10 Things Under $30 That Will Actually Organize Your Life

Who knew your mail could stay in one place??

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1. This makeup organizer that will finally empty out your cluttered drawer that's about to burst.

Kayla Suazo / BuzzFeed

I’m no professional makeup artist, but I do enjoy splurging on products and attempting a smoky eye I learned via YouTube tutorial every once in a while. Over the years I’ve collected a good chunk of eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, and makeup brushes, but they all end up tossed in my vanity drawer. It got to the point where I couldn’t fit anything else in there, so I decided to try out this makeup organizer. Let me tell ya: I LOVE IT.

All the products I use daily are now neatly displayed on my desk, and my once-cluttered drawer holds the stuff I use less frequently. The organizer is big enough to hold my favorite brushes and lipsticks and makes everything super accessible. It’s not monstrous, so don’t expect it to fit everything you own, but for everyday products, it definitely does the job! —Kayla Suazo

Get it from Amazon for $13.99.

2. These expandable cabinet shelves that save you from playing Jenga with your dishes.

Tom Vellner / BuzzFeed

You know how usually you have to stack your plates and bowls so high in your cabinets that every time you need one of them it's like you're playing a high-stakes game of kitchen Jenga? Stop stressin' and buy these cabinet shelves!!! They double your cabinet space so that you don't have Everest-sized piles of dishes that you dread reaching for every damn time. Plus, they're expandable, so they'll fit even the widest of cabinetry. You could also use them to organize spices, cans, or under-the-sink items. They make me feel super organized with literally zero effort. Bless this nonmess. —Tom Vellner

Get them from Amazon for $12.74, Jet for $13.36, or Walmart for $13.36.

3. Some velvet clothes hangers to make your wardrobe look ridiculously organized, even if it isn't.

amazon.com, Gyan Yankovich / BuzzFeed

For a long time, the concept of owning matching clothes hangers fell into the category of "that would be nice, but it's not something I can afford right now." My wardrobe became an unsightly mix of mismatched plastic and wire hangers that I've collected from dry cleaners over the years. It was a hot mess.

When I moved to a new city, I decided that one of my new apartment investments would be a set of matching hangers. I expected that they'd all be a light wood and would cost me a fortune — that is, until I visited two friends' apartments and noticed that they both had the same set of matching black velvet hangers. I found them on Amazon and was amazed to see that they were actually affordable: 30 hangers for less than $15. I ordered a set immediately, and now, a few months later, I'm about to order my second set, as I start to unpack my winter wardrobe. The hangers are thin enough to be a space-saver — a lot stronger than the wire I'd been trying to make work for years — and above all, make my wardrobe look neat and organized, for the first time ever. —Gyan Yankovich

Get a them from Amzaon: a 30-pack for $14.99, a 50-pack for $15.19, or a 100-pack for $39.99.

4. This Ban.do agenda to help keep your shit together in style.

Katy Herman / Via BuzzFeed

I really like to do things old school. I bought CDs up until a couple of years ago because I liked looking at the liner notes. I think Kindles are the enemy. And I just started using Google Calendar literally three days ago. Even as I begin to integrate more ~fancy tech~ into my life, I will continue to swear by my Ban.do agenda. Mine is the place where my life lives, where everything I can/need to/might do is jotted down in a way that seems haphazard to others but makes perfect sense to me.

There are several things that make this the Best. Planner. Ever. First of all, each day of the week has a lot of space for writing. I’m so not about little calendars that have just two lines for you to jot things down. C’mon, who has a to-do list that short?! (I would like to meet them.) Ban.do also makes an effort to make planning fun — their agendas come with cute and quirky stickers and feature bright, motivational artwork at the start of each month. Some days are even marked with funny to-dos or inspirational quotes. Plus, there’s a lot of extra space to write notes that don’t fit on a specific date, there's a pocket for storing important papers, and it includes an elastic band to keep it all together.

The Ban.do agenda comes in three sizes: a cute, travel-ready small option, a big guy perfect for your desk, and my drug of choice, an all-purpose, medium-sized one. You can also pick from lots of cute designs, including denim to sassy slogans and pretty florals like mine. Because no task is stressful if it’s surrounded by pink and glitter, right? That’s my philosophy, anyway. —Katy Herman

Get it from Amazon or Ban.do for $20.

5. This 40-pack of thank-you notes that ensures you're always ready to show appreciation for gifts, interviews, or whatever!

amazon.com

Over the years, my parents have drilled into my brain the importance of sending thank-you notes — people like receiving them, and it reflects well on you to express appreciation for whatever kindness they’ve shown you. I send them to people who have given me gifts, people who have interviewed me for jobs, and basically anyone who’s ever remotely gone out of their way to help me. But buying one thank-you card at a time can get expensive, so I invested in a pack from Hallmark. A box of 40 cards and envelopes is only $11.99, so not only will these will last a long time, but there are also four different designs, so I can vary the style of my thanks as well. (One of the styles doesn’t have words on the front, so it can double as a birthday card in a pinch!) The cards are blank inside, so you can personalize each one however you'd like. Now I’m always ready when I want to express some gratitude; I should send Hallmark a thank-you card for these thank-you cards. —Kat Angus

Get them from Amazon for $11.99.

