7 Steps to Organize Your Bedroom On A Budget: Bedroom Organizing Before and After 

Your bedroom is an intimate space – not only because of what you share with your partner (if you have one), but because it’s where you rest, dream, and dress yourself to greet each day.  So it is worth taking some time and giving some thought to how to make the space restful and nurturing.

Depending on your situation, you might also use your bedroom to read, meditate, talk on the phone, or even work! When you think about it, we ask a lot of our bedrooms.

That’s why it’s so important that your bedroom support your energy, rest, and joy. As the place you sleep, you want your bedroom to be relaxing. As the place you get ready in the morning, you want it to be filled with art, mementos and decor that lift your spirits.

Many clients come to us for professional home organizing when they are completely fed up with their bedrooms. Because visitors don’t usually see bedrooms and closets, they can become repositories for stuff that doesn’t have a home elsewhere. Even though your bedroom is important to your wellbeing, it can get cluttered and disorganized quickly. Many folks feel concerned that they may need to spend a lot of money in order to improve their bedroom, but they need not worry!

Take a deep breath – it’s okay! There is nothing wrong with you or your bedroom, but if you want to live and rest in a space that reflects and supports YOU, it’s time to declutter and organize. These seven steps will help you mindfully organize your bedroom so you can finally use it exactly the way you want to.

Step 1: Ground yourself and get in touch with your vision

Grounding: Take a moment to ground yourself before you start organizing your bedroom. Take some deep breaths and acknowledge how you feel – excited? Nervous? Overwhelmed?

What is your vision? Consider what you want your bedroom to look like after you declutter and organize. Do you want a minimalist bedroom with only the essentials or do you enjoy having an abundance of pillows and objects that you love artfully arranged on a shelf?

It may help to meditate, journal or talk with a loved one to get clear on your vision. If you share your bedroom with a spouse or partner, consider how their vision might overlap with yours. If space is very limited, having a creative queen murphy bed can help you save space and add style to your bedroom.

Step 2: Organize Like a Kindergartner

First find bags, containers or boxes and label them – there’s no need to buy anything new here, you can just use baskets, paper bags, trash bags, or anything else you have at home!  Kindergartners don’t have a budget.  They just grab what they have and make it work. You can do the same. 🙂

We recommend labeling two containers Donation and Transit before you start sorting. These are helpful for when you come across items that you’re ready to donate, or items that belong in another part of your home (that’s what the Transit container is for – also known as a relocation container). And again, no need to break the budget by running out to buy a fancy label maker! Super Sticky notes or paper and tape work just as well.

The clutter in this client’s bedroom made it hard to walk around. Scroll for the after picture!

Now it’s time to organize like a kindergartner! Group you things together by putting like with like. You could sort by item type (clothes, accessories, books, papers, etc) or by feeling (love it, like it, not sure, don’t like it). The best way to organize  is by what makes sense to you. Sorting will help you to see how much you have of every category and will make decluttering go faster.

Go shopping in your home!  Resist the impulse to run off to the Container Store.  You may also discover that there is no need to break the budget running out to buy more containers as you already have a wealth of baskets and boxes that can be used for organizing. 🙂

Aah, much easier to walk around, and less visual chaos to draw the eye and distract the mind.

Step 3: Declutter Your Bedroom

Once you have all the items in your bedroom sorted, it’s time to decide what you keep and what to let go. Remember, keeping items that you don’t love doesn’t serve you – the unloved stuff clutters up your physical and mental space, dragging down your energy.

Ask yourself these questions when you consider what to keep or let go:

• Do I love it?
• Do I use it?
• Do I have a better one?
• What is the worst thing that could happen if I let go of this?

If the answer to the first two questions is “no,” it’s time to let it go. Try to stay in the present moment when you ask these questions. When you mindfully ask them about each item, you might be surprised by your own answers!

Step 4: Bedroom Organizing… Your Way

Consider where YOU use each of your items – do you like to keep your sheets in a drawer by your bed, or with the other sheets in the linen closet? Where do you want to display your favorite books? How about the clothes you don’t use often but need for certain occasions, like nice shoes or suits?

This client’s “clothes corner” in her bedroom was so full that it was hard for her to find what she needed.

Allow yourself to think outside the box all the while keeping in mind the supplies that you already have on hand. There are no “rules” for how a bedroom should be organized. Be creative in using what you already have! In the picture below, we found this hanging rack down in the basement of the client’s home still in the box!

The “clothes corner” is now a simple rack where the client can see things at a glance. And the rack was hiding in the basement!

Step 5: “Containerize” Your Stuff

After you have sorted and decluttered, gather any containers that you have on hand for organizing the things in your bedroom. Often people make the mistake of buying containers before decluttering and organizing, and end up with too many or too few or wrongly sized containers. Use what you have first and then buy wisely (but only if needed!)

This child’s bedroom was overflowing with more toys and things than he could use. He was so excited to see the transformation!

There may be no need to spend money on new containers. You can go easy on your budget by repurposing what you have! Use boxes, ball jars, Tupperware, and baskets that you already have. If you do need containers, you may find some budget items at the thrift store or at a yard sale. Of course, there is always the Container Store or Amazon. Just be sure to choose your containers after you have completed your sorting and decluttering.

Now he has more space to play, and his toys are neatly organized in visual containers so it’s easy to know what is where.

Step 6: Label Your Containers

You can use masking tape, sticky notes or anything you have on hand to label your containers. For more budget labeling ideas click HERE! We recommend making the label big enough that you can read it easily, even if it’s on a high shelf. This helps you to maintain your new systems and find what you need when you need it. If pretty labels make you smile, treat yourself to some! I like the old-fashioned feel of reusable chalkboard labels.

Step 7: Let Your New Habits Flourish

Habits change consciously and with time, so don’t be hard on yourself if a little clutter happens after you “officially” declutter and organize your bedroom. It takes time to adapt to new organizing systems!

It might help to create a short checklist of your new, organized habits, and put it on your bedside table or by the door. That way you can check in with yourself daily to make sure you’re practicing your new habits. Download our’s free “Mastering New Habits” worksheet and use it to track your progress!

Do you like your bedroom the way it is right now? Have you decluttered and organized your bedroom before? Let us know in the comments!

Discover more ways to mindfully organize your room or home here >>

Image by Chastity Cortijo.