8 Best Storage Ideas for Small Spaces on a Budget!

Are you looking for some storage ideas for small spaces? Many of the organizing tools and solutions you find at the store can be expensive. Fortunately, there are some really simple, inexpensive storage ideas for small spaces that are cheap (and even free)!

Whether you live in a dorm room, small apartment, tiny home, or need to make the most of the small space you have, storage is a great way to make more room. By combining a few household items and a bit of do-it-yourself magic, you can get the extra space you need to store practically anything in your house. Here are some storage ideas for small spaces on a budget. These ideas work great for any room and won’t break the bank!

#1 Baskets Make Great Small Space Storage Solutions

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One of the greatest ways to save space in any part of your home is with baskets. Baskets come in all sizes, making them perfect storage ideas for small spaces. They are a versatile storage solution that can work on the floor, hang on the wall, or stack on shelves for almost anything.

Here are some do-it-yourself ideas of how you can use baskets as storage solutions to make your small space a little roomier.

Basket Shelves

Photo credit: The Money Pit

Hanging baskets sideways and affixing them to the wall is a budget-friendly way to add storage to any room. You can use these baskets for towel storage in the bathroom or as bookshelves in a child’s bedroom. Adding some spray paint to baskets, picked up at a yard sale or after-Easter sales, can turn them into the perfect accent for any room.

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Baskets for Small Space Organization

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It’s easy to find baskets in many different sizes and for generally affordable prices, making them the perfect organizational space saver. Be sure to look for baskets at a second-hand store like Goodwill. By using baskets for many different needs around your home, you can organize and add space at the same time.

You can sort your child’s toys and make neat pullout bins that are easy for them to retrieve and replace toys. Then, they’ll be able to clean up toys on their own.

Another idea would be to organize your bathroom with stacking baskets and using one for towels, one for washcloths, one for toilette paper, and so on. The small space storage ideas for baskets are endless.

#2 Upcycle Wipes Containers as Storage

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Anyone with children knows the number of wipes containers that you accumulate. Most of the time, these containers end up in recycling or trash. But did you know that you can quickly turn these handy containers into several different small space storage projects? From school supplies to crafting tools, these containers are the perfect fit.

Storage for Children’s Rooms

Use a baby wipes container in a child’s room to organize their art supplies or small toys. Decorating the container is the perfect project to do with your child. Clean out the container and use fabric or crafting paper to let your child decorate it to their taste. Wipes containers make great storage ideas for small spaces on a budget.

Leave the lid on the container for a small opening that is just large enough for one or two objects to be removed at a time—making clean-up time more manageable. Then, if kids need to get more out, they can open the whole lid.

Garage Organizers

Baby wipe and hand wipe containers can help you make great use of limited space in a garage as well. By labeling each container, you can easily separate screws and nails, screwdrivers, and wrenches, and they make the perfect place for all those sockets and bits that end up everywhere.

You can paint or cover them to match your husband’s style, too, making the garage look a little less like a mess and more like a part of your home.

#3 Move Up Storage to Create Extra Space

Photo Credit: Confessions of a Serial DIYer

When it comes to organizing and finding storage ideas for small spaces, an often-overlooked area is the upper portion of the walls. Most people don’t think of these areas as usable space because it is hard to reach and may even require a stool or chair. Vertical space, however, is perfect for fulfilling your storage needs without taking up the living space you use. Keep items up high and stored out of the way.

Seasonal Clothes Storage

Using the baskets that I mentioned above, you can create storage shelves on top of closets to store the clothes you will not need for the season. For example, putting shorts or sweaters up out of the way gives you more room for the clothes you wear regularly and leaves more room in the bottom of your closet for other storage solutions.

Store Items Above Cabinets

You can use this same concept to use the space above your kitchen cabinets better as well. The area above kitchen cabinets is perfect for occasionally used items, like seasonal tablecloths or holiday decorations. You can decorate the small space storage baskets so they blend in or stand out as an accent piece to your kitchen décor.

Metal Shelves

If you have metal shelving, hang metal baskets in these higher areas to better use the storage space for things like books, collectibles, and photos—items that are nice to see sometimes but can get in the way of everyday life.

If vertical storage solutions aren’t enough to clear your space, consider self-storage in London to free up space while keeping seasonal items and extras accessible. Instead of cramming seasonal clothes, unused furniture, or extra belongings into every corner, a secure storage unit can free up valuable space while keeping your items accessible.

#4 Use Hideaway Combos

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Another great storage idea for small spaces is to use combination storage solutions—items that serve a dual purpose of being functional and providing extra storage. You can use these combos for any number of purposes. From coffee cabinets to bed table combos, the possibilities are endless and inexpensive.

Table-Bed Combos that Store Away

These storage ideas for small spaces fit your budget and provide an excellent solution for rooms with a half-dividing wall. With a foldaway cot and a folding table, this space can quickly become your hideaway space. Open one section of the dividing partition to attach the cot mattress. Then, fold the legs inside to close the divider and fold out into a bed when it’s opened.

You can connect one side of the table to a hinge against the wall on the outside portion. Then, when you aren’t using the table, you can fold it down—giving you functionality and space at the same time.

Coffee Tables with Cabinet Space

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When you live in an apartment or a small home, space is limited. It’s hard to find a place to store the necessities, much less anything else. Making or purchasing a coffee table cabinet gives you storage for an item when not in use that is easily accessible for daily items. You can find inexpensive sliding shelves at most hardware stores or look for furniture with a built-in combination.

For the kitchen, affixing a slider shelf to your cabinet will allow you to slide the coffee maker or other appliances in and out. You can enjoy that hot cup of joe in the morning and slide it out of the way when you finish.

