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  5. Home Office Storage on a Dime

Home Office Storage on a Dime

February 19, 2016
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colorful and organized home office
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

colorful and organized home office

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.

  • Our Best Home Office Storage Ideas

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Antique Office Storage

monogram mug with pencils

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

desktop office supplies organization

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

Supply and Demand, storage, organization

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

desk area

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.

  • Home Office Ideas for Papers, Receipts, and Bills

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Contain It

101672371.jpg

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

electronic storage

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.

  • Repurpose Items for Organization

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Go-Anywhere Office

organizational caddy with files and paper

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

wall storage

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

Magnetic memo board

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

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

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.

  • DIY Calendar Ideas

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Drop Zone

Small Desk

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

fruit basket to desk organizer

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

Mint tin with insides covered with paper

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

Toothbrush holder

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

muffin tin organizer

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

Shower caddy

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.

  • Gift Wrap Storage

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Hanging Around

clipboard to wall storage

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

home office with green wall

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

tin cans to pencil holders

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

disposible containters to change/tiny supply storage

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

napkin to pencil holder

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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Everything in This Slideshow

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1 of 23 Take Note
2 of 23 Antique Office Storage
3 of 23 Extra Shelf
4 of 23 Back-Of-Door Storage
5 of 23 Mail Center
6 of 23 Contain It
7 of 23 New Uses
8 of 23 Go-Anywhere Office
9 of 23 Carting Around
10 of 23 Magnetic Pull
11 of 23 Bookend Solution
12 of 23 Scheduling Assistant
13 of 23 Drop Zone
14 of 23 Uncommon Uses
15 of 23 Keep In Touch
16 of 23 Declutter a Desktop
17 of 23 Mini Compartments
18 of 23 Shower Organizer
19 of 23 Hanging Around
20 of 23 Mix and Match
21 of 23 Can Do
22 of 23 Financial Planning
23 of 23 Write Stuff

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Home Office Storage on a Dime
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