Organize Your Dorm

Cynthia Davis, Staff Writer

    By now you should be settling into your dorm room and living with a roommate, but is there still some clutter that you cannot get rid of and need some tips? Or maybe you are an incoming freshman and need a few pointers. As college students, money is tight and has to be the most of the little that you have, so here are some cheap “do-it-yourself” organizational tips and ideas.

-Need more space in your closet, use coke tabs–yes, coke tabs. Simply take the tab and slip one side onto the hook of the hanger. Place another hanger on the other end of the tab.   -Use tin cans for desk organizers. You can paint them or cover them with paper to match your room or leave them plain silver. It is a simple and easy way to clear up the clutter on your desk

    – DIY closet hat organizer, costing about a dollar to do. All you need is a hanger and “C Hooks” for shower curtains. Attach opened hooks to hanger and then place hat on the hooks.

   -Corkboards for jewelry is a cheap way to keep all your jewelry organized. All you need is a corkboard and tacks; you simply hang things from the tacks. An easy way to make it match your room is putting colorful paper over the cork.

   -Organize nail polish, rings and earrings with a hanging jewelry organizer. It fits nicely in your closet and keeps everything together. Pricing ranges from $8 to $20 depending on size and style.

    -A more costly organization idea is to get a bookshelf (and it can be used for more than just books). You do not have to get a large one; a smaller one can easily fit on your desk. This gives you space for books and other things. You can even get cloth storage box bins in an assortment of colors to place on your shelves, and these cost about $10. The bookshelf itself depends on what you get. Shopping at a second hand store might be the best choice, but, of course, Wal-Mart also carries them.

     Looking online for DIY projects for a specific need always gives you options for your specific price range. Pinterest is a great place to find ideas and tips. If you do not have a Pinterest, here are some other sites that have DIY ideas for organizing and decorating:

    -www.housedressingstyle.com

    -www.buzzfeed.com

    -www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com

   You may not think that getting organized is that important, but the busier you become the more you will not have time to dig around in a junk draw for something.  Remember the small, cheap things usually work best and help the most. Another tip: put things where they belong, do not just throw them down; it will greatly reduce clutter.