#5 Pallets Do More Than Move Stuff

Pallets are easy to find and just waiting to be put to good use. These wooden gems often get piled out of the way by many stores after they receive shipments. So when you see them behind a store, ask! They might give you a few pallets for your DIY projects, or they may let you buy them for next to nothing.

Wooden pallets are another multi-purpose do-it-yourself storage solution that works well with most budgets.

Store More with Pallet Bookshelves

Photo Credit: Easy Pallet Ideas

Pallet shelves are an easy project for woodworking beginners. By cutting a pallet in half and connecting the two sides, you can make rustic storage shelves for your home. Alternatively, add a couple of coats of spray paint to the pallet bookshelves, and you have a great accent piece.

You can affix these shelves in staggered patterns up your wall to create a unique place to store those books that are piled on tables and in corners. These shelves can also hold small items, plants, toiletries, and more.

Sliding Shelves

Using the double sides of a pallet, you can turn the boards on one side into shelves that connect to the backboard. Standing the pallet shelf upright and you can attach gliders to the bottom.

Paint the pallet the color of your kitchen wall and fill it with spices and cans or jars as a perfect hideaway pantry. Sliding the pallet shelf between the cabinets and refrigerator allows you to make room while still keeping everything easily within reach—pallet shelves are great storage ideas for small spaces!

Pallet Coffee Table

A pallet coffee table provides many storage possibilities. If you make a hinged top, you can store items in the center of the table base. Another idea for a pallet coffee table storage solution is to make hidden shelves inside the bottom that open with an unseen door.

Cut a pallet into the shape of your desired table and cover it with a board tabletop. This version of a pallet table will give you a unique storage solution for books and magazines in between the slats of the pallet’s layers.

#6 Use Wall Hangers to Help You Store Items in a Small Space

Walls make great spots for storage and provide tons of extra room. Making wall-hanging storage solutions will give you many different options for decluttering and adding space to those small areas of your home, like your bathroom or kitchen counters.

Bathroom Declutter

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Small bathrooms can be annoying and hard to organize! You never have enough room for everything you need. Use your wall space to give you extra space and keep the essentials close.

By using baskets, you can create unique wall-hanging storage for all your bathroom items. Start with the basket of your choice and cut it in half. This will give you two shelves for each basket.

Attach each basket to the wall or shelf to create an excellent place to store toothbrushes, makeup, brushes and hair elastics, razors, and many other items. These shelves will clear up your minimal counter space and give you much-needed room.

Kitchen Space-Savers

Using the same concept of vertical wall-hanging storage in the kitchen will allow you to make counter space for food preparations instead of storage. Use boxes or baskets on the walls of your kitchen for sink sponges or spice racks.

Attaching mason jars of differing sizes to a wall can create a perfect spot for cooking utensils and knives. You can also attach mason jar lids to the underside of your cabinets, fill the jars, and attach them to their tops for a great place to store spices.

#7 Bunk Bed Space Savers

When you think of bunk beds, you probably remember your older sibling always getting the top bunk you wanted. Well, bunk beds can be so much more than a shared sleeping space. Bunk beds can also be excellent storage ideas for small spaces.

Bed and Desk Combo

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Bunk beds are not the expensive luxury they once were. With their popularity waning, they have become more affordably attainable. By converting the traditional two-bed bunk beds into an upper bed sleeping space and a lower level deck, you can have space and convenience in one item.

A bed and desk combo is a great idea for dorm rooms or converting a child’s small bedroom into a space fit for a teenager. You can customize for bookshelves or whatever features your child needs. Not only making more space but space that is uniquely theirs. Watch for affordable bed and desk combinations online, or look at your local second-hand store.

Bed and Play Area

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If your child doesn’t need a desk area, you could also use the lower space of the bunk beds as a play area specially designed to spark the imagination. A loft bed is a perfect fit for boys for that fort they are always making out of your sheets and chairs. It would give them their own personal hideaway in the safety of their rooms.

For the little princess in your life, you could turn this space into her own castle. A loft bed can become whatever your child imagines, giving you room in the rest of your house for living instead of toys. This is a great storage idea for small spaces on a budget!

#8 Turn a Cardboard Box to Useful Storage

Nothing fills up the recycling bins quicker than cardboard. So many of the products you buy daily are packaged in them. Finding new uses for these discarded boxes is convenient and eco-friendly as well.

Twelve-Pack Upcycling

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Buying soda is a treat for your family, but if you buy very many, you’ll end up with a recycling bin full of cardboard. So, what do you do with these boxes? Turn them into storage containers that help organize small spaces. These soda boxes are the perfect fit for all of the vegetable cans that fill up your pantry. Keep the cans neatly stacked on the shelf and give new life to boxes.

By filling the boxes with these cans, you can easily organize your pantry and make space for new items. You could also consider lining or covering the boxes and stacking them neatly to make your pantry look extra attractive and organized.

Cereal Box Organization

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You can turn cereal boxes into many different storage ideas for small spaces. One idea is to cut it diagonally and make a paper tray for your desk. Cut slots into various sizes to be used for mail, papers, and many other items. Cover the box with cute shelf paper to match your office and look like a designer storage solution. No one needs to know that you made it out of trash!

Looking for More Storage Ideas for Small Spaces on a Budget?

No matter the space you have or, in many cases, don’t have, you can find some budget-friendly projects to help organize and keep everything in order. These easy do-it-yourself storage solution projects will give you the storage you desperately need and space to do more in your homemaking life a bit more comfortable and much more livable.

Do you have any more budget-friendly storage ideas for small spaces? Let us know in the comments!