A common misconception in the organizing world is that the solution for too much stuff is simply to buy more bins, put up more shelves, move to a bigger house, build another garage, finish off the basement, or rent a storage unit.
After all, won’t “more storage space” magically solve all our stuff problems?
Not so fast!
In my experience, lack of space is rarely the main issue.
Yes, there are many homes, apartments, and offices with poorly designed storage spaces. However, most disorganized overly-cluttered spaces are a result of TOO MUCH STUFF, not too little space.
If this situation sounds a little too familiar to you, let me introduce you to the concept of SPACE BUDGETS!
What are Space Budgets?
Space Budgets are simply boundaries for your space.
The concept is similar to setting a timer and not using more time than you’ve allotted for a specific task. Or not spending more money than you’ve allocated in one area of your budget.
Space budgets, however, deal with space, not time or money.
Your “Space Budget” = not using more space than you currently have.
Here are a few examples of our space budgets.
CLOTHES:
Dave and I each have 30 hangers in our tiny shared bedroom closet (the kids also get 30, even though they have significantly more space than we do!)
In the past, when we had a larger closet that could easily hold many more hangers, 30 was still plenty for us, so it became our closet “space budget”
We know that whenever we run out of hangers, it’s time to get rid of something. The concept of a space budget is so simple that even our children know the drill!
Our closets never get overcrowded or totally out of control, and it only takes a minute to purge a few items when/if we run out of hangers.
NOTE: This is especially handy when we are gifted with hand-me-downs from friends. Instead of just keeping them all, we are intentional about which items we keep because we know we need to purge other items to make more space.
SHOES:
We keep 100% of our shoes, boots, cleats, and footwear in the mudroom, and although it feels like a lot of shoes in one space, we really don’t have that many pairs per person.
Each child has one shelf for shoes, and then seasonal footwear rotates on the top shelf (cleats, rain boots, snow boots, etc.)
Dave has giant feet, so he gets 8 cubbies in one of our mudroom benches, and I get a pull-out shoe caddy that fits roughly 9 pairs of shoes.
We have a few extra work boots and seasonal footwear on the top shelf. And any shoes that are too big are stored in the long storage bench.
Fun fact: Nora and I can share shoes!
Another idea would be to designate one basket or bin for each person — or have a designated shelf/space in bedroom closets for their shoes.
TOILETRIES:
Dave and I limit our toiletries to 1 drawer (shared between the 2 of us) and a few larger items under our sinks.
Neither of us has many toiletries, so 1 drawer is plenty.
Our kids also each have one (very) small drawer in their bathroom upstairs.
We even limit our medical and first aid supplies by what fits in the shoe boxes in our medicine cabinet.
By giving ourselves a space budget (even in the bathroom), we know that if our drawer feels overloaded, it’s time to clean out and purge. And since it’s just one small drawer, we can easily clean it out in 5 minutes.
KITCHEN GEAR:
I use space budgets in our kitchen to designate certain shelves and drawers for various kitchen items.
If our food storage containers no longer fit in one drawer, I know it’s time to purge before we get anything new.
And if all my lovely kitchen gadgets don’t fit in my favorite gadget drawer I declutter.
TOYS + BOOKS:
When our toy storage areas and bookshelves are full, we purge — simple as that.
The kids are honestly really great about this and often initiate the process on their own now as they realize that it’s actually a lot more fun to play when they can find their toys and easily access them.
And yes, space budgets work for our outside toys too!
Without space budgets in place, it’s just too easy to continue adding MORE to our closet, our mudroom, our kitchen, our playroom, and our basement without giving it a second thought.
After all, we technically have plenty of space left to squeeze and shove more boxes, more bins, more toys, and more clothes… right!?!?
The point for me isn’t that we have extra space, it’s that we simply don’t need so much stuff.
And if you DON’T have extra space, a space budget is even more important to help you keep things neat, organized, decluttered, and simplified!
Just as we budget our money and our time, we must also budget our space.
