Just last week the hubs and I were on vacation. We had a ton of stuff on our “to-do” list to get done that we had been putting off or were waiting for nice weather to accomplish. Last week I shared with you our bathroom refresh. That just happened to be only one of our many projects to complete for the week.

We also replaced the lawnmower blade for our lawnmower, cleaned out some closets, painted two garage doors, cleaned out our cleaning supply collection, touched up some walls and trim, and cleaned the interior of my car. We also had an unexpected sink hose leak that led us to replace both the hoses and the actual faucet. While we were at it, both bathrooms (sinks, toilets, and shower) got recaulked. Lastly, we organized the garage.

Now the garage was never really messy per se. Most of our things hang neatly on the wall and there are many more people in the world who can’t even park their cars in their garage due to all the stuff they own. However, we never really organized our tools (or my tools) when we initially moved in. One of the first things I ever built, a bookshelf that we no longer needed for books, became storage for tools I received as gifts for Christmas or paint I used for different projects – along with another storage shelf I used as a pantry in college. From a distance it looked organized, but it wasn’t. There was no rhyme or reason for what tools went in the toolbox as long as it fit. Paint cans were mixed in with larger tools, screws, workshop towels, and sandpaper. If it fit on a shelf it worked…but it was hard to easily find exactly what we were looking for. Heck, our measuring tape’s home was in the dining room sideboard!

Before we actually got around to organizing the garage, there were plenty of Father’s Day sales for industrial shelving. Initially we were thinking about building a big workbench with a ton of shelving for woodworking and storage. However, the more I got thinking I realized I only needed storage, not a workbench. Or at least I thought I did.

We knew that organizing the garage would take place later on in the week…but the Father’s Day sales on the shelving we were looking at was only for 2 days! We debated whether or not to purchase the shelving that weekend, but we ended up deciding not to get it. I was feeling kind of down about it, because if we needed it, I would then need to pay full price for the item when I could have gotten it cheaper earlier! I literally just talked about this scenario a couple of weeks ago – “Going Broke by Saving Money” I almost bought a shelf “just in case” I needed it. And of course I didn’t actually need it.

When we finally cleaned out the garage we took everything out, swept the floors, purged anything we didn’t need, and then organized as we moved everything back in. All my paint fit on one shelf and all the tools were organized on the other. I even have room to spare! I just couldn’t see it initially.

It’s so easy sometimes to get lost. When we become motivated to clean an area that’s caused us a lot of stress, we often get caught up in the wrong process. We are inspired by all the cute organization containers we see in stores, magazines, and commercials. We think if only we had a cute display would everything finally stay organized; so of course we go shopping for cute storage! However, just because we move all of the same items around and put them in cute containers does not mean it will stay organized! When we move all of our items into storage containers, we are actually just sheilding our eyes from the mess that’s inside them!

The true key to organization is actually decluttering! With fewer items to clean around (and less likely to be pushed to the back of the shelf) the more likely you will stay organized! You should always declutter a space first, then assess your storage needs. Always shop your home first to find some creative storage solutions. Chances are you most likely have something you can use for storage that you currently are not using (baskets, jars, plastic storage containers, etc.). Only then if your storage needs are not met should you go shopping for shelving and/or storage containers.

Even though we didn’t get rid of much from our garage, just assessing the space and working with what was available, we were able to bring new order and life to our garage for free.