I wanted to share one of my favorite organizing tips I found years ago. I love Real Simple Magazine, as many of you who follow my blog know. I happened to see a great idea for storing all those odds and ends that would otherwise end up in a junk drawer and not being found when you need them – an over-the-door shoe organizer.
I do use one of these on my closet door for shoes, but I have another in my hall/entry closet. It is so convenient to access and so easy to find what we need. My last one had clear pockets so we could see what was in each compartment. However, after that one started to rip (after several years of use), we bought a new one. The new one we got from Target has translucent pockets, though.
So now that it is not so easy to see what is inside, I made labels on the computer and slapped them on! I do have a label-maker, but I am out of label tape and figured it might use a whole roll to label all those pockets. Here is the end result:
Items we store in the organizer:
– keys
– gloves and hats (lots)
– screwdrivers
– tape
– scissors and box cutter
– tape measure
– and more.
For more organizing ideas, see my posts “My label maker is my friend” and “Staying on top of your kid’s clothing.”
Do you have a neat organizing trick you have found that works great? Please share in the comments section!
Surviving on a tight budget 
We have a bi-fold door on our front closet so this style organizer doesn’t work for us. We use a 10-pocket hanging shoe organizer that hangs on the rod of the closet but is only 6″ wide so it doesn’t take up too much space and that holds everyone’s hats, gloves, etc.
http://www.target.com/p/10-Pocket-Canvas-Shoe-Organizer-Natural-Blended/-/A-13051010
We also have 2 closetmaid pieces by the front door. One have plastic shoe/door mats on top and underneath for the wet/snowy/dirty/shoes
http://www.target.com/p/ClosetMaid-31-Horizontal-Organizer-Alder/-/A-11187169
and the other organizes clean shoes and the top gives a place to put cell phones, keys, wallets
http://www.target.com/p/ClosetMaid-Adjustable-Shelf-Organizer-Alder/-/A-12193103
Someone recently came into my house and commented on how great the set-up was for organizing all of our (2 adults and 4 kids) stuff.
Thanks for all these great ideas. It is always good for people to see different options so they can pick what will work for them! Thanks for reading my blog. Please check out some of my other posts!