Bougie on a Budget: Clever Cleaning & Organization Hacks for Your Home

Feeling overwhelmed trying to keep your Chicago home clean and organized while juggling a busy schedule? You’re not alone. Between work, family, and life, finding the time and energy for a proper tidy-up can feel impossible. The good news? With a few clever tricks and the right help, a peaceful, spotless space is within reach.

Let’s be real: maintaining a clean, organized home shouldn’t require a luxury budget. Sometimes, the most effective solutions are simple, affordable, and surprisingly chic. Inspired by savvy DIYers, we’ve gathered some of the best frugal tips to transform your space from cluttered to curated—without the stress.

Luxury Looks for Less: Art & Decor Hacks

You don’t need to spend a fortune to make your walls look expensive. Start with affordable frames from discount stores. A little “Rub and Buff” wax can instantly give a black frame a vintage, weathered look. Thrift old books with fine art pages, cut a page to size, and voilà—you have custom, high-end looking art for just a few dollars.

The Secret Outlet Trick

Here’s a genius hack for those unsightly, unused outlets in your kitchen or living room. Plug them with baby outlet covers (often leftover from childproofing days), add a dab of hot glue to the top, and press your new framed art right onto it. This creates a movable, interchangeable vignette that hides eyesores elegantly. It’s a perfect small win that makes a room feel intentionally designed.

Elevate Everyday Items

Found a cheap canvas print? Grab some Mod Podge. Painting it over the top in chaotic, textured strokes adds a beautiful, custom-painted look once it dries clear. It’s a relaxing, five-minute project that elevates basic decor instantly.

For a quick refresh, look for elegant wooden pieces or woven bins from discount stores. They make perfect coasters, drawer organizers, or decor in a bowl. The goal is serene, neutral organization that calms the mind. When your apartment cleaning routine feels manageable, your whole home feels better.

Smart Storage Solutions on a Dime

Organization is key to a maintainably clean home. Discount stores are goldmines for stylish containers, especially in the laundry section. Use larger bins to line and reinforce smaller, decorative ones for durable storage. Velvet hangers and labeled woven bins can transform a chaotic closet into a streamlined wardrobe system.

For a custom shelf, grab two garden hooks, a piece of wood, and a small can of stain. Stain the wood, attach the hooks to the bottom with screws, and mount it to the wall. You’ve just created a charming, functional shelf for under $4—perfect for next to a vanity or in an entryway.

Sometimes, the best first step is simply clearing everything out of a space to see the possibilities. If you’re feeling stuck, consider seeking deep cleaning help to get that true blank slate before you reorganize.

The Power of a Fresh Scent

A truly clean home smells fresh. Don’t overlook affordable scent boosters for your laundry. A good fragrance on towels, linens, and clothes adds that final layer of luxury and makes your space feel professionally maintained. If keeping up with laundry is part of the struggle, reliable fast cleaning services can handle the chore for you.

Mindset Shift: Progress Over Perfection

The most important tip? Aim for progress, not perfection. You don’t have to overhaul your entire home in one weekend. Small, consistent actions create big change over time.

• Start Small: Declutter one drawer or one shelf.
• Repurpose What You Have: Use leftover paint for an accent wall or old jars for storage.
• Embrace Secondhand: Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores are full of vintage dressers, mirrors, and shelves that add character without the big-box price tag.
• Ask for Help: If the task feels too big, there’s no shame in calling a cleaning service near me. The goal is a peaceful home, not martyrdom.

Remember, a clean space reduces mental clutter. Whether you tackle it yourself with these frugal hacks or decide to schedule a cleaning with a pro, the result is the same: more peace in your daily life. For many busy Chicagoans, finding a trusted Chicago cleaning company is the secret to maintaining that peace consistently.

Luxury organization. I’m not kidding. Welcome to Do It on a Dime. Dollar Tree luxury and organization. If you’re on Do It on a Dime, I deliver. >> Give this video a big thumbs up if you’re ready for a fresh start this year. You wanted true luxury. And we’re going to start with art. You won’t believe these tricks. These shinazery frames are so on trend right now. And these arched frames, too. And there is a hack. This hack is so weird, but you’re going to see it. And I guarantee you’re going to want to try it. Check this out. The cheapness is going to work to our advantage. Also, grab from Dollar Tree baby outlet covers. Maybe you have some from when your kids were little. And some Rub and Buff. Now, I got mine online, and you just need a very little bit. I’ll link it below. I’m going to rub this over the black frame. Because it’s black, it’s going to give it a vintage vibe once the rub and buff dries. I thrifted a book for $1 with some fine art inside, and I cut down one of the pages to fit right inside the frame. This came out so beautifully. Now, here is the secret trick, and why you might want this in your kitchen. these outlet covers. If you have some unsightly covers on your wall that you’re not really using, put the baby plugs in. And I added some hot glue to the top. You can always remove this easily, but I glued the art right on. And now I have this really cool vignette in the kitchen that is totally movable and interchangeable, and I don’t have to look at that outlet every day. Isn’t that so cool? And I think Dollar Tree canvas prints are awesome. They’ve really improved them over the years to give you lots of vintage scenery, birds, or maybe you want to pick one up from the thrift store. But this is a trick from Dollar Tree you can use on any canvas print. Grab some Mod Podge and you’re going to paint this over the top in chaotic strokes. This is really relaxing to do because this Mod Podge is going to dry clear. And when you set this out, it’s going to look like it’s been painted. Do you see the texture that this gives on any really cheap art or a print? This is a great way to elevate it super fast. What do you think? Dollar Tree also brought back tons of super elegant, very rustic, almost vintage looking decor, and they have these beautiful wood pieces. Now, to me, these look like they would make amazing decor in a bowl. I also think they would make fