Creative Storage Solutions

When the things in your home start crowding in around you and youre short on cash, its time to come up with some creative storage solutions. Dont be afraid to think "out of the box". Youre the only one who has to know where everything is stored.

- A cedar chest can be used for blanket storage. I dont have enough cupboard space for blankets, and they all fit nicely in the chest. The chest also doubles as a coffee table in the living room. The blankets are easily accessible and can easily be folded up and put away at a moments notice.

- My daughter and I found an old apple crate fruit labels still attached with a shelf built into it at a yard sale for about $5. The crate is a great storage area for books and doubles as a nightstand.

- An old china cupboard displays dishes I didnt want to hide away in the kitchen cupboards and also provides extra storage space for linens and silverware. This cabinet was found neglected in grandmas basement and was brought back to life with a little sanding and new paint. It is now a beautiful addition to our dining room.

- Large plastic containers are great for organizing kids rooms. My daughter had a lot of "stuff" stashed all over her room, and we gathered it all up and put all her arts and crafts supplies in one big container, and her writing materials in another. Homework is organized in a plastic container set up as a file organizer, organized by subject.

- Look outside for creative storage ideas. We had to clean out our spare bedroom and had no idea where to put our camping equipment. We dont have a garage or a shed, so an old camper shell turned out to be the perfect solution. All our camping gear fit into it with room to spare, freeing up more room in the house.

- Organize seasonal decorations in large plastic containers. Plastic wears better than cardboard and if you buy similarly sized containers, they will stack easily and be easy to store.

- A long flat underbed-type plastic storage container is great for organizing holiday gift wrap. With the wrapping paper I store scissors, tape, gift bags, ribbon, bows, and extra cards. This container fits perfectly under one of our living room couches and all my gift-giving supplies are together in one place!

- Shop for furniture that doubles as extra storage space. We bought a cabinet for my husbands 55 gallon aquarium and the entire bottom part of the cabinet is open for approximately six feet of additional storage space.