How to Organize in Style Using Dollar Store Baskets

If you have a dollar store in your area, I bet you have one or more of the plastic baskets they sell in your home. They come in many sizes and colors. For a buck, they give back one thousand times and are one budget-friendly way to organize the small stuff in every room.

I finished organizing the contents of dollar store baskets I keep in my linen closet and made tag style labels for these baskets to keep all the small items in them organized.

Organize in style Storage and organizing ideas for bathroom closets

I use them in drawers, cabinets, basement and garage to organize in style and even made them the focal point in the organizer I made for my mudroom.

I created it from a discarded dresser that I found on the side of the road. It is still one of my most popular project posts.

Bathroom organizing ideas and free printable labels

The key to making the contents in the baskets stay organized is to label them. I have posted quite a few ways I like to make labels. From hand printing to using my computer. Labels make all the difference in keeping what you just purged and organized…ORGANIZED!

No more guessing where something goes… the label tells you, it goes right in HERE.

To add a bit of personality to the classic white tag style labels I made, I used pink grosgrain ribbon to tie each label to a basket. Just a little detail that makes me smile. In my mind, adding a touch of pink to just about anything is always a good thing.

How To Make Affordable Labels To Organize Bins, Baskets, Boxes, and More

Before the birth of the “free printable label”, I always made my organizing labels on my computer. I still do, but nowadays it is easy to find pre-made labels of every color and style imaginable. Just do a search on Google or Pinterest for “Free Printable Labels”. If you are looking for a specific kind of label, just add that to your search query. For example: Free Printable Mason Jar Labels.

Most of us have computer printers which makes label making easy. The hardest part about making the labels will be choosing which labels to choose from the hundreds that will show up in your search. All you need is a pair of scissors or a paper cutter, a hole punch, and some pretty ribbon.

I like classic white labels and use white card stock when I print out my labels. I place a notebook paper reinforcement ring around the hole when I make the hang style tag to add some character to each label.

If you want to protect your labels, use peel and stick laminating sheets. You can buy these at Walmart and office supply stores. I did this for the labels I made for:
Dog and Cat Food Tin Labels
Party Cooler Basket Label
Organizing My Pantry
Magazine File Labels

Helpful Tips for Cutting and Printing Free Printable Labels and Tags

If you don’t own a digital cutting machine like a Silhouette or Cricut that cuts and prints labels for you, here are a few tips that will make the process of cutting and printing them easier.

Do you know all the bells and whistles on your computer printer? After downloading labels, depending on your printer, you can resize the labels to fit the size you need before printing them out. Custom made with just a few clicks. Check your printer manual to see what options your printer has.
When printing color labels, the color you see on your computer screen may print out differently on paper. Computer and print colors render differently. The colors may not look quite as vibrant when printed.
I use a 12″ crafter’s paper cutter to cut out all my labels. You can buy these at craft stores and on Amazon for under $20.
For round labels and tags, cut around the basic shape, then stack 2 or 3 and use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the exact shape. This makes the process of cutting out the labels go quickly by stacking and cutting more than one at a time.
Labels can do more than organize your stuff, they also make great gift tags.
Clear Sticker Paper that works with most computer printers is another way to print out free printable labels you download. It gives them a clear ready-made look. It is what I used to make these Basement Organizing Labels.
These Wipe Off Labels I use on the front of boxes are attached with brass fasteners. I buy the fasteners at the office supply store or in the scrapbooking aisle at the craft store.