8 Ways to Organize a Small Home on a Budget

Looking for inexpensive ways to maximize the space in your home? Learn how these simple tips and tricks will help you organize a small home on a budget.

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There’s no doubt about it trying to organize a small home with limited storage space can be challenging. I have lived in a small home for the last 20 years. Although it has been a struggle at times finding a place for everything and avoiding clutter, I have been able to find creative ways to keep our home organized over the years.

There are so many benefits to living in a small space. Some days though it may be hard to appreciate when all you see are big, beautiful houses all over social media. I spent many years wishing for a bigger home until one day I stopped to really think about all the advantages our small home provides.

Benefits of Living in a Small Home

It can save you money– generally, it costs less to live in a small house, your mortgage payments will be smaller, your electricity bill isn’t as high. You are able to use the extra money for other things instead, such as paying off debt, building up savings, or traveling.
There is less space to clean- a smaller home means less time cleaning your home. This is especially true if you set up cleaning routines that will help you keep your home clean on a consistent basis.
You learn to live with intention- when you live in a small home, you learn to live more simply. You are aware of what is being brought into the home, because of the limited space. This means you have to think carefully about what deserves space in your home.
Spending more time with family- living in a small house may actually encourage family members to spend more time together because there are fewer rooms to be in. You may find that it opens the lines of communication because you are in such close proximity to each other all the time.

I have a sign with these words from a song by Doug Stone in my kitchen as a reminder every day to appreciate our small home.

Although living in a small home does present some challenges there are so many benefits especially if you can find creative ways to maximize your space. Here are some of the best ways that I have found to organize a small home without having to spend a lot of money in the process.

8 Ways to Organize a Small Home on A Budget

Declutter

It can be extremely difficult living in a small space if you have too much stuff. When your home is filled with clutter, it can actually make it look smaller than it is which is the last thing you want when living in a small home.

This is why it’s so important to declutter before you even start to organize your home. When you have limited space, you need to prioritize every item in your home and only keep what you will actually use. Ask yourself if you really need three different types of can openers or 6 different kinds of spatulas or mixing spoons. Only keep what you love and use frequently.

It took me a really long time to be able to let go of things in my home because I always had the mindset that I might need them someday. Let’s just say the little amount of storage space we had, was filled with stuff I never used. I finally decided enough was enough. And asked myself why waste space when we had so little, to begin with.

If you are like I was, holding on to things, or not knowing where to begin because the clutter has gotten so out of control and you feel overwhelmed then these decluttering tips may motivate you to get started.

A few things to keep in mind when you are decluttering a small home.

Take it at your own pace– if you are ready to jump right it in, that’s great! Here are 106 easy things you can start decluttering or you could start a declutter challenge. But, if you are struggling, start small. Try and make a goal to declutter one small thing every day such as a drawer or one shelf in your cabinet. Find what works for you.
Use the 6-month rule– when you start decluttering, you may have a hard time figuring out what to get rid of. Ask yourself if you have used the item or even thought about it in the last 6 months. If not, then get rid of it.
Stay on top of the clutter– Once you have taken the time to declutter, it will literally feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t mean you are done. When you live in a small house you need to purge regularly because clutter has a way of creeping back in.

Everything should have a place

Clutter has a tendency to pile up more easily if there isn’t a place for things to go. That is why it’s so important that everything has a home. Look around your home for old baskets or totes that are not being used and repurpose them to save money.

When organizing your kitchen cabinets, think about the accessibility of each item. So, for example, keep your glassware closest to the fridge, your bakeware near your oven, and spices close to your stove.

If you don’t have a coat closet, hang some hooks near your door for coats and place a bin or a basket to hold shoes.

The goal is simply to make the most of your small home, so by ensuring everything has a specific spot then it reduces the likelihood that clutter will build up.

Use vertical space

When you have a small home then the best thing you can do is to go up and take advantage of all the vertical space that you have.

We have shelves above windows and doors in our home to take advantage of the extra wall space. You can also use tall bookshelves and add storage cubes for additional storage. This allows you to use all available space but it still looks tidy.

If you are looking to add a lot more space to a wall in your home, you can buy some storage cube units to stack on top of each other. This is an easy way to create more space in your home to keep the clutter under control.

Take advantage of every nook and cranny

When you have limited space you need to take advantage of every possible inch of your home. Here are a few ways that I have made the most of every nook and cranny.

