I Don’t Have a Junk Drawer, But This $8 Container Store Find Is a Huge Help
Junk drawers—they’re necessary for a reason. Even the most organized people still manage to accumulate enough random odds and ends to need one—I know I do. Tape, pens, and batteries might be the start of it, but it’s the mishmash of coins, rubber bands, keys, and aimless cords that really get you.
Living in a small studio apartment, where storage opportunities in my kitchen are limited, a junk drawer is more of a luxury than anything else. And yet, that still doesn’t prevent items from accumulating in a messy pile on the corner of the kitchen counter. As a minimalist with a severe aversion to disorder, I simply can’t stand it. My fix? It came in the form of something a little unexpected: A lidded shoe box. But it’s not your ordinary footwear storage solution.
I knew that I needed to source a container to keep all the various items in a singular place, and it had to be one I wouldn’t mind seeing every day, since I don’t have an actual junk drawer to keep it in. The key was finding something see-through. I wanted to have open access to the “drawer,” even if it was just visually speaking. Plus, it would push me to keep the contents of the box itself organized, instead of just throwing random things inside.
The acrylic piece I sourced is only $8 and comes with a very handy lid and a streamlined shape. It’s perfectly stackable, should I want to repurpose it someday and add more boxes on top of it. Best of all, it’s sleek enough to live on the edge of the kitchen counter without looking like a total eyesore. Plus, it could actually fit inside a junk drawer and become more of a drawer organizer one day, should I move somewhere that has more storage space.
Even if you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated junk drawer, getting a box like this to go inside it is actually a genius move. I allow myself this container—and only this container—to serve as my makeshift junk drawer. Anything extraneous that won’t fit inside it, I find a dedicated home, toss, or donate. Not only does this eliminate excess clutter, but it pushes me to continuously take inventory of what I have and tidy up on the go. This way, you’ll never have trouble shutting your overflowing junk drawer again!