Dorm room or small apartment storage

So you've now moved into your dorm room or your apartment.  Your loved ones and friends have hauled your stuff up numerous steps and plopped it just inside your door.  Now, you are starting to wonder "where am I going to put all this stuff?"

Here are several ideas to help you organize your stuff for a very minimal amount of money.

Dollar Store finds....

1 - You can double your closet space by adding a second bar to hang clothing.  You can find adjustable spring loaded shower rods at the Dollar Store.  Add this about halfway between the floor of the closet and the existing bar.

2 - If you purchase nothing else, get yourself some adhesive back storage hooks.  These can be found at the Dollar Store, or if you want to splurge, go to a department store and purchase the Command brand.

     a - let's say your cable hookup is far away from where your TV "fits."           A few well placed storage hooks with the extension cable

          threaded through them works like a charm.  The same can be 

          said for extension cords.

     b- Hang one on the back of your closet door as a place to put

          wet towels after your shower.  

     c - put a few on the wall and hang colorful storage totes or baskets               to keep track of remotes, electronics, etc.  Get creative!

3 - Get yourself a shower caddy.  Keep all your shower needs in here. 

      Just pick up the entire caddy and take it with you.  Will force your 

      keep only what's necessary and will save you tons of storage space.

a - This can also be used to keep pens, pencils, scissors, etc.

4 - wire key hooks - These wire key hooks can be used inside your closet to hold necklaces, bracelets, etc. 

Other inexpensive storage ideas...

1 - bed risers - get your bed a little further off the ground, and you gain instant storage space.  This can be

      used for out of season clothing you just HAD to bring with you.  Could also be used for shoes.  Flat 

      storage containers can be purchased to keep like things together.  If you want to splurge, get some bed 

      risers with electrical outlets in them (check out Bed, Bath and Beyond).

2 - over the door shoe organizer - instead of using this for shoes, hang

      it on the wall (with your hooks from above) and store your snacks.        Microwave popcorn, granola bars, etc will fit perfectly into each   

      compartment.

3 - hanging sweater organizer - It's not sweater time yet, at least for most of the country.  You can still use 

     this to organize and store your T-shirts, camisoles, etc.  Each compartment can hold 10+ T-shirts!

4 - hanging shoe organizer - use this for shoes (flip flops can be doubled in each compartment) now.  In a 

     few weeks from now, this can be used to organize and store your scarves, gloves, etc.  

5 - cascading hangers - instead of taking up a foot of hanger space in your closet, you can hang the same amount of clothing using a fraction of the space.  

These are just a few ideas to get your dorm room or apartment to work with you, not against you.  Feel free to comment and share any additional ideas you may have!!