6. An envelope holder to stop your mail from piling up on every surface in your home.

Tom Vellner / BuzzFeed

Until recently, my mail would pile up on my kitchen counter, my dresser, the back of my toilet — literally any flat surface. Fortunately, I got myself a fancy-ass mail holder to keep it all in one place right next to my front door. I truly don't know how it took me this long to buy something that helps me sort my mail, keeps my surfaces clear, and adds a chic touch to my living room. It's got a cute-AF envelope shape and it's ~galvanized~ too, which means it has a coating of zinc over it that makes it look weathered. Prepare to trick people into thinking you're an organized lifestyle blogger who remembers where their fan mail is at all times. —Tom Vellner

Get one similar to the holder pictured from Pottery Barn for $29.50.

7. This traveler's notebook that can hold your diary, planner, sketchbook, etc., all in one place.

amazon.com, Anjali Patel / BuzzFeed

A traveler’s notebook is a leather cover that you can use to hold several notebooks of your choosing: think lined notebooks, blank notebooks, grid notebooks, dotted notebooks, planners, literally anything you want. Essentially, it’s a way to build a perfect notebook and organizational system that works for you. Believe me when I say that I literally cannot function without mine.

The beauty of a traveler’s notebook is that it’s customizable — from the pattern and design to the number and types of inserts you can use. They also come with pockets for holding cute accessories like stickers and stationery! I don’t like to leave the house without several notebooks and writing utensils (you just never know when an idea will strike), and owning a traveler’s notebook makes it so much easier for me to grab my planner, diary, and sketchbook at once and switch it from bag to bag. —Anjali Patel

You can get a fun, colorful one from Etsy for $29.65+, or a classy leather bundle that includes three notebook inserts, a pen, a card holder, and a zipper insert from Amazon for $24.97.

8. This phone case-wallet hybrid that will save you a lot of time and stress on the go.

amazon.com

Real talk: I've been a phone-wallet convert for some time because I absolutely DREAD holding up a line while I dig through my bag for my wallet. Getting one has made things a lot more convenient. By nature of my constant texting/listening to music/tweeting about Good Anime Booties (leave me alone), my phone is usually pretty accessible, so now my cash and cards are, too!

Though I’ve tried a couple phone wallets, this one is by far my favorite because it keeps my cards hidden, it’s easy to unlatch, and the wallet part doesn’t cover up the face of my phone when it’s not in use (so it’s easy for me to check my notifications). Also, it’s sturdy: I’ve dropped it several (many) times and my phone still hasn’t snapped in two. Even my dad owns one, so it gets the stamp of approval from both of us. —Anjali Patel

Get it from Amazon for $14.99.

9. An expanding file folder so you never lose any important documents again.

Amazon Customer / Via amazon.com

On a scale from one to organized, I'm Oscar Madison on lazy day. (And apparently, when it comes to pop culture references, I'm 75 years old.) Until recently, my storage method for important documents was: "Put them in that one drawer, or that other box, or maybe shove them inside a book and use them as a bookmark." Needless to say, I had to go to the Social Security office earlier this year to get a new card. In order to avoid going to that musty old claptrap again, I decided to invest in a humble expanding file. Y'know, those things in, like, lawyers' offices and your parents' file cabinets. Turns out, they're really useful!

This one was very reasonable — less than $7 — and does exactly what I need it to. It's sturdy, it expands really big, and yes, it keeps all of my old birthday cards, tax documents, and birth certificate in one place. It also comes with little tabs so I can (gasp!) label each section according to what's in it. Not only does it ensure that I never lose anything important again, but it's MAJORLY decreased clutter around my already tiny apartment. I may never be an organized person, but now I can at least legitimately pretend to be one. —Terri Pous

Get it from Amazon for $6.49.

10. And Done, an app that will help you start (and more importantly, KEEP) habits and track your success.

Rachel Wilkerson Miller / BuzzFeed

After a recent visit to the dentist, I decided I was going to start flossing again, and I thought having an app to keep track of all of the days that I flossed would be helpful/motivating. When Done appeared in my search results, I figured I'd give it a shot. And I'm so glad I did, because it's fantastic.

Done's interface is clean, elegant, and intuitive, and makes it easy to track multiple habits (though you do have to upgrade to the $3.99 paid version if you want to track more than three habits). To get started, you tell it whether you want to keep a habit or break a habit, determine how often you want to do the thing (once a day, a few times a week, etc.), and (if you want) set up reminder notifications. You can also write little journal entries if you want to and view your progress/streaks via weekly, monthly, and yearly charts.

Done is super-pleasing to use, in part because of its deeply satisfying sound effects. Whenever you tell Done that something is, well, done, the app responds with a very charming noise. But it's not always the same noise, and that mystery somehow adds to the appeal. One sound is basically the sound this emoji — 🎉 — would make. Another one signals "yep, got it, copy that." All of them are so damn friendly. I'm a 31-year-old adult, but these cute little sound effects manage to delight me every time. (You can also turn the sound effects off if you'd prefer to to track your habits in silence.) I'm now tracking three different habits in Done, beeping and blooping and ta-da-ing my way to my best life. I also am currently on a 69-day flossing streak! I haven't missed a day since I started using the app. 🎉🎉🎉 —Rachel Wilkerson Miller

Get it for iOS for free (or upgrade to the $3.99 version).

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Alison Krausman / BuzzFeed