It might sound silly, but it works! Plus, it doesn’t require you to buy bins, put up shelves, build an addition, or pay monthly storage fees!
Win-Win!
The next time you feel like you need more space, consider instead implementing a space budget and simply storing LESS stuff!
Do you utilize space budgets?
Stacie says
Hi Andrea! Your email in regards to social media/phones is fascinating! I want to spread this everywhere, it’s so true! I’m hoping in a decade or so ppl will realize what a harm it all is! I would love for our world to become less device driven, less social media driven, and focus on each other again.
Also loved the space budget idea! I’m in the middle of a divorce and will think of this while I’m purging the home! ❤️
Andrea says
Thanks Stacie, it is scary to think about the long-term affects of social media and obsessive device usage on our kids. Sigh… we’ll just do the best we can with them now!
I’m glad the idea of a space budget sounds helpful to you — it’s been very helpful for our family over the years (especially as we added more children in the same amount of space!)
Nancy says
I’m here from your email in regards to social media. Recently at a family dinner in a restaurant my (very gorgeous) great niece got a ding and said “oh some man just airdropped me.” She’s 16! She said “man” so I don’t know, was it a photo?? I wanted to find the guy right then and call the police. Nobody even batted an eye. Her parents seem to be uber-helicopterery so I was double shocked. Completely lost my appetite and some sleep later. I hate to be an alarmist. It’s all kinda horrifying. We must resist.
Andrea says
oh my! that is alarming! I would assume this “man” was able to find her phone via the restaurants wifi network and could then “airdrop” her something (text, picture, who knows!) I can do this from my computer to my phone or phone to computer, but I think I have the function disabled in public settings. That’s scary!
Heather says
I’m looking forward to reading the articles you posted regarding social media. I know I need to cut back on my use. Do you participate in any forms of social media (besides posting once a week on your blog)?
Thank you for your content – you are always inspiring!
Andrea says
Hi Heather, believe it or not, I haven’t participated in any social media since the summer of 2020 when I decided to stop.
I do still use Facebook Marketplace to buy and sell things, but I don’t have the app on my phone and I’ve disabled my newsfeed on my computer so I literally JUST use Marketplace.
I have also needed to find contact information for someone, so I had to go through Facebook to do that — but it was not a “scrolling endlessly” situation 🙂
For the last 2 years (maybe more) I’ve just posted once per week on my blog and then sent out my email newsletter. It has been a really good change! I know I’m “missing out” on lots of potential new traffic by not promoting my stuff on social media — but my readers are so wonderfully loyal that I don’t really need new traffic 🙂
Thanks for your kind words!
Janice says
This is a great system! Which clothes do you hang and which do you fold and put on shelves?
Andrea says
we’re big “hangers” in our house so we hang almost anything. Basically socks, undies, PJ’s, shorts, jeans, and comfy clothing go in drawers, everything else is hung. However, if you don’ have much hanging space, you could certainly alter this.
Janice says
Thanks! I noticed in your closet picture you had clothing items folded and on your middle shelving unit. I go back and forth wondering if certain items should be hung or folded. This helps!
Andrea says
yes, that was our old closet — you can see our “new” closet in this post.
Either way, I do like the option of folding some items.
Rhonda says
Andrea—I needed to read this today!! We are downsizing and I have been agonizing over where all our “stuff” is going to go!! Thanks so much for such a great idea and simple solution. Now it’s time to start purging!!
Andrea says
oh good — glad it came at the perfect timing! For me, thinking in terms of the space I have is much easier than trying to creatively cram a bunch of stuff into a too-small space!
judith says
I love reading your blog. You are always an inspiration to me. This morning I am noodling on the idea of cleaning one area for a week and circulating through all the designated areas in my house. And I love the space budget concept.
Andrea says
Thanks so much, Judith!
Space budgets have been a great help for me over the years! It makes things feel more manageable 🙂
Esther says
Andrea ,I really enjoy your blogs esp.this one. I am overjoyed to finally have a name : Space Budget.
