Creative and Affordable Ways to Organize Your Home

Reorganizing your personal space can reduce stress and improve your mood

Organizing your house brings so many benefits. Not only is it easier to find things, but you'll have more space to just relax, breathe and enjoy your home. In fact, decluttering can create quite a few psychological boosts. Without clutter's distraction, you can focus better, feel less irritable and stressed and become more productive overall.¹

But even if you know all this, organizing your home might still feel a little daunting. Here are some tips to help you declutter creatively, and in ways that won't break the bank.

If you're overwhelmed, start out by planning exactly how you will tackle organizing your home. For example, you might decide to start small with just one pile of clutter or one room and move on from there.¹

You might find decluttering easier if you follow a professional's technique, such as the KonMari Method.

This approach is fairly simple. You'll declutter by category rather than location (such as decluttering clothes first and sentimental items last.) Instead of choosing what to get rid of, you'll focus on what to keep. An item should only be kept if it "sparks joy" or speaks to your heart in some way.²

If you're having trouble letting things go, add purpose to your work. For example, if you need a little extra cash, you can sell some items in a garage sale or online marketplace.

If you have items that are in good condition and you feel bad about letting them go, consider donating them. This way, you're not only helping yourself, but you're helping others too.¹

A creative way to utilize the space you have is by investing in furniture with built-in storage. You can often find inexpensive ottomans, benches or even tables that come with hidden compartments for storage.³

Repurpose old furniture you were thinking of throwing out, and give it a new storage purpose. For example, a chest of drawers can often be turned into a shoe and purse rack. Just repaint the outside, remove the drawers and reinstall the shelves to the heights you need.⁴

Or turn an old nightstand into a beverage station by sanding and repainting it, sealing it with an acrylic sealer. Add wallpaper to the back and hardware for hanging wine glasses or holding wine bottles.⁴

With a little creativity, you can repurpose a lot of items and use them to help achieve your organization goals.

You'll discover more storage opportunities if you turn your eye to optimizing your vertical space. For example, install hanging baskets on a narrow wall or add towel racks to the back of your bathroom door. Install drawers under your sink for extra storage or add floating shelves where you have unused wall space going to waste. Even a ladder or peg board can be repurposed for storage.⁵

In your kitchen, try adding vertical partitions in your cabinets to better separate baking sheets, cutting boards and even pans.⁶

A little creativity can make your home an organized and attractive space without spending a lot of extra money.

• Wood crates are cheap and can be repurposed into a bookshelf. Just set them up securely, using screws to attach the crates to each other and studs to attach them to walls.⁴
• If paperwork and mail are creating clutter, repurpose a basket that's designated specifically for these items.⁶
• Use clear containers to store pantry items like sugar, flour and cereal. If you have extra mason jars, use them for smaller items.⁷
• Use a lazy susan to make more space in your kitchen for spices or sauces.⁷

Setting up a seasonal rotation for clothing or home decor can help save space and keep things feeling fresh. First, toss out the clothes or decor you no longer use. Then store out-of-season items in a designated bin in a cool, dark place.⁸

You can take a similar approach to children's toys to save space and keep the toys feeling new. Divide them into groups, storing the unused items in a bin, and rotate them every month.⁹

You'd be surprised how much space you can save by leaning into the digital world. Grocery shopping apps can alert you to when food is expiring, so you don't have to search for it. And subscribing to digital magazines can save a lot of space.

But perhaps the best method is digitizing your paperwork and documents to reduce physical clutter. You'll need a scanner (there are even apps that can turn your phone into a scanner) and a cloud backup account to ensure that if your computer dies, your files aren't lost. This is also a good time to go paperless on all your bills.¹⁰

Adopting a minimalist mindset can help ensure you don't accumulate clutter again in the future. Here are some tips for getting started:

• Get rid of knick-knacks and focus on one statement piece per room instead.¹¹
• Adopt a "one in, two out" or "one in, one out" rule. For every new item of clothing, furniture or decor you buy, one or two should be donated.¹²
• Set up a schedule for decluttering every year (and your refrigerator weekly).¹²
• Focus on having clear surfaces and a designated space for every item.¹²

Organizing your home may seem daunting, but the task will feel achievable once you have a plan in place. Try starting small, focusing on keeping items that "spark joy." And remember that you can donate items in good condition, and someone else may treasure them even more than you did.

If you start organizing your home today, you'll clear the way for a happier, more stress-free living environment tomorrow.

(https://www.synchrony.com/financing/home/cardholder) can help you purchase things you need for organizing your home. Use the Synchrony Home locator (https://www.synchrony.com/financing/home/locations) to find Synchrony HOME retail partners in your area that may have special offers for cardholders.*

*Subject to credit approval.