under a desk to keep the bags upright. Add more storage with a set of stackable drawers on the desk and stash wrapping paper in a pretty bin beside it.
Office Out Box
With meetings, school, practice, and pets, it's easy to lose track of time on busy mornings. A drop zone is a foolproof way to manage mail that needs to go out the door. Designate two trays one for bills to pay and one for outgoing letters near the entryway of your home to make sure nothing is missed.
Expense Tracker
A well-ordered expense tracker makes it easy to maintain inventories and keep important documents on hand. With several compartments, this file box ensures manageable space to organize receipts and other frequently-accessed items. Look for a device with labeled pockets so you can organize information by subject or date, or alphabetically.
Style-Setting Role
By keeping papers on hand and off the desk, this wall-mounted file helps corral paper clutter. Use each compartment to organize items by category, such as bills, schoolwork, and notepads. Affix metal hooks to outer panels for keys or grab and go items.
Message Center
Keep clutter at bay with a multi-purpose work station. This communication haven is built from a patchwork of magnet, dry-erase, chalkboard, cork, and pegboard squares behind the built-in desktop. The combination of materials ensures that messages and papers can be stored in versatile ways. Use magnetic boards to hold papers you need only temporarily, dry-erase boards and chalkboards to jot down quick messages, cork boards to stick more permanent papers on (favorite take-out menus, emergency phone numbers), and pegboard squares to mount containers for desk supplies.
Out to Dry
Create a personal filing system that meets your daily needs and makes sense to you, but make it easy to use. Intended for dishes, the slats of this drying rack stand file folders and notebooks at perfect attention. Use the slotted compartment designed for sponges to stash small office supplies.
Tray Chic
Quarter-sheet baking pans make great clutter-catchers in shallow desk drawers. Designate a tray for each specific need, such as organizing bills or corralling extra office supplies, to keep counters clean .
Raise the Bar
Keep needed items in sight and in mind with color-coded folders. Attach towel racks to the side of a desk to create a file cabinet. Add grommets to file folders and hang them from the bars with curtain hooks. Personalize each folder with labels and postcards for a memorable way to organize.
Stationery System
Stash everything you need to accomplish a task in one designated area. Perfect for storing small items, this letter holder adds a burst of style to the desktop and keeps colorful stationery on hand for jotting a quick note.
Kids' Organization
Keep homework and school papers organized with a simple filing system. Standing files with tabbed dividers sort paper by subject or activity, making it easy to separate classes from extracurriculars .
Great Space-Saver
Sync your family's busy schedules with a communication center at the heart of your home. A host of wall-mounted organizers, such as bulletin boards, magnetic panels, and file folders, save space and encourage parents and kids to exchange important messages. Magnetic strips of memo board provide a place to hang cards and photos.
Organize On the Go
Create a portable coupon and receipt organizer from an index card case and stash it where you'll remember to take it on errands. Alphabetized divider tabs are the perfect solution for filing lists accordingly. The holder's small size makes it easy to stow in a purse .