Curious , have you heard of Buy Nothing groups on FB ? I believe these groups are all over …… If you have heard of them , how do you think that Buy Nothing movement, will affect ppl ? More stuff ? less stuff ?more hoarding or more organized ? I am finding I am thinking less on yard sale-ing or thirft-storing , cause maybe if I wait a little bit longer someone will really get rid of their bunk beds or air fryer. But I am more ready to part with my stuff I am not using if I know someone else needs it ( you are encouraged to post a wish).
Would love to hear this movement from an organizer like you.
Andrea says
haha — yes, I love the term “space budget” I always say we should have financial budgets, time budgets, and space budgets!
Also, I have heard of the Buy Nothing groups, but I have never been part of one.
I agree that for SOME personality types that might be an effective way to get rid of items you don’t need (especially like you say — you’re more willing to get rid of something if others need it).
That said, I’m much more of an advocate for purging immediately and figuring that whoever needs it will eventually find it at the thrift store.
I think that the buy nothing groups are really cool ideas, but I personally feel like they could “bread” more hoarding tendencies — either because they hang onto something until they find the right recipient, or because they hang onto things out of fear that they “might need it again someday”.
Those are my thoughts 🙂
Debbie says
Truth is I think I’m pretty good at having our spaces organized, but I can be so much better. Reading through this reminds me again how much stuff we have. What would you do if you have lots of slacks that you wear for work and your current office is more casual dress code? Would you donate all of it or keep a few?
Andrea says
Hi Debbie!
If you want my honest opinion, I would probably pick my 2 or 3 top favorites (1 black, 1 tan — or something like that) and donate the rest. I actually did this when I stopped working outside the home and it was SO freeing!
Debbie says
Thanks Andrea! I’ll work on this over the weekend.
Andrea says
you’re very welcome!
Kim says
It was interesting as I assisted my daughter and hubby move into their new house last weekend. There was a real cute chip and dip bowl I didn’t know she had. She said it was a gift she received from a relative this past Christmas. She didn’t need it or want it but felt like it was way too “early” to donate it. So, even though she did a big purge before the move, she just didn’t allow herself to get rid of it.
It was a kind and generous gift…………………….and yet, it is a millstone around her neck. This kitchen is smaller than her previous rental and I do find it sad for her to be saddled with this.
Makes one want to ask the universe: what is the statute of limitations on how long she is required to keep this Crate and Barrel gift before she can pass it along?
haha
Rebecca M Tabb says
Yes! I also have the “too early” guilt regarding gifts sometimes. I guess I’m hoping if I wait long enough people will forget what they gave me and not notice if it’s gone!
Andrea says
Hi Rebecca,
I totally understand where you are coming from — and yes, it’s hard to part with these items. However, the vast majority of the time, the gifter never notices (or even remembers) the gift. Of course, there are always exceptions (sorry!) but it’s YOUR gift and you can do with it what you want.
I’m copying a pasting 3 suggestions I gave to Kim here as well — maybe they will work for you too.
1. Use it for something other than it was intended for — to hold decorative pinecones or balls in the living room, to hold rolled-up towels in the bathroom, for extra “junk” on top of the washing machine.
2. Store it somewhere other than the kitchen — do you have room in the bottom of your bedroom closet, in a linen closet, out in the garage, in basement storage, etc?
3. Sell it for a reasonable price.
Andrea says
Hi Kim,
Those types of gifts are so hard to part with!
I have 3 suggestions for your daughter…
1. Use it for something other than it was intended for — to hold decorative pinecones or balls in the living room, to hold rolled-up towels in the bathroom, for extra “junk” on top of the washing machine.
2. Store it somewhere other than the kitchen — does she have room in the bottom of her bedroom closet, in a linen closet, out in the garage, in basement storage, etc?
3. Sell it for a reasonable price.
I actually JUST shared a quote on my Instagram Stories last night saying “don’t keep anything out of guilt” – and I honestly feel this is so true.
Hopefully this helps!
