Drawers
by Stacey Agin Murray

Photos: Lanola Kathlen Stone, Styling: Lee Chipman, Assistant: Amy Moe

At last, it’s summertime! The sun is shining, the burgers are grilling, and you’ve finally traded in your boots for flip-flops. Many people choose the summer as a time to get their homes organized. But not everyone wants to be inside on a sunny day—I understand! That’s why I often advise “summertime organizers” to start off with a small organizing project. That way it’s possible to balance beach time with organizing time. A small area in your home, and an easy place to begin organizing, is a drawer—and I’ll bet your drawers could probably use some sorting, purging, and rearranging. Spending fifteen minutes a day on this task will have your drawers in order and make simple activities like cooking and getting dressed in the morning easier and more pleasant to complete.

The first step towards getting your drawers organized is to remove all items from the drawer and sort them into categories (i.e. color, size, usage). The second step is to purge out the items you no longer want or need (anything broken beyond repair, expired, multiples). When you’ve returned all the surviving items to the drawer, it’s time to get help from products that will further organize the contents of your drawers, making it even easier to find the things you need when you need them.

If you’re saving for that perfect summer getaway and don’t have much cash to spend on organizing products, that’s okay. Getting yourself organized does not have to be a budget-busting activity. Organizing products can be as expensive or as low cost as your checkbook permits—and in many instances, FREE! After all, being organized is not about the bins and containers.

So, what can be done to keep your drawers organized and your piggy bank full? I know you’re tempted to go shopping, but don’t take one step outside until you’ve first looked around your house.

Here are a few objects that can function as free drawer organizers:

SHOE BOXES
These can be from a shoe store or your personal collection. Use them to divide the space in a deep drawer. They’re great for separating different colored socks and undergarments. (And if you want to get fancy, you can always cover the box with contact paper or wallpaper.)

*Tip: Use children’s shoeboxes if you require more separators or are dividing up a smaller drawer.

BANK CHECK BOXES
Bank check boxes make great drawer dividers. Not only are they perfectly sized for compartmentalizing most drawers, they’re also ideal because they have two usable pieces to them—the box and the lid. Use bank check boxes in a desk drawer to hold items such as rubber bands, pens, and different sized batteries. Use them in a kitchen drawer to hold small gadgets that would otherwise get buried under larger utensils.

CARDBOARD ROLLS
Rolls from the centers of toilet paper and paper towels make fun ‘telescopes’ for kids, but they also function well for neatly storing wires—and who doesn’t have an unruly wire or two around his or her house that needs taming? Extension cords, wires for a digital camera or video recorder, electrical cables—all can be stored inside a cardboard roll. If the wire is short, just bunch it up and stick it in the cardboard roll. If it’s longer, loop it through the roll several times, then label the cardboard roll using a black marker and place these ‘wire holders’ in a drawer for easy access.

BABY FOOD CONTAINERS
Know anyone with a baby starting to eat solid food? Baby food containers are perfect for holding small items such as paper clips or twist ties in a drawer. Don’t know a new parent? Watch the supermarket circular for a sale. I’ve found baby food on sale 4/$1 — that’s a pretty inexpensive plastic or glass container. (Buy pureed carrots or squash if you’re planning on making soup…)

Don’t have any of the above items in your home? Ask friends, neighbors, or coworkers if they have what you need. Tell them what you’re using them for—they’ll be intrigued, if not impressed, by your creativity and thrifty ways! Since you’ve saved some money by organizing your drawers with free products, here are two examples of LOW-COST products that can be used as drawer organizers:

And if all else fails…
Cardboard + Utility Knife +
Tape Measure + A Half Hour
of Your Time = Free Custom-
Made Drawer Dividers

ICE CUBE TRAYS
Got small stuff that needs separating? Try using an ice cube tray for storing rings, earrings, safety pins, or craft supplies such as beads or small scrapbooking items. Average cost: $1-$10 per tray.

ZIPLOC BAGS
An organized person’s best friend! They come in a variety of colors and sizes and are good for containing any items you want to group in a drawer. Average cost: $.79-$3.69 per box. So, what can be done to keep your drawers organized and your piggy bank full? I know you’re tempted to go shopping, but don’t take one step outside until you’ve first looked around your house.

If you’ve still got money to burn or are really dying to shop, here’s my suggestion for a BIG SPLURGE: the Expandable Drawer Organizer.

This product creates compartments and adjusts to your drawer’s specifications for a custom fit. Expandable Drawer Organizers are often used to divide drawers for cooking utensils, office supplies and best of all - junk drawers. (Yes, it’s okay to have a junk drawer—as long as it’s organized.) Average cost: $10-$20 per unit.

Getting organized does not have to be a pricey endeavor. By thinking ‘out of the box’ (or ‘out of the drawer’ as the case may be) you can create your own organizing products and use that extra cash to help celebrate your newfound feeling of organization. |O

Stacey Agin Murray

Stacey Agin Murray is a professional organizer residing in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Visit her Web site at www.organizedartistry.com for more information.