How To Reclaim A Desk Drawer With A Cheap Project

I wanted to show you that I am not perfect, I do have areas of my home where I have a mess and it drives me mad trying to figure out a solution to the problem. The point is, I understand that I have an issue and I then spend some time thinking about the problem and what options I have to solve them in the cheapest fashion. My desk drawer was the problem, it was full of items that I use often, but they were not tidy, they were a jumbled mess and if others borrowed something, they would put it back but not in the same space and this meant my desk drawer looked a mess all the time.

Desk Drawer Dilemma

I wanted it tidy and I didn’t want to have to spend money on a solution just in case it didn’t work. I really don’t like spending money at all! So I wanted to find a solution that was free and I just couldn’t think of anything that could work and look good.

Then I came across this article from I Heart Organizing, it was perfect! I wasn’t sure if boxes I saved from the kitchen would work, I was sceptical but I followed the directions. It took me a couple of weeks to save enough boxes. I placed them into the empty drawer, marked the right height for the drawer, and proceeded to cut down the boxes.

I didn’t have any fancy paper lying around and there was no way I wasn’t going to cover the boxes but I did have some Christmas wrapping paper that I bought in the January sales.

The paper wasn’t great and honestly, at this point I still wasn’t convinced that this was going to work, so I rushed the cutting and the covering of the boxes, they are not in any way perfect.

I started to fill them up and put them into the drawer and the whole feel of the project changed, I actually started to love them. They fitted nicely together, they are all square or rectangle in shape and this meant they fitted together better than the round tubs that I had previously used for items like paperclips.

The Future For These Boxes

I’m surprised at the success of this project, I can’t believe how simple this solution is and how great they actually look. I will look out for some nice paper, and I think I will go back and recover these, taking my time to ensure they are perfectly covered.

They have managed to do what I wanted, they keep all the little items that I use nicely contained in the desk drawer; it means they have nowhere to roll to, or to get misplaced, even if someone else borrows an item.

This project has saved me money on buying some other form of desk drawer sorting system, I haven’t seen any that would have worked as well as these boxes and it has reminded me that while circle containers look sweet, they aren’t practical in an area that’s shared with other objects, they don’t fit well together.

Therefore I am extremely happy with the outcome of this project, yes I know that there are a few adjustments that I need to make in the future, like recovering them with slightly better quality paper but I know that this system works and I can start to think about other areas where this might work too.

If you are looking for more articles on this topic head over to the landing page where you will find links to other posts on household items.