Julia Irvin says
Dana White from aslobcomesclean.com calls this “the container concept”. I really enjoy both your blog and hers.
Jennifer says
I love this post. We live on a sailboat so this is how we have to think about everything! Like the “Space Budget” term. Gives a better way to think about limited space.
Andrea says
Yes! Sometimes it’s all about how you phrase it and all about your mindset. I prefer to think of it as my CHOICE to simplify versus being forced to limit my things due to lack of space.
Holly Moran says
I use these same principles and concepts, but never thought to give it a clever name like space budget!
Andrea says
haha — well I’m not sure how clever the name is, but it works for me!
Jennifer McCarthy says
I am completely on the same page with you! We’re renovating our home in the next month and I am currently packing things up and finding new homes for what we don’t need. I am realizing more than I ever have before that there is no need for all the “stuff”.
Shauntel Isham says
Andrea!
I am so amazed by how organized you are in all parts of your home! It’s truly motivating for me to get my butt in gear and organize my own house to look like yours! Thank you for sharing all of your great tips!
I also wanted to reach out to you and see if you would be interested in doing a featured post about a brand new product we are launching called the “Ladder Trap.” It is perfect for hanging your ladders on the wall and creating the optimum organized garage space. Feel free to look up our product up on Facebook. If you are interested in featuring our product on your blog, we will gladly ship you a free one! Let me know if you would be interested.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Andrea says
Thanks Shauntel. If you’d like to talk more with me about your product and a possible sponsorship on my blog, please just email me: andrea@andreadekker.com
Katie says
I have had to learn this over the last 5 years! We live in a house built in 1895 with very limited storage. We have his-and-her closets in our bedroom, for example, that only hold about 20 hanging items per person and a 9 pair shoe rack each…very tiny. At first I hated it but after a few years I realize the challenge has been amazing for me to discipline myself to only keep what we use and love and what fits within our space limits. Luckily my husband is on board. We also have no linen closet but we have found ways to be creative with storage that actually look good aesthetically (a wardrobe in the hallway). Having lived in this situation, I know that when we move we won’t “need” massive amounts of storage…it can be done, and in ways makes your life easier. Less stuff means you actually know what you have, you use it, and can properly take care of what you own.
Louise says
You are SO disciplined. You are amazing! This is such a great idea. I don’t think I could come anywhere near close to this but I’m certainly going to give it a much better go than I’ve been doing with my clutter-busting.
I know how much I love it when I can find things easily. I love it when I can go to my wardrobe and know that I love everything in it and can easily put together an outfit. I know how much I love it when I can put the sheets and towels away easily- because it’s not overcrowded and everything has a place. I just hadn’t thought about going this far with make-up, toiletries and kitchen items.
I’m now set for a big purge. Thanks for the inspiration and ideas.
Andrea says
Thanks Louise!
I think for me, I know how much happier, content, and peaceful my life feels when things are neat and organized — so that’s my main motivation for keeping my house under control. There are definitely times when it’s less organized — but I always make the time to get it organized again because it’s important for me.
Olga says
I love this post! Thanks Andrea for reminders like this, about reasons why life is less stressful when we set limits for all the big and small things in it. I am guilty of having more than 50 hangers though. ☺ As for the kids(10 &8), I keep their stuff within MY limits because they would keep some stuff just because of special attachment. For example socks with a hole on the toe, because of the Lightning McQueen image on them, and apparently that’s a friend. Loads of pictures from classmates in the end of the school year -because they are cool, etc,etc.
One thing I learned though, is to NEVER dispose of kids’ drawings for me when any of them is present around. I do keep some drawings and writing from them for the future, but the rest is secretly disposed to recycle.
April says
I limit hangers and shoes too! Saves money and helps me be better dressed because I am now more particular about my puchases. And, we have the same nativity set. I love that it reminds my kids of the reason for Christmas while still being indestructible!
P.s. 2nd attempt to comment. Hope it’s not a double comment.
Andrea says
sorry — just realized I had a bunch of comments in the “trash” and somehow your 2 comments ended up there.
