The Simple Dollar Tree Tool For Kitchen Organization That Rivals Professional Chefs

For millions of Americans, prepping everything from a creamy latte in a Moka pot to elaborate holiday dinners in tiny apartment kitchens is simply part of daily life. While these smaller spaces may be easy to clean, most of us are constantly looking for the best spots in our kitchens to add extra storage. Often, that means viewing the room with an eye for large swaths of empty space and using an equal ratio of creativity and ingenuity to make them work for us.

For instance, pegboard walls offer an affordable and versatile way to add storage to any kitchen. Pegboards are wood, plastic, or metal panels affixed against your existing wall with an inch or two of space between them. This space allows you to slip hooks into the panel's perforated grid of holes to hang things like pots and pans, or whisks and serving spoons. The holes in the panel allow you to move the hooks around as needed to rearrange your items to accommodate new acquisitions or just give the wall a fresh look.

Of course, the wood and metal versions of these walls can be expensive and are less than renter-friendly, so we suggest turning to the almighty Dollar Tree for an inexpensive DIY solution. There, you can find square and rectangular plastic peg boards that attach to your wall with adhesive strips. You can easily mount several of them together to create a large section of pegboard, especially since both sizes only cost $1.25 each.

Since these plastic pegboard sections are so inexpensive, it's super affordable to snag a bunch of them to put on that blank wall facing your stove or the dead space next to your cabinets. The squares are about 9 inches on all sides, while the rectangles are about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide, meaning they're compact enough to transform even the smallest spaces into a little storage nook for your measuring cups or to hold a pegboard-compatible basket full of tea sachets or seasoning packets.

Though not shown on the store's website, Dollar Tree also sells pegboard accessories that work with its products, including hook sets, cup-shaped baskets, and other storage items that simply snap into place. The boards and accessories only come in black and white, but feel free to spray paint them any color you like to suit your kitchen decor. Just be sure to use durable paint that can withstand some daily wear and tear.

Of course, these boards are also small enough that you can use them for a bit of clever hidden storage inside your pantry or cabinet doors, too. Use the basket attachments to store shopping bags, chip clips, or lightweight snacks like individual portions of chips, sandwich crackers, cookies, or candy. If you'd like to store heavier items on these boards, you might consider screwing them into the wall to ensure they're sturdy enough to bear the weight of glass spice containers or ceramic mugs.