Bit by Bit, I'm Getting Organized - Junk Drawer Organization

I had been frustrated with the state of our junk drawer for quite some time.  Half the time I couldn't open or close it without shoving stuff around.  It took forever to find the stuff that I needed to use.  So, I pulled the drawer all the way out, set it on the living room floor and this is what I saw!

BEFORE

I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and got some wire mesh containers to use in the drawer.  I had some mismatched baskets before but the system wasn't really working....obviously!  I also used an old muffin tin for the small stuff like push pins and straight pins, nails, screws, etc.  But that took up A LOT of space so wanted to find another solution.  So, I took everything out of the drawer.  Put stuff in piles and got to work.  Surprisingly, the throw-away pile was the biggest.  Don't you hate that?  How did all that crap get in there???

AFTER

It really didn't take me long to organize everything.  I had everything back in the drawer in a couple hours.  I got rid of the muffin tin and used an idea I saw on PINTEREST  using Altoid tins for keeping small items.  I was able to scrounge around and find two that could be used.  I put the push pins/straight pins in one and nails/screws/button cell batteries in the other. Taking the muffin tin out of the drawer was a huge change and freed up a lot of space!  I got out my label maker and labeled the Altoid tins as well as all the chargers we had laying around.  I had kept all the cameras and chargers in a basket on the counter, but I was able to fit everything in the drawer and free up counter space.  We also had several screwdrivers and pliers in the drawer.  I consolidated and kept only the main ones that we use regularly in the drawer.  The others were placed in a basket in the mudroom closet.  Still easily accessible, but not necessarily needed in this drawer.

1 Week Later - Still Organized

 As you can see, it has been a week, and everything is still organized.  The kids and Pat are able to find what they need and know right where to put stuff back.  I can open and close the drawer without trouble and I gained some counter space back!

One organization task done and off my list!  What have you organized lately?