Storage - always an issue!

Do you have room for everything in your home?  Do you have too much stuff?  Do you know how to get creative with storage?

We are fortunate to have a basement, as our home is small.  But, there is still way too much stuff in this house!  I have worked hard this year on de-cluttering, but I am no where close to being done.

Do you all have room for your stockpiles of food and supplies for prepping?  I am hoping you have a backlog of supplies for the time that SHTF (sh** hits the fan!)  Of course that is another post altogether!

Get creative with storage.  Many people seem to over look the obvious - under the beds!  I keep paper goods under ours.  You can store under the couches and chairs and behind them as well.

Most closets have a shelf over the hanging racks - then nothing to the ceiling!  What's with that?  Install milk crates (open side facing the door) and go UP!  I have added crates and fastened the first row down to the wooden shelf, then add another crate atop those and wire tie together.  This gives you so much more storage upward and you can compartmentalize your stuff.

Add an extra clothes rod to your closets about half way up.  You can hang shirts/blouses/jackets on one and slacks on the other.
Add a shallow bookshelf to the floor of your closet.  It gives you extra shelving and is out of the way.

Add cloth/plastic shoes bags to the back of closets doors, especially in bathroom and basement.  There is no limit to the amount of small items you can store there.  Shampoo, razors, hair ties, small packets of spices and seasoning, boxes of freezer bags,  kids toys, etc.

Do you have a basement?  Utilize the space under the stairs.  There are generally wooden posts going from the top to the floor under the stairs (braces).  Using T-brackets, make shelves going from behind each step back to those posts.
If you have a basement with ceiling rafters showing, add some metal shelves between some of the rafters for over head storage.

Use the space between appliances and cabinets/walls.  I keep all cookie sheets and muffin tins between the frig and wall and frig and cabinet.  Things slide right in.
Rubbermaid drawer stacks are also quite useful.

Use Mason jars for storage in the bath and kitchen.  Great for mixes, pasta, rice, etc. in the kitchen.  Use in bath for cotton balls, q-tips, combs/brushes, etc.  I use the pretty vintage blue ones in my bath.

Add extra shelving to your pantry.  Many pantries have shelving that is very far apart - I have never understood that.  Add extra shelves and maybe alter the depth of shelves for easier accessibility.  I have a custom made spice rack inside my pantry door.  My nephew made it just to fit.  It sure gives me a lot of extra space for spices.

Old suitcases and trunks make great storage, and they can be decorative as well.
Plastic totes can be filled and stacked in closets or basements, but they can be slightly costly.

If you get the opportunity to get second hand cabinets from someone's tear out - get them for use in the basement or garage.

Think, think, think when it comes to storage.  There are so many options and hiding places in your home, if you just look around.
Get creative!  Do you have any different or unusual storage tips that you can offer to the rest of us?
Happy storing!