Reclaim some of the space over the utility sink in the laundry room. I have seen inserts for kitchen sinks, but couldn’t find anything for utility sinks. I discovered that an ordinary metal standing rack fit almost perfectly upside down in the sink; all I had to do was bend the legs back 180° so they wouldn’t stick up and could also grab the sides. The bending was done by hand. Wire shelving can also work with a little adjustment. The results have been great, this utility sink rack is very strong and easy to keep clean.

We love having a chalkboard in our kitchen. With little wall space to spare, we painted the inside of a kitchen cupboard door with chalkboard paint. We keep our weekly menu calendar posted there to keep us on track. We’ve used it to jot down reminders for items that we’ve discovered we’ll need to buy the next time we’re out and about. We’ve also used it to leave our phone numbers for the babysitter. My favorite use so far is for spontaneous love notes and thank you notes we leave for each other. We just have fun with this hack, and we hope you will too!

I get a little aggravated and impatient when I can’t find a bobby pin at that critical moment when you just need one. And more often than not, that seemed to be the case. I discovered that bobby pins and magnets go together like two peas in a pod. Once I made this accidental discovery, I decided to make something of it. I adhered a few inches of magnetic strip to the inside of a bathroom drawer. When I pull the pins out of my hair, they go straight to the magnet where they stay until I need them again. No more scrounging around for bobby pins with this simple bobby pin holder!

In our house, incoming papers are hands down our biggest clutter culprit. A small pile on the counter can morph into a disorderly beast in no time. To keep the beast in check, we have a system for our paper clutter organization. We make sure to strategically locate paper containers throughout the house. A basket in the mudroom catches the kids papers when they come home from school. A file in the kitchen keeps bills that need immediate attention. And a file attached to the office desk holds papers for longer term storage. Everything in its place prevents those papers from getting out of hand.

When you’re feeling crummy, or you have a boo-boo that needs attention fast, the last thing you want to do is go digging through a box or cabinet of medicines and supplies. Keep your meds separated and easy to reach in these space saving, clearly marked, grab-and-go drawers. This idea puts the simple back into medicine storage.