Desk Organizing Part 2

Desk with shelves can be a nightmare if you don't have containers to organize with. The three boxes and the colorful cup cost a grand total of 75 cents at my local Good Will.

When organizing your desk, keep in mind what you use it for. I happen to use my desk for everything, so I have to keep things in groups as much as possiable.

On the very top shelf of my desk, I keep my commonly used craft supplies and tools. I also keep a baset for blank cds.
This little basket cost me a quarter and is perfect for my small sewing projects I hope to start learning.

Don't under estimate what you can find at your local thrift stores or yard sales. Just because it is cheap dosen't mean it has to be unattractive either. These two great finds are childrens toys! I use one to organize my small office supplies and the other to hold my keys and my stamps.

Now if you really want to pinch those pennies, you can use what you have lying around the house. Boxs of any size or even cardboard that you can make into custom size boxes can be decorated to suit your needs.

I bought a toy for my daughter (brand new at the Good Will!) This was a gift for the two of us. She got a talking kitty, I got a GREAT box. With a sturdy unique constrction this makes a perfect desk box. With this box, a sheet of cardboard, and a sheet of plexi glass, I made myself a really nice desk set with a pair of old jeans from my husband. Essentially this project cost me nothing since I reused old matierals!

A really useful organizer to have are these plastic three drawer organizers. They are inexpensive running about $3.00-$15.00 at most stores. They come in a variety of sizes including desk top size and ones that could even hold clothes. I use a larger 3 drawer one to hold my daughters clothes since most of her outfits are still small at age 4.

I have organized my zen garden supplies, my paint, and my glitters. Currently my craft supplie is low. I will eventually need to upgrade my system when I stock up on new supplies.

If you have items that are larger or hard to place and have the ability to be hung up, use double sided tape to put up cork board on the side of your desk, or invest in a small cork board for this purpose.

These frugal tips should help you get on your way to getting your desk organized. Remember that the more time you spend in this area, the more important it is to get it as organized as possiable. Keep in mind, you may have to change things around multiple times before you find the system that works for you. The more time you spend with each 'layout' will let you know what is and is not working. Keep common things in mind when arranging your desk top. If you don't use a stapler all the time, there is no need to keep on the desk top all the time. However if you like having a lot of pens and pencils handy, that is ok, just purge non working ones often and make sure that your pen holder is large enough to accomadate the amount of pens it holds.

It may seem like you have so much stuff, that no matter what you do it always appears cluttered. Remember that true organization is about finding what you need when you need it. If you have a lot of shoe boxes holding craft supplies or office papers, putting lables on the boxes eliminates the need to open each one to find what you are looking for. A stack of boxes may seem cluttered at first, but with proper stacking, labeling, and placement you will see it is 100 times better then stacks of papers on your desk with old coffee stain rings and craft supplies that need to be thrown away because of improper care.

Whatever you do, don't procrastinate getting organized because you want it to look "pretty" right away. The more items you have, the harder it is to maintain the "empty" desk look. Be frugal and creative and only buy what you like. Rememer that with fabric or decorative paper or paint, cardboard can becomes a beautiful and personal organizing tool for your desk.