Like I said, I have tons of games, so I used the most inexpensive container I could find. These disposable plastic containers designed for leftovers were both cheap and shallow (unlike most tougher plastic containers). In most cases, I just cut the image of the puzzle or game right off the original box (generally the sides work well) and stuck it to the lid with double-stick duct tape.

I used my label-maker (WalMart $15) to make a small label to put on the back of each folded game board. The game boards are stacked together and are kept in the trunk with the game piece containers.

I also have one container that stashes extras. In it, I keep a few extra dice, a timer, some random pieces from old games, a notepad and some pencils.

Unfortunately not all my games will store this neatly. Games like Connect Four, Hullaballoo, and Battleship are still stuck in their original containers. But the vast majority of my games are now contained and much more accessible.

As a side note, Julianne, if you were referring to the wooden-type kids puzzles, I have a bunch of those too. I treat these like they are one toy rather than individual toys. I keep all the pieces for all the puzzles in one container. The puzzle boards stack on my son’s shelf next to the container. Whenever he wants to do a puzzle, he lays out all the boards, dumps out the container and finds the pieces he needs. The bonus here is that he’ll stay focused much longer. When it was just one puzzle, he’d finish too quickly and get bored. Now it takes time and keeps him interested. Of course, it also offers a very quick clean-up…a must for me. Just thought I’d pass it on.

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I used to have a normal pantry, but it caused all kinds of problems. First off, I found myself buying extra stuff all the time because I could never remember what I had. Now I can do a quick scan of the bins and make my grocery list. I also hated that my family couldn’t seem to grasp my invisible system. Most items had a basic location in my mind (you know, bread here, cereal there, etc.) but no one else seemed to be able to keep it up.

Now, my 6-year old can unload all the groceries and put stuff in the right bins. Another annoyance with the old system was that I found myself making several trips to the pantry to get various ingredients for whatever I was making. Now if I’m making cookies, I grab the whole Baking Supplies bin and bring it to the counter. Before the bins, I used to find M&Ms and chocolate chips spilling all over the shelves. Now if something spills, it’s contained so it’s tons easier to clean.

I started with just two bins, but found them so handy that I quickly filled up my shelves with a dozen or so. I’ll list them here:

Treats: Candy, popcorn, marshmallows, etc.

Beverages: Hot chocolate mix, Crystal Light, Kool-Aid etc.

Dessert Supplies (I have two of these): Chocolate chips, pudding mix, frosting, sprinkles, cupcake liners, nuts, birthday candles etc.

Baking Supplies: Baking soda, vanilla extract, baking powder, Crisco, cocoa, etc.

Pasta: Boxed pasta, soup noodles, etc.

Lunch Supplies: Mac & Cheese, Ramen noodles, peanut butter, etc.

Dinner Supplies: Rice, bread mixes, seasoning packets, bottled marinades, etc.

Canned Soups: Soups

Canned Produce: Canned fruits and veggies

Snacks: Chips, raisins, fruit snacks, sack lunch fillers

Baking Products: Bags of flour, sugar, salt, yeast etc. (whatever’s left in the bag after I fill the containers in the spice cupboard)

These cheap bins have lasted 6 years now. I change the labels every few years, but the bins have never needed replacing. I have a pretty large pantry now, but in our smaller apartments I used the lids and stacked the less used items under the more common ones to conserve space.

As an added bonus, they also made moving from one place to another a breeze. I just put the lids on, stacked them up and taped them all together with packing tape. Simple, cheap and easy to maintain! Just thought I’d pass it on.  You can find the free file download for the labels below.

I bought a rolling under-bed wrapping paper box from WalMart. I created the dividers by trimming a sheet of white foam core posterboard and then attached them with clear packing tape. I also covered the edges with clear packing tape to add durability. I printed the labels onto white cardstock and then attached them to both the bottom and side of each section with clear laminating film.

On laundry day, I sort the kids clothes into baskets. They pick the shirt, underwear and socks they want to wear each day and I help them find the pants to match. Whatever is left in the basket gets put away in their drawers and the bin rolls back under their bed.

This solution is great because it’s completely kid friendly. Nothing has to be neatly folded and it’s all within reach of even the smallest arms.  Just thought I’d pass it on.  You can find the free file download for the ‘days of the week’ labels below.