Budget Friendly Storage

I've been slowly working on giving my closet office an update since it looks like...well, a closet. It's cluttered, messy and really has no aesthetic appeal. Every time I sit down to work, I'm so distracted by the mess that I can't get much done. Unfortunately, our budget hasn't allowed for a full-scale renovation so I've been on the hunt for affordable storage and easy DIY projects for my décor.

I don't shop at the Dollar General often, but I'll occasionally pop in there and see if there is anything that catches my eye. This week, I happened across these adorable decorative storage boxes. They are pretty sturdy and I couldn't believe the price. The boxes ranged from $2.00 -$4.00 each. The entire set cost me $8.50.  They are not big enough to store paper or anything like that, but we keep a number of odds and ends in my office. We've actually been storing our batteries in a recycled baby formula container and quite frankly its hideous. This is quite the upgrade.



If you need a cheaper price than that, you can always make storage yourself using recycled materials. We buy all of our diapers in bulk so I usually have an empty box kicking around the house. I used an exacto knife to cut off the flaps along the top. Using scrapbook paper and tacky glue, I covered the outside and inside edges. It took less than 10 minutes, but looks great on a
shelf.

      




Or if you have some basic crocheting skills, you can make your own basket. I used a thick wool, doubled up the strands and followed an easy pattern I found on Pinterest to make a basket for the dog toys. It's a bit floppy, but I'm sure if I sprayed it with starch it would stiffen up quite nice.