Kitchen

Use the top of the fridge for extra storage.
Hang up your pots and pans (we attached hooks to a stained board over our sink to save space in the cabinets).
Pick up some can storage organizers from Dollar Tree to organize your canned goods.
Use hooks on the bottoms of shelves to hang mugs.
Put storage bins in your pantry or food cupboard to store snacks and other food.
Hang hooks on cupboard doors to hold measuring cups or measuring spoons. You can also hang up tongs, spatulas, spoons, or whisks if you don’t have a lot of drawer space.
Make a Dollar Store Lazy Susan (The Country Chic Cottage) and put it in your pantry or cupboard. Not enough space in your cupboard? Pick up small containers from the dollar store and glue magnets on the back, fill them with your favorite spices, and stick them to your fridge for easy access.
Use drawer organizers from the Dollar Store for your utensil drawer.

Livingroom

Use storage ottomans. I love these! They are great for holding games, movies, video games, and accessories or extra blankets.
Invest in an inexpensive storage cube unit and use these storage cubes if you have limited space for a place to keep your child’s books and toys. If you are looking for something cheaper, pick up a mesh pop-up laundry basket from Walmart to store extra toys.
Get a small basket to hold remote controls or put velcro on them and attach them to coffee tables or end tables to keep them out of sight when they are not in use.

Bedroom

Invest in some bed risers and use under-the-bed storage options to hold your seasonal clothes.
Get a storage bench for the end of your bed to hold extra pillows and blankets.
Use a toy hammock to hold stuffed animals in your kid’s bedroom.
Utilize more closet space by placing a dresser inside or adding more shelves for extra storage.
Use corner shelves in your bedroom instead of a nightstand or use bookshelves in place of a headboard for extra storage space.
Use space-saving clothes hangers in your closet.

Bathroom

Pick up some glass jars from the dollar store to hold items such as cotton swabs or cotton balls.
Hang wall hooks for towels.
Get some inexpensive storage bags to store makeup and accessories.
Attach baskets to the wall to hold extra toilet paper and toiletries.

Use over-the-door organizers

When you live in a small home, you are always on the lookout for creative ways to make the best use of the limited storage space you have. Over-the-door organizers are the perfect solution for this because you can put them on the back of every door you have to create more space in your home.

In our kitchen, we have an over-the-door organizer on our cellar door. I change it up throughout the year but these are some of the things that we store in the organizer.

mittens and hats (winter)
cleaning supplies
microfiber cleaning cloths
extra umbrellas
reusable grocery bags
extra garbage bags

In the bedroom, you can use an over-the-door organizer for:

accessories like belts and scarves.
small toys in a kid’s room
label pouches with the days of the week and put outfits inside for your children to grab in the morning to wear.

In the bathroom, there are so many uses for an over-the-door organizer:

extra toilet paper
cleaning products
extra body and hair care items.
washcloths or hand towels rolled up

Use a command center

Put together a command center. It doesn’t have to be elaborate as long as it’s functional and works well for your family.

How to set up a command center

Start with a simple dry-erase calendar that you can put on your fridge so that everyone can see any activities or important appointments.
Get a mail organizer for bills, important papers, and mail you want to keep out.
Pick up an inexpensive binder to store your child’s school papers. I have a binder with three folders inside, one for each child, and an extra for household information.
Then, add a menu planner and a notepad with a shopping list to write down what you need to buy and to keep track of your weekly dinner ideas.

Keep your home tidy

Establish cleaning routines that will not only keep your home clean but also tidy so that things are going back to their proper home. Make a rule that if someone is leaving a room and they have brought something in then they must take it back out with them.

When you have a small home, picking up after yourself is crucial otherwise clutter can easily start to accumulate and quickly get out of control.

Learn how to create easy cleaning routines that work:

Quick Tip– Before you go to bed at night, do a quick tidy of your main living space. Fold any blankets, straighten the pillows, and take care of any dishes. Have a tote or basket handy if your kids are small, so there is a place for their toys to go.

Prioritize everything

Once you’ve decluttered and started adding additional storage in your home, you may look around and be excited at all the space that you never knew existed. Everything has a home and it’s organized and tidy. But, clutter can quickly start to build back up which is why if you live in a small house you have to prioritize everything.

You really need to think about what you are bringing into your home. If you decide to purchase something new, then get rid of the old item it’s replacing. Don’t hold on to duplicates they just take up space that you don’t have when living in a small home. Ideally, the goal is when you bring something into your home, you need to take something out that you are not using anymore.

When you live in a small home, you learn to live better with less. Your home should be a place that you feel comfortable in but also proud of. By using these simple organizing tips, you will not only learn to love but appreciate your small home and all it has to offer.

You may like: 30 Frugal Living Ideas for Beginners

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