Today I want to talk about the “lazy” way of organizing — open bins. It is a GREAT way to use vertical space, and make it easy for you and your family to put things away!
I am a “throw it back” kind of a gal. I mean, sure — I tend to have the facade that I love stuff organized, and I do, but I really like to just throw things back. Rather than pull the bin out, remove the lid, replace the item, put away.
Yuck.
Who wants to do all THAT work?
So, open bins have been the answer to my needs.
I found both of these sets at Goodwill. I think I paid 3 bucks for each set. Did I mention I love Goodwill?
If you can’t find them at Goodwill there are plenty of bins on Amazon. Both big and small.
Btw, if you’re looking for the easy ways to organize? I totally get that. Everything changed when I implemented the things in this course. Simple tips to make organizing the things you love easier!
Stop having to look for your lost keys, library book or that document you REALLY need and spend more time relaxing and enjoying your life. Sound good?
Ok.
Back to bins. My favorites.
Here is our new snack bin. I used to have an old cardboard box, that was doing an alright job – but the kids had to slide it in and out to get to the treats, and that never happened — so I just had an ugly box hanging out of my pantry.
Ew.
And voila, the new snack bin:
So, the top one is for lunch snacks. They are allowed one snack out of here each day. They tend to be a little more sugary-goodness… a treat bin more than a snack bin (want to learn more about school lunches — I share all my secrets here).
2022 update: A few months after having this, I installed separators for kids because some were claiming that SOME got more than OTHERS, so I wanted to stop that.
The bottom bin is where I am pulling my bulk grains. Right now it has brown rice, cornmeal, flax seed and Chia seed. Don’t I sound healthy? 😀
Then, I also changed my bathroom into open bins, about 6 months ago. I love it so much I could die right now happy. 🙂 Of course, I wouldn’t — because I have all these drugs:
Prior to this, each of these items was in a shoe box. It just wasn’t happening. This is SO much easier!
Plus, because these are bins — I harken back to last week’s informational tip and I just pull the bins out to get at the bulk vitamin containers that are behind them. Easy peasy.
This type of system also really makes use of vertical organization in a way that is still easy to put things back and grab them!
Do you have a way that you store your drugs that you love? I have a whole post on medicine cabinet organization.
I sort of feel like bins get a “bad rap”. Are they pretty? No. Which is why you don’t see a lot of “intagram organizers” using them — they don’t make cute pictures!
Would I have them in my front room? Probably no.
But especially in closets, they can be awesome. They’re cheap, they’re easy to use (ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS) and they can hold a lot! BTW I have a whole post on closet organization on a budget.
So, think about where YOU can use bins in your own life.
Easy organization is truly where its at, amIright?
- Systems that are EASY TO CREATE
- Systems that are easy to maintain
Bins do both of those things.
And if you want a whole course with easy organization and ideas for you to simplify it all in your house, check this out.
No more wondering where your important stuff is, or cleaning all day (or freaking out when you find out you’re having unexpected guests). You can even save 10% with code PC10.
Or, if you aren’t quite ready for a full class, I have a 5-word organization challenge:
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