Storage Ideas for Small Spaces

A cluttered room is often the result of living or working in a small space.  As stuff accumulates, the room will quickly look like a dump with over-flowing shelves and stacks piled up in the corner.  Working in an office full of papers piled in boxes and every corner occupied with mounds of stuff is often not a comfortable place to work.  In addition, it sends the message to clients that you are not very organized.

Here are some ideas to make the most of the space you do have with little money:

1. Snap and go plastic shelves that you put together yourself can be an affordable way to get items off the floor and into some kind of order.
2. Bankers boxes for magazines can help keep them neat and orderly. These letter-sized boxes can also be used for daily files that require easy access.  They don’t take up much space and can be put right on your plastic shelves.
3. File cabinets.  They can be expensive.  However, you can get them used at thrift stores for about 20 dollars.  Just keep your eye open for those good deals.  Network and get old file cabinets from other businesses.  People throw out file cabinets all the time as they upgrade to new ones. You can put more than just files in your filing cabinets.  You can put extra supplies such as copy paper, packing tape, scissors and extra computer cords to get them out of your way and save space in your desk area.
4. Store extra folding tables and folding chairs in the closet and bring them out only when needed.  You can save a lot of space by storing things that aren’t used daily and bringing them out only when needed.  There is no need to have a lot of extra chairs around if you can fold them up and put them away until needed.
5. Label boxes, folders and file cabinets for easy put away and retrieval.  If things are labeled, you will be more likely to put things in their appropriate place and also find it easier to find them when needed. It just takes a few minutes to make a label, but it will save you valuable time in the future. 

So, make the most of your small space by getting organized and presenting an organized and competent appearance to your clients.