April says
I do the hanger limit and shoe limit too! When the laundry is completely done, we only have a few empty hangers, which I like!
Mary Ann says
Yes! A few years back I had an epiphany about only keeping what could actually fit in an area. Before that, I constantly felt that I wasn’t a good enough organizer. It was so freeing!
When we were first married, our bedroom in our first rental was small so we chose to share one dresser instead of cramming 2 in. As our living spaces have increased, we continue to use the one dresser to store our clothes that we don’t hang up(our closets over the years have been crazy small ). It has worked so well and helps us to keep only what we love and will wear!
Andrea says
I’m a big fan of less clothing — it makes it easier to get dressed in the morning, there is less to wash, fold, and put away, and it makes packing for a trip simpler as well!
Beatriz says
I feel like I have that problem right now myself, there just seem to be so many odds and ends around my house but whenever I go to throw it away I feel I can’t. However I think this week I’m going to make more of an effort to do a purge. I did this during winter, I went through my closet and threw away so many things I filled up 2 garbage bags! I let my sister, a friend and mom (who are smaller than me) cherry pick what they wanted and the rest went to Savers. I had so much space left in my closet, that things I had placed in drawers but should have been hung went into the closet. Now it’s easier to pick what I’m going to wear in the mornings and I know what I have hanging there.
Now I have to go through all those odds and ends to remove what is either not used or let go of it emotionally. Many of the things I have are things that were gifts or simply things that hold a special memory but at the end of the day I still have the memory even if I don’t have a weird miniature clay Chinese mask bought at an airport, even if it was bought as a nice gesture towards me.
Andrea says
as you probably know, there are people who are much more sentimental and emotional about their things – you might be one of them. I am NOT one of those people, which makes purging SOOOOOO much easier for me.
I don’t want to make excuses for you, but that is probably one of the reasons purging is more difficult for you — it’s not that you don’t know how to do it, or not even that you don’t want to do it; it’s just that your brain is telling you that you CAN’T do it. Sometimes it helps to have some help from a friend or relative who is not emotionally attached to your things. They can help you overcome that emotional attachment!
Also, just keep thinking about how great it felt when you purged your closet — you could eventually feel like that with the rest of your house if you purged some of your excess!
Nancy Johnson says
My husband and I live in a 1960’s ranch. It has 3 closets, one one in each of the bedrooms. One is storage for things other than clothing. My goal is for the two remaining closets to hold all our clothing without overcrowding. I am recently retired so am in the purging process for office attire. I can use some of it for church and going out to dinner, but definitely do not need all of it anymore. A friend said, as we were discussing the small closets, “can’t you turn one of the bedrooms into a big closet?” Well, yes, we could. But I prefer to go at it from the other direction. One 1960’s size closet should be enough for one retired lady’s clothes!
Andrea says
haha — I like your goals, and yes, I think one 1960’s closet should be enough for your clothes 🙂
Kathy says
Hi Nancy – Enjoyed reading your post. I also have been retired for 18 months but I’ve not been able to part with my office clothes. I keep thinking what if I go back part time or what if I get another part time job. I have to work on weeding those out. If I go back to work I can buy a few things. And shoes, my goodness, I have a lot of “office” shoes. Andrea, do your 50 hangers include both summer and winter clothes?
Andrea says
haha — I think it’s time to purge Kathy! You can do it!
As for the 50 hangers, yes, that’s all seasons — however, as you can probably see in the photo, I keep sweaters and sweatshirts folded and I have some tees and tanks in a drawer.
Liz C says
We absolutely do have space limits. They help so much!! We have five people in a little mid-20th century, no-closets cottage that has under 800 square feet of living space. My husband and I both work from home, and we homeschool. Being careful with our space limits means we really do have enough room to do what we want and need to do!
Flip-side, we have friends who have a house three times the size, and are stuffed to the gills, due to an inability to release excess blessings. There’s only so much I can do to encourage it when my friend complains about how they live… because she’s not willing to let go of anything. Ever.
One very cool side effect of teaching my children about space limits is seeing their own streamlining, weeding, and releasing skills grow as they grow. They have an attitude of abundance: we have more than we require, so we can share with others! We can meed our needs simply, and share with others!
We tend to get a good number of hand-me-downs. My little girls, now 11 and 8, can go through the bag, choose the few things they like best to update or round out their wardrobe needs, choose a few things suited to the likes of a nearby cousin, and then go grab some of their own items to add to the hand-me-down bag before we give it away. They feel no pressure to keep all of it… or even any of it!
Looking at my utensil jar on the counter… it’s about time to weed down! I only LIKE one of the spatulas… so why own three? Weeding down to our happy minimum, that suits the space we have: bliss!
Andrea says
This is awesome Liz! Thanks so much for sharing. I hope my children will be able to make similar decisions when they are older — but Nora already shows LOTS of signs of wanting to keep everything. She just loves stuffing papers and little tchotchkes into bags and boxes until they are stuffed to the gills. I try to never FORCE her to get rid of anything (because I don’t want her to rebel and start hoarding everything when she’s older) but it is definitely a struggle sometimes!
Heidi says
I’m at that point right now with our playroom- we have a big room but it’s full (and always a disaster). I’m seriously considering turning it back into a guest bedroom just to force our hand to lessen the number of toys we have.
Andrea says
yeah, I always wished we had a HUGE playroom…until we had kids. Now I think our very small play area is just good enough. It’s big enough to play in, as long as we don’t let it clutter up with too many toys!
Maria says
Yes, playrooms can really be a problem when there are too many toys. I try to tackle this problem by not having too many toys out all at once, which makes the room look like a disaster. I like to rotate the toys by putting some of the toys away for a while. I find that by doing this, the kids are excited when I bring back their old toys, which they haven’t played with for a while and the clutter is kept to a minimum.
Christine @ The (mostly) Simple Life says
I love this! I’ve always noticed how people tend to fill whatever space they have. A bigger house eventually just gets filled up with more and more stuff because there’s room for it. I just wrote a post about not organizing what you can declutter, and I feel like it goes right along with this. Space limits are a very good idea. I think we have some, somewhat subconsciously, but I’m going to think of some more on purpose. 🙂
Andrea says
yes! I’m convinced that unless you are very intentional about how you use your space, your stuff will eventually take over whatever space you have! I think this is one of the reasons tiny homes are becoming more popular these days!
Jamie says
Yes! When we moved into our house 7+ years ago, we were amazed at all the storage (1920’s farmhouse with TONS of built-in cabinets/drawers) and I vowed that we would never fill every single space of storage. With designated areas for certain things, I know when things are starting to get out of control and purge whatever area needs it. We’re expecting our 4th child in December and I’m glad to say we still have a handful of empty drawers and plenty of extra space in our closets. Yes to space limits!
Andrea says
wow, that’s awesome that your house has tons of storage! We don’t have tons of storage — but we have enough!
Karen says
This is one of my favorite posts! I have finally realized that the less stuff I have, the easier it is to keep clean. I thought of you yesterday when I was purging our master closet. I am embarrassed but proud to tell you that I am hauling six bags of clothing to a ministry clothing place today! I love your idea of limited hangers and drawer space!
Andrea says
Thanks karen!
And yay for a big closet purge!!
Elizabeth says
Yes! I love this post. My parents have a chronic problem with stuff (which is why I am a minimalist!!!)! My mother is always complaining about how if she just had this set of containers or better closets, etc, she could finally get it under control. This is always my top tip for anyone who asks me about my clean house: each thing has a designated space; when that space is full, it is time to make some choices about what needs to go. If you take the time to set up a space “budget” and actually follow it, your house will almost keep itself tidy.
Andrea says
You are probably more in the minority than your mother (unfortunately). I think many people I know would agree with your mom and they just need more space and then their clutter problems would be solved 🙂
Karen says
This is such a great reminder and I love how you reference space to a budget.