Home Improvement on a Tight Budget

Many people start to see dollar signs as soon as home improvement projects come up. However, if you're looking to update your closets or create extra storage in your home, you may not have to spend nearly what you think you will.

If you are thinking about a closet upgrade and it immediately brings to mind a pricey closet organization system, think again. You don't have to hire a professional closet organizer or invest in a closet system that may or may not last long and may or may not suit your personal needs. Creating storage and coming up with an organizational solution for your closet is easier than you think.

There are some basic rules when it comes to organizing that can help you to get a good start. You can arrange clothing by length to create storage space on one side, underneath the shorter hanging items. Another option is to organize your clothing by use, keeping work clothes, casual wear, and sportswear all in their own little areas. This can help you to save time.

Another way to organize a closet is to think about things in concentric circles. The front and center of your closet should have the things that you use the most. Some people like to install a small shelving system right down the center of the closet, from the top shelf to the floor. These shelves can hold baskets, bins or containers that store socks, underwear, swimwear, and pajamas. They also function as a divider for his and hers closets.

You can also move up the top shelf and top hanging bar to make room for another bar at the bottom for pants. Add an additional hanging bar up high on each side of a reach-in closet for longer items like winter coats and dresses. If you add a one foot wide set of shelves and four rods in a standard reach-in closet, you'll go from having eight feet of hanging space to twenty feet of hanging space. Plus, you'll have all of the shelves in the center for storage, which can clear out dresser drawers to be used for something else. You can also extend the top shelf around the sides and then you'll really have extra storage room.

After you get your closet how you like it, you can make even more space by using specialty clothes hangers. These hangers allow you to cascade tops and bottoms from one hanging space, or you can hang slacks, skirts and shorts from one hanger. You can also use specialty hangers designed for ties, scarves, swimwear, and belts.