Home Organization on a Budget: Accessories for less than $10
Think you have to break the bank to bust the clutter? Think again. Home organization for less is easy and achievable! These 10 home organization accessories — each less than $10 — will help you streamline your home and stay on budget.
13-Slot Accordion File Folders
This common office product can be used to file bills, greeting cards, recipes, articles or just about anything else you can think of. It’s all about how you label the sections. For example, make each section a month, and you’ve got a handy place to stash receipts and stubs after paying your bills; at the end of the year, store the entire folder with your tax return. Or label each section with a category (appetizer, entree, dessert) and file recipes. You can also label by category (health and fitness, hairstyles, home renovations) to store articles you want to read or save.
Hooks
This inexpensive hardware can tame the mess of jackets in the hall closet or the dress-up clothes in the playroom. Hooks keep your purse, keys and dog leashes handy at the door. And because they can be hung at varying heights, they’re great for short and tall people alike. The new Command hooks by 3M can even be removed in one piece without leaving a sticky residue. And the largest size holds up to seven and a half pounds!
Baskets
Made in every shape, size, shade and material, baskets no longer qualify as strictly country decor; finding designs to suit your style is easier than ever. These lidless beauties offer easy access but can quickly become catch-alls for clutter, so be sure to label them. Tie on a tag with ribbon if you’re not fond of sticker-type labels.
You can get the entire family organized by having one big basket per person in the mudroom for shoes, backpacks and umbrellas. Create a welcome basket by putting all those free samples in one place for use by your houseguests. Place a smaller basket near the TV for remotes and program guides, and use a larger one for grab-and-go snacks in the kitchen.
Under-Shelf Baskets
These nifty containers, which hang from existing shelves, allow you to make use of previously wasted space between the top of your canned goods, for example, and the shelf above. The baskets come in various depths, so you can use them to store everything from place mats to cookbooks.
Shelf Dividers
These inexpensive partitions help sort items so you don’t get conked in the head when you reach for something stuffed onto the top shelf of your closet. Dividers make room for shoes, purses, sweaters, games, even cookie sheets.
Stacking Shelves
These are ideal when you have the height but not necessarily the width for storage. The shelves come in widths ranging from extra small (six inches) to jumbo (more than a foot) and are made of heavy-gauge wire coated in plastic, rubber or stainless steel. They’re great for dishes, canned goods, spices, games, toys and craft supplies.
Drawer Organizers
These come in mesh or solid styles, with compartments for everything from rubber bands and paper clips to pencils, kitchen utensils and even makeup. A clean egg carton or box lids will also get the job done.
Closet Rod Doublers
This handy gadget does exactly what it says it will. The doubler hooks over your top closet rod to give you a second hanging bar underneath. In a child’s room, you can store rarely worn or out-of-season togs up top and keep everyday clothes within the little one’s reach. To function properly in an adult’s closet, the top bar must be at least 72 inches high. Rod doublers also work well in craft rooms for fabric and other supplies.
Photo Boxes
Pretty to look at, these help hide things in plain sight. Not only can acid-free boxes store and protect treasured photos, but they can also stash a year or two’s worth of bank statements and canceled checks. Large boxes fit souvenirs and children’s oversized art projects.
Mailboxes
Try planting a mailbox next to your garden, where you can tuck away frequently used tools. Stick another mailbox near the children’s play area for sidewalk chalk, jump ropes and other small items that are easily lost in the garage.
So dig out your loose change — these home organization solutions cost less than lunch out and will turn untidy rooms into clutter-free spaces in no time.
Mirrors are an effective decorating tool when placed in front of a vanity or the entrance to a house, enhancing the light in a room or reflecting candlelight, or making a space look larger than it is. They are also a great substitute for windows if few are present.
Hanging a substantial mirror can be a heavy task. Smaller mirrors should be hung the same way you hang other framed pieces. Purchase hooks according to their weight capacity, and use Molly bolts if necessary. Hang the mirror so that it is comfortably at eye level if it will be used in a dressing area or bathroom. Hanging multiple mirrors in a group, perhaps with different frames and in different sizes, allows heights to be staggered or symmetrical.
According to the principles of Feng Shui, placing a mirror inside the front door will confuse any “evil spirits” attempting to enter your home. Read more…
Your guide to buying the best mattress - from budget to luxury - we offer tips and advice on what to look for in a bed!
Mattress types
There are so many mattresses on the market that choosing a new one can seem overwhelming. Each manufacturer bedazzles with new technology and marketing speak, making it practically impossible to weigh up comparable products between brands – unless you bring it down to basics. Keep in mind there are predominately four types of mattresses to choose from, so once you know what you like you can limit your search to that style and then select the appropriate bells and whistles.
Inner-spring
These are the most common mattresses sold in Australia. It’s the spring system that provides support, so it’s important to check the quality of the springs and the way they’re arranged. Pocket spring systems, where the springs are independent of each other, are generally considered the best. It’s the padding surrounding the springs that supplies the comfort. Many manufacturers will use the same spring system and then vary the padding to provide a range of different mattresses. Confusingly, a particular model produced by a manufacturer may be listed under different names at various retailers, making it hard to compare prices.
Latex
Latex is a natural hypo-allergenic material made from the sap of rubber trees. Good latex mattresses have pin-core holes incorporated into the design that allow them to breathe. Latex mattresses curve to the shape of your body, minimising gaps between you and the mattress and providing a great cushioning experience. Quality latex matresses are expensive, but can last up to 25 years. Plus, they’re good for allergy sufferers as they are much less attractive to dust mites than traditional spring styles.
Memory Foam
Also known as viscoelastic foam, memory foam was originally created by NASA to be used in astronauts’ seats to soak up g-forces. It’s made from polyurethane and conforms to the shape of your body. It takes about 15 minutes to fully respond to your body’s warmth and doesn’t spring back like regular foam. Some testers have reported lying on this type of mattress felt like floating, as it supports high-load areas such as hips and shoulders, while others said the experience was more like being bogged in wet sand. There is concern that memory foam may retain too much heat to be comfortable, but some manufacturers are incorporating new, ‘temperature neutral’ materials into their designs.
Pillow Tops
Pillow tops are inner-spring or latex mattresses that have a top layer of another material, such as feathers, memory foam or latex, to provide a luxurious cushion, which they undoubtedly do – at first. The problem with pillow tops is the upper layer tends to wear out faster than the mattress. Consider buying a separate pillow top, known as a mattress topper or overlay, and fitting it onto your mattress if this is the way you want to go. Pillow-top mattresses are not to be confused with memory-foam ones, which are designed to have two layers and will wear evenly.
Sizing
Standard Australian mattress sizing is as follows:
- Single: 92cm x 188cm
- Single extra long: 92cm x 203cm
- King single: 107cm x 203cm
- Double: 138cm x 188cm
- Queen: 153cm x 203cm
- King: 183cm x 203cm
Buying wallpaper can be very frustrating. There are hundreds of thousands of designs available, each with their own unique color, print, and pattern. While you could flip through wallpaper sample pages one-by-one, it’s likely that you’ll spend hours leafing through wallpaper books and not find a sample you like. Here are a few tips to make your wallpaper shopping experience more enjoyable.
Picking out the Perfect Wallpaper
One of the biggest tips we can offer you is to bring samples of all other colors with you. This could mean color swatches of paint, a sample of your flooring, and even developed photos of your furniture, accents, and appliances. Remember when bringing color swatches that the color of your baseboard, chair rail, crown moulding, and ceiling are also important. Many people believe that these pieces are “pure white”, only to be surprised that an undesirable color tone is highlighted by their wallpaper selection.
Don’t be afraid to ask a salesperson for help. Wallpaper shoppers rarely find a wallpaper they like on the first trip, so there won’t be a lot of pressure to make a purchase immediately. The salesperson knows exactly how the sample books are organized, and which manufacturers are producing the most popular designs. If your dream wallpaper involves a print of a white Shetland pony on a mauve background, let the salesperson know! They might have that exact concoction nestled in one of their sample books…
What You Should Know about Buying Wallpaper
Once you find a wallpaper you like, be sure to find out the particulars about the wallpaper’s match and paste requirements. A drop match wallpaper will be considerably more difficult to hang than straight match wallpaper. You are also going to have to bring a semi-professional room diagram to the store. See our special feature on drawing a room diagram for help. Once you have your room diagram figured out, calculating your square footage should be a simple step. Your salesperson should be able to help you calculate the appropriate number of rolls needed.
Pro Tip: Check the return policy of your wallpaper store prior to ordering. If the store allows for the return of unopened rolls, consider buying additional materials to make up for any waste, especially if the pattern is difficult to match. Remember that drop match wallpaper wastes a considerable section of the wallpaper per row and buy extra if funds permit. Remember that a roll of wallpaper in your particular dye plot may never become available again, so make provisions to have extras.
Something that you may notice is that wallpaper is priced per roll, but usually sold in quantities no smaller than a double roll. This is part marketing gimmick, and also partially due to changing building standards. A single roll has just enough length to cover a 7′ high wall twice if you are using a tall baseboard and crown moulding and you are an expert wallpaper installer. If you don’t fall inside this narrow criteria, then a single roll of wallpaper will give you enough paper to lay down a single 27″ strip and 5′ worth of waste. For this reason, most stores sell double rolls only.
At this point, you should be ready to buy your wallpaper! Remember to check the dye lots on your wallpaper prior to opening any of the rolls, and to read the instructions (even the pros do) before starting any kind of hanging. Your wallpaper salesperson may be able to recommend an installer for you if you’re determined to get a magazine quality look. Happy hanging!