When people find out I'm a professional organizer, they often say, "Gee, I bet your house looks like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. You probably don't even HAVE a junk drawer."

And after I stop laughing 🤣, I explain that I am in a constant battle with dust bunnies (some weeks they win, some weeks I do 🤷🏼‍♀️), and not only do I absolutely have a junk drawer in my kitchen...

I have TWO!

Personally, I wish we didn't call them junk drawers - I prefer to call them the "odds & ends" drawers.

Because we don't keep junk in there (or at least shouldn't), but those smaller "odds & ends" items that you need when you need them.

And many times those things tend to get lost when stored in other places.

So, first of all, if you've got a junk (odds & ends) drawer, don't feel guilty!

There is one thing, though...

You DO want it to be a drawer of useful items, not trash that should have been tossed ages ago...

The first time I decided to organize our junk drawer (which was a jumbled mess that drove me crazy because I knew what was it in, I just couldn't find things), I found 4 (count em, FOUR!) rolls of Scotch tape in there!

I also found several packages of birthday candles, too.

I didn't know we had so many duplicates of things because I had never organized everything in there.

Not only is a disorganized junk drawer a really big time suck when you are looking for something, but it is also a waste of money you've spent buying duplicates of things you already had!

Hello, 4 rolls of tape...

So, here is how to get that junk drawer whipped into shape so it can become your useful "odds & ends" drawer instead!!!!

And this is how to do it for FREE!!!!

Organizing tip of the week: Get your junk drawer organized FOR FREE!

The first thing you need to do (even though it may be daunting...) is take EVERYTHING out of the drawer, get rid of anything you don't need or want, and categorize the rest.

These are some of the categories in my junk drawer, for example. I keep the birthday candles and box of matches together; all the various rolls of tape together (masking, electrical, painters, etc.); and all the fasteners like the paper clips box, thumbtack box, brads, small nails, and Command hooks together.

You get the idea...

Now that you have everything sorted, it's time to put it all neatly away.

And that's where the free storage containers come in!

Start saving up all of your small boxes - like cereal, crackers, butter tubs, and tissue boxes. Save them up until you have enough to fill your junk drawer(s).

Cut them down to just below the height of the drawer so the drawer will still slide in and out easily, arrange the boxes so they fit snugly, and then put your items in the boxes according to category.

Everything will be easy to find because you see it all at a glance. and because the boxes are custom-fit to your drawer, they won't slide around, so everything stays in place!

But it's still super functional because if you or the kids are working on a project, you simply grab the box of items you need and just put it right back in its spot when done.

​Check out my complete step-by-step directions on decluttering and organizing your junk drawer here!​

(and see my 4 rolls of tape when I organized our junk drawer... 🤦)

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So, Reader, let's get a head start on making your life more organized!

Start saving your boxes for your junk drawer transformation this week, okay?

Because the key to getting and staying organized is knowing what you have and where it is.​
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Have an awesome week, my friend!

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