Lovely Scenario:
Four of our six children and 15 of our 16 grandchildren live out of town and need a bed to sleep in when they come to visit.
Sometimes a bunch come to stay at the same time.
Stark Reality:
We own a two-bedroom house
Available Sleeping Spots:
One queen-size bed
Two single beds
Two double futons in basement
Several folding mattresses for available floor space
Linen Organization Crisis:
I am a visual processor: if I can’t see it, it might as well not exist. With limited storage space, I have tried so many strategies to help me be ready with linens, blankets, and bedspreads for the 2,4,6,or 8 beds I might need them for.
“Where are the single sheets?” I cry. “And the double sheets?” I wail. “Under which bed did I store the blankets?” I moan.
Dollar Store Surprise!
On a recent trip to a Dollar Deals dollar store, the solution to my problem was waiting on the shelf:
Sturdy zippered plastic bags. Clear, see-through plastic bags!
I bought several.
At home, I did a happy dance, gathered the double sheets and pillowcases, and put them with the double blankets and bedspreads.
I put the single sheets with single bedspreads, and so on.
I rolled them up together and put them in individual bags.
In some of them I could even fit a blanket.
Even though the bags are clear plastic, I added tags I made from scrapbooking paper and ABC stickers. (Visual learners also like tags.) I tagged them for twin or double, zippered them, and slipped them out of the way under the futons.
Now when the family comes (Hint, hint…), I can grab the appropriate bag by its handy-dandy strap, and I’m good to go!
I can’t tell you what a relief it is to me to be prepared in this way.
So there you have it.
And all thanks to a trip to the Dollar Store.
Check out more from the Dollar Store Diva on Pinterest.
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For those of you who haven’t met her, the Dollar Store Diva happens to be my Mom who has a special power. She can transform Dollar Store and other inexpensive finds into super fun gifts that would brighten anyone’s day!
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I just love your blog and your writing style. You are so funny and I can totally relate to how you feel with all of the options for organizing. You have me laughing every time I read a new post because it is all so familiar to me!
Thank you, Gabi!
This is BRILLIANT! As a mom of 7, this is exactly what I need. I’m seeing a Dollar Store trip in my near future. THANK YOU!!!!
You are most welcome, Samantha!
Someone mentioned that their linens smelled musty after being stored in a bag. I put a couple of dryer sheets in my bags and that helps to keep them smelling fresh. Another thing you can use is a nice smelling bar of soap which u can also get at the Dollar store.
I tried that and found the lineñ had a funky smell. Have you come across that?
I use one pillowcase for the set, folding the fitted as they are supposed to be folded, then flat and other pillowcase and place neatly inside the 2nd pillowcase. I know the set is all inside. I don’t mix and match so having the set together works.
I don’t use plastic, but perhaps it keeps them fresh or do they smell like plastic?
Store extra pillows in space bags. Squeeze the extra air out of the bags and store under the bed. Pillows remain clean and ready to use on a moment’s notice.
That’s awesome. I love the dollar store. I put sheet sets into one of the pillowcases and fold it over to make a neat bundle. My problem is what to do with the extra pillows.
I understand about the extra pillow situation, Louise. I store some in plastic bins and some in plastic bags and slip them under the bed. (I’m all about under-bed storage!)
I do something similar. We have a very old family mountain house with a huge louvered cabinet in the main bathroom. In that I keep those large clear bins with sheets and pillowcases. They’re labelled by bed size and hold sets. Another has misc extra sheets also by size. I keep extra pillows in big plastic zip bags. First aid kit, extra flashlights, etc also go here. Family and guests know where to find what they need!
What a great idea, Ann. Thanks for sharing.
Great idea!! Where did you find these in the Dollar Store; what are they grouped with? Thanks!
Emily, I got the red one at Dollar Tree; it was with the other notebooks and stationery products. I got the black spiral notebook at Dollar Deals. It’s a great notebook and perfect for the washi tape. The thing with Dollar Deals is that there’s no guarantee the same products will be there the next day. I always keep my eyes open for high quality notebooks when I’m at the dollar store.
Oh, humble moment! I replied about the wrong blog post 🙂 (You can see that one here: https://chachingonashoestring.com/2014/03/06/how-a-dollar-store-notebook-helped-my-adult-add/ )
I actually got the plastic bags at Dollar Deals–they are sturdy and a higher quality than I found at Dollar Tree. Not sure what area they were in, just that they were on a bottom shelf. Sorry I can’t be more help.
Daiso stores have them for $1.50.
hi thanks for sharing I have a linen/stockpile closet that needs these badly visiting from thrifty thursday I’m lorraine at http://lorrainesresources.blogspot.com
Hope this helps, Lorraine!
I have dozens of these bags and use them for so many things: sheets, as was done here. Towel sets. Shoes when traveling, so they don’t get everything else dirty (I label the bags “shoes” so I don’t use them for anything else). Sets of gym clothes. My nephews put puzzles in them; my nieces put Lego in them.
Good idea to label “Shoes”–sometimes I’ll start to use a bag and then think, “Oh, maybe I used this for shoes before” and I won’t dare use it.
Sorry reread it & you did. Past my bed time.
Why wouldn’t you put a set of linens or 2 plus a blanket or 2 per bag? Instant bed in a bag! Less looking for all the bags.
I like the phrase “bed in a bag”. Wish I’d thought of that myself!