How to Save Space & Decorate on a Budget

You don't need to take a trip to a pricey home store to get organized. Here are some tips I use in my own home to get the best versatility in all my furniture & items. Some of these random ideas are super clever...

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Nothing

1. I use my spare bedroom as a guest room / home office, so I use my 2 short file cabinets as night stands next to both sides of the bed. I threw a small table cover on each w/ some books/vases on top. Now the guests have their night stands, I save floor space, and my file cabinets are covered so it's no longer an eyesore!
2. To speed through cleaning, make sure tabletops don't have loose items everywhere. Throw remotes, magazines, and coasters into a fashionable basket...When it's time to clean, just pick up the basket instead of collecting each item. It saves so much time. When unexpected company comes, this little idea will pay off BIG time.
3. Hang whatever you can. My closet is small, so instead of leaving my purses/scarves/belts everywhere, I put some nails in the wall behind my hanging clothes & I hang my items on them. It's discreet & you can still easily access your things.
4. Have too much of something? Display it [instead of wasting storage space]. My fiance & I have way too many cds/dvds. Instead of hiding them in our drawer, we have our favorites in neat leather boxes and put them by the coffee table. It makes a great conversation piece when someone peaks through our collection.
5. Not enough kitchen drawers? Take an aluminum coffee can, rip off the label and wash it. Use it to throw your cooking utensils in. silver color of the coffee can will give you countertop some modern glam, & it costs you nothing.
6. No fancy vases/art to display in your entertainment system/curio cabinets? Just take a few of your favorite books, stack them on top of each other, & place a picture on top. When people look at what's inside, you're personality will shine through by the books you read, more than an expensive item would. Just make sure you've read the books in case someone quizzes you ;)
7. Small bathroom? Leave only what you use daily. My fiance and I share the ONE bathroom we have. To avoid clutter, I have a tote w/ all of my girly belongings. I can carry my tote back in the bedroom to finish getting ready instead of hogging down the bathroom for another half hour. I leave my hair stuff, curling iron, and body lotion in there. It's easy for me to use these in another room anyways, and our bathroom doesn't look messy.
8. Your kids bring home cute pictures they drew at school, but your fridge is already filled w/ momentos...Why not use them as art in their rooms? Frame them and put them on the wall...No space wasted & your fridge door no longer looks like every other cluttered fridge in town ;)