I love watching room design shows on HGTV. They offer fabulous tips on how to get organized, though their budgets are typically bigger (much bigger) than what I can afford. I would love to go on a shopping trip to the Container Store ala Supermarket Sweep. I could fill my cart with specialty boxes and storage containers designed specifically for all of my scrapbook supplies, from albums to embellishments and everything in between.
It’s nice to dream, but reality is a different story.
As I look at my buttons, brads, eyelets and stamps sitting in old baby food jars, repurposed salsa jars, Tic Tac containers and little pill bottles, I see a scrapper desperately trying to stay organized on a budget with very little wiggle room.
Still, I guess I should be happy that I can afford to purchase the supplies at all. Whereas I wish I could afford fancy storage units, I make use of what I have, even if it means housing stray buttons in Altoids’ tins. By cutting corners on storage I can spend a bit more buying high-end embellishments or splurging on a must-have tool.
If you are looking for ways to save on storage, I would highly recommend collecting sturdy cardboard shoe boxes. They have helped me tremendously in the scrapbook storage department. Not only are the boxes ideal for holding chipboard accents, silk flowers, and stickers, but they also make great ribbon containers. Simply cut out a little opening at the bottom of the box, feed the ribbon through the slot and you have an instant dispenser that can be made for pennies.
Other money-saving storage tips include:
Stickers: Sort the stickers by theme or color and then slip them into plastic page protectors and place them in a three-ring binder.
Rub-ons: Keep extra rub-ons in a Ziploc container or bag. If you use the latter, you can then store them in a labeled file and place them in a binder.
Ribbon: My mom stacks spools of ribbon on an extra paper towel holder.
Once you get a frugal storage system in place, be sure to maintain it by purging your containers on a regular basis.
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