Dollar store plastic cups, labelled and placed in a basket, serve as convenient organizers for cables and batteries.
A craft organizer, also from the dollar store, holds thumb drives and various adapters.
Take some time to wander the aisles of your local dollar store. It's full of great ways to organize on the cheap if you are willing to take the time and think outside of the box a little!
[This post is part of a series called 31 Days to an Organized Home. Click here to see what the series is all about and a list of all the posts so far!]
Ok, so now I am getting jealous of your creativity!! All of our stuff is in a plastic shoebox stuffed under our charging station. I have a lot of baskets....so going to do this!! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteWow, what an easy and clever idea! We also use a shoe box which is disorganised and one big tangled mess most of the time. I love the idea of using labeled cups. This is totally on my to do list. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletegood stuff! Any idea on what to do with the rats nest of power cords we shove in a drawer? When it comes time to charge the ipod or download a photo it's a mess!! :)
ReplyDeletethanks and love the series!
Julie
I buy a bunch of hair ties (ponytail holders) with no metal on them and wrap one around the folded up cord a couple/few times and it works for all the different thicknesses of wires. I have the hair ties on a carabiner in my desk drawer. I use these to keep appliance cords from going everywhere as well.
DeleteExcellent! Very organized and creative!
ReplyDeleteBecky B.
www.organizingmadefun.com
Organizing Made Fun
For our power cords I use those twist ties (the ones off your bread bags) and fold the cords and twist tie them up. Or if you have a store with bulk bins that have the twist ties that you write down the number on, those are even better because you can label what the power cord is for on it. Or for things you open and close often (like my curling irons or straightener) I made little rectangles of fabric with velcro sewn on to them. They just wrap around the folded up cord and velcro shut.
ReplyDeleteI also put power cords in those shoes organisers that hang behind doors with numerous pockets and then label the cord or the pocket
ReplyDeleteI must tell you that after 10 years of marriage, 2 kids, and an inward desire to be organized at home, I am giddy with excitement over finding your advice! I am organized at work (I teach) where I am the only one placing things (that DO each have a home!) where they belong, but have never been able to get organized at home...not for lack of trying! I am SO excited to get started organizing and can't wait to read the next 10 blogs! Thank you!! (P.S. My husband will thank you as well when he can finally find all his electronics, cords, etc. that I am always 'putting away' and not remembering where...:)
ReplyDeleteFor organizing cords you can use coin rolls or toilet paper tubes (depending on the size of the cord) which are easily covered with wrapping or scrapbooking paper to make them pretty.
ReplyDeleteI'm married to a techie, so a way a new to organize all those cords and drives is so great! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLove the plastic cups idea. I lost your blog for a week, was so sad. So glad to have found it on one computer's history!
ReplyDeleteWow!! Every organization blog/website/link I have ever been to before only tackles the big things that I already have taken care of...you actually address some of the clutter things that I just haven't gotten around to sorting...the things that actually bug me...like batteries, for goodness sake. We go through so many of them in this house and I always have a stash of them but I never thought to actually stop and make a "home" for them. Great idea!
ReplyDeletePlease tell me you will always share with us your amazing ideas!!
ReplyDeleteLove your organization ideas! I am so doing this!
ReplyDeleteMs. McBee’s Kinderbugs
@julie We also use a shoe box! I will be working on this tomorrow:P
ReplyDeleteYou are my life saver! My husband is a video game fanatic and I am forever using some different wire for my camera or some other gadget. I have a drawer of wires and bobbles and my batteries are just sitting on the table because I hate hearing "My mouse is dieing where are the batteries?" This is happening asap.
ReplyDeleteSo smart! I wish I had that few wires. My hubs is a computer man and we have three huge boxes of cables!!!
ReplyDeleteWe could have a whole room dedicated to cables and computer parts... I'm jealous of the lack of wires shown above. That's the one thing that I'm not allowed to get rid of because you never know when you are going to need an original green-screen Macintosh monitor...
DeleteThis is SO clever. I'm going to do it for my husband's guitar doodads, too!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe someone didn't come up with this idea earlier, and that it took me this long to read about how to make wires less ugly/hazardous (it's possible that in the past 2 weeks I've tripped over cables and cord in our house no less that 8 times. Not. Kidding.)
ReplyDeleteThe post about these clips/wire wrangling things will change your life. http://www.talknerdytome.net/2010/03/concealing-wires-new-option.html
Thanks for this cords and batteries idea! I have THE scariest box and I thought there was no hope for it....but now,....now!!! I"m gonna dollar store it into greatness!!!! Goodbye scary box! Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this cords and batteries idea! I have THE scariest box and I thought there was no hope for it....but now,....now!!! I"m gonna dollar store it into greatness!!!! Goodbye scary box! Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to simplify my "things" and this blog will really help! I am the worst at putting things away and forgetting about them! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeletemy husband is actually a computer geek so we have tons and tons of wire that comes handy once in a while. So we keep ours in plastic ziploc bags he knows how its organized i never really understood but when he needs something it takes a few seconds and hop he has it! I do love this idea tho for other stuff that i might want to be able to find more easily. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I'm going to do this; Used to put everything under "electronics" inside a toolbox. This one's cuter ;D and simpler to do
ReplyDelete