Dollar Tree's Handy Wooden Crate Makes Kitchen Storage Simple (And It's Just $1.25)

No matter how much money you make, organizing your kitchen essentials can be a headache. But let's be real: Finding low-cost solutions on a budget seems to get more expensive every year. With a little creativity and DIY initiative, however, you can stretch your money surprisingly far with a trip to Dollar Tree for a few Crafters Square Rectangular Wooden Crates with Handles, which cost only $1.25 each.

Measuring about 5.5 inches long, 3.1 inches wide, and 2.4 inches tall, this small wooden crate is just the right size to corral all kinds of everyday items, but still tiny enough to tuck into a drawer or cabinet when you want to stash something out of the way. On its own, you can use this crate to organize shelf-stable condiments, small utensils, or even a couple of jars of spices. If you're handy, you can also build some small shelving units to gather collections of individually wrapped tea bags or coffee pods, condiment packets, and random ingredients like garlic and shallots. Even better, if you're the crafty type, the unfinished wooden surface is endlessly customizable. So whether you're working with a cottage core aesthetic or your kitchen is dark and gothic, you can paint and decorate these crates to fit into any type of decor.

The easiest way to use Dollar Tree's small wooden crates in your kitchen is simply on their own as singular containers to organize small items. Unlike unsightly plastic bags or repurposed plastic produce boxes, these crates look cute when they're displayed, so you won't mind leaving one on your kitchen table to hold the salt and pepper shakers and bottles of hot sauce or soy sauce that you use a lot. Gathering those items together also makes it easy to pass them around the table at mealtimes and clean up after. If you have multiple dining areas, like a breakfast nook, dining room table, and outdoor patio, you might want to stock a crate for each of these spaces. This makes keeping up with all the tableware essentials a lot less complicated, and it's easy to transport the caddies back and forth to the kitchen or pantry for refills.

You can also use these crates to collect any sort of small items that tend to tangle up your drawer space, including twist ties, bread clips, rubber bands, and chip clips. Either leave them out if you have counter space, or, if your drawers are deep enough, group them together like a drawer organizer unit to collect and separate items into categories. Corn on the cob holders in one, for instance, and napkin rings in another.

Now, if you're crafty and you want to take this Dollar Tree find to the next level, try building these crates together with glue to create custom shelving. With just a tube of wood glue or a hot glue gun, you can assemble the crates in all kinds of organizer configurations to suit your space, be it displayed on the countertop or stored inside a cabinet.

Try stacking and gluing the crates together to make a tea or coffee organizer that you can slide into a drawer or cabinet. For a more decorative vibe, stagger the crates like brickwork to make a piece to hang on the wall for small plants, coffee mugs, or spice jars. Don't limit yourself to single stacks, either. The modular design lets you combine the crates back to back to make a four-sided unit. Stick them all together and then mount the whole thing on a small lazy Susan and decant your cluttered spices into some of Dollar Tree's clear plastic travel jars perfect for organizing an adorable rotating spice rack on the cheap. 

Next time you're at Dollar Tree to grab some of our favorite kitchen essentials from the store, don't sleep on the craft aisle if you've got a kitchen project to solve. With a little ingenuity, you can improve your kitchen storage and organization without spending a fortune.