Home Office Storage on a Dime

February 19, 2016
Clever and inexpensive storage is easy if you know where to find it. See basic storage items in a different light to create a budget-friendly, organized office.
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Take Note

Trade in traditional corkboard for inexpensive plastic clipboards and hang in a grid formation to make a memo center. Designate a theme for each board—bills, cards, inspiration, reminders, for example—to stay organized. Look for colorful or patterned clipboards to update a white office wall.

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Antique Office Storage

Repurpose flea market dishes as office organizers. Mismatched pieces add charm to a utilitarian space. Use cups or coffee mugs for pens and pencils, and saucers or small baskets for stamps, keys, and spare change. Collect everything for small office storage on a serving tray.

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Extra Shelf

Use wire or plastic cabinet shelves on your desktop for instant storage space. Cabinet shelves are perfect for small office storage ideas on desktops and within cabinets. Not only can the top of the shelf hold supplies like tape and a stapler, but the space underneath can become its own storage center, with boxes and small pastic bins organizing paperclips, pushpins, and paper.

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Back-Of-Door Storage

If your desk is near a door, the back of the door is prime storage space for office supplies. Use a hanging shoe organizer to sort cords, small supplies, and tools. Label each pouch or find an organizer with clear pockets for an easy (and cheap!) office storage solution.

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Mail Center

Use wall-mounted containers, such as these simple wire file pouches, for desk-side storage. They're perfect cheap home office storage solutions for organizing mail, takeout menus, and bills. Plus, they'll keep your desktop paper-free.

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Contain It

Use mismatched containers, such as urns, small organizers, cups, and jars, for cheap office storage to hold small supplies. Not only does this method keep everything in its place, it also makes for a cute shelf display. Keep colorful supplies in clear containers for a fun look.

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New Uses

Convert a desk organizer into a charging station for small electronic devices. For this office storage idea, just drill a hole in the back, insert a rubber grommet, and thread the power-strip cord through. Turn the organizer on its side so the sections act as shelves for phones, small supplies, and larger paper products underneath.

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Go-Anywhere Office

Take your office anywhere—to the couch, dining room table, or deck—with this tote-able solution. Outfit a dish drainer with pretty file folders, and use the utensil holders to organize pens, pencils, and small notebooks. Slip the dish drainer into office storage cabinets when not in use.

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Carting Around

Turn an old cart into a mobile office with this cheap home office set up. Lower shelves can store notebooks and boxes for supplies and paperwork, while the top can serve as a drop center or work surface. The mobility of this work station is key for work-at-homers.

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Magnetic Pull

Create a magnetic memo board out of a cookie pan. Adhere decorative scrapbook paper to the bottom of the sheet with decoupage medium for a clean refinish. Just add magnets and important papers, and your memo board is ready for business.

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Bookend Solution

Keep books stacked neatly on a shelf with a colorful bookend. Fill a fabric pouch with sand, sew shut, and position against a row of books for an always-orderly display. Choose decorative fabric to match the space so it blends away, or go for bold color to make the accent stand out.

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Scheduling Assistant

Use simple clothespins as a scheduling sanity saver. Write the days of the week on clothespins and clip to a wire suspended along a wall above your desk. (Or glue magnets to the back of the clothespins and place them on your refrigerator.) Write the days' events and to-dos on index cards and clip to the clothespins as a visual way to organize your time.

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Drop Zone

Keep a small desktop clutter-free. Stack simple trays on top for items you want in sight and in mind, such as bills to pay and outgoing mail. Use a file box to hold items you need to access regularly such as receipts and contact information. Attach an inexpensive toothbrush-and-tumbler holder to the side of the desk to stash pens, pencils, and scissors. Hang S hooks for keys.

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Uncommon Uses

Loose papers and small items are the biggest challenges in a home office. Corral papers and mail in an unused bath cabinet mounted to the wall. The pegs offer extra space for hanging lunch boxes or clipboards. Store small items, such as labels, note cards, and ribbons, in a three-tier basket.

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Keep In Touch

Need a better way to keep track of your business cards? Look to this cheap home office storage idea. Rather than throwing cards into a drawer, contain them in a leftover mint box. It's the perfect size for keeping all of your contacts in one place. Don't know what to do with your own cards? Organize them in a separate container.

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Declutter a Desktop

Repurpose a toothbrush holder and soap dish to round up office essentials and keep your desktop and drawers clutter-free. For this cheap office storage idea, look for bathroom accessories to match office decor so you will be happy to leave them out on the desktop.

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Mini Compartments

This pan will do more than help you cook when you use it to compartmentalize office supplies. Use an inexpensive cupcake pan to organize small items that tend to get lost in drawers. If you buy the pan used or are using an old, stained pan, give it a quick upgrade with spray paint.

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Shower Organizer

Mount a low-cost shower caddy to the wall to stash home office supplies, bills, and mail or create gift central (shown here) by storing stationery and wrapping paper. Add ribbon to a wire canister to hang writing utensils from one of the hooks.

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Hanging Around

Take advantage of your wall space by turning it into storage. Hang clipboards, magnetic boards, and plain containers around the room. Each item is inexpensive and available at office supply stores.

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Mix and Match

Use small containers to compartmentalize office supplies. Shop the sale racks for storage items you can mix and match, and search for storage items in different sizes to accommodate all types of supplies.

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Can Do

Recycled soup cans make great holders for writing utensils. Install pan-head screws through the backs of the cans to mount them to the wall, or glue magnets to the back to stick them to a magnet board. Glue decorative paper to the outside for added color and style.

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Financial Planning

Keep your finances in order with food containers-turned-piggy banks. Disposable food containers are great for keeping track of loose change. Pick a denomination for each container and cut a slit in the lid. The containers also work for organizing paper clips, rubber bands, and other small office supplies.

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Write Stuff

Can't keep track of your writing utensils? Get them in line with a holder made from a cloth napkin. Fold over one-third of the napkin and sew the side edges. Then create the slim pockets by spacing seams 2 inches apart along the napkin's width.

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