The Affordable Dollar Tree Find That Makes For Gorgeous Kitchen Storage

If there's one thing every single kitchen needs more of, it's storage. Since this area of the house is typically in a constant state of flux due to continuous cycles of cooking and washing up, effective and well-organized storage can be a real life saver. Not only does it help keep your kitchen clean and clutter-free, it also places essential items at your fingertips. For instance, Ikea's Tisken series of suction cup storage baskets offers a modular system for adding storage to the inside of your cabinet doors for holding frequently used seasonings and lightweight tools.

However, sometimes storage necessarily migrates to the counter, either because cabinet space is limited or because you'd rather keep items you use daily out in the open. While it's perfectly okay to use utilitarian plastic containers for your counter essentials, Dollar Tree has a chic, functional, affordable alternative in the form of its woven straw baskets for $3.00 each. These baskets are lightweight, about 5 inches deep, and approximately 7 inches wide by 10 inches long, making them the perfect size to corral everything from neatly folded tea towels and partially empty bags of coffee to snack bars and drink flavor packets. These woven baskets also come in two styles: natural beige, and a two-tone version with soft, ivory-colored cording on the bottom and contrasting darker straw around the top. This means you can snag a bunch in one color, or mix and match them to align with your personal tastes and decor style.

Since these baskets are relatively small and lightweight, they're easy to tuck away between cute canisters of baking essentials, nestle next to your French press on a DIY coffee bar, or set on open shelving between plants or dishware. In these areas, they offer an aesthetic solution to keeping non-uniform items tidy and organized. This might include multiple brands of coffee syrups, extra condiment packets from various types of takeout, or small bags of nuts and dried fruit that go into your oatmeal every morning.

You can also use these handy little baskets as a simple tool to declutter your pantry (and keep it that way) by turning one or more of them into your designated "needs to go" baskets. The idea is that these baskets sit on the kitchen table or a visible counter to hold the last bits of food or duplicate items. This may include the last sleeve of Oreos, snack-size bags of chips that are about to expire, or the four bottles of soy sauce you discovered in a cabinet. Once these are used up and the baskets are empty, you know it's time to purchase more of that item. Another place these baskets can come in handy is when you're organizing your pantry specifically to create independent kids. They're the perfect size to hold a daily portion of children's snacks, letting you place them at eye-level so your kiddos can help themselves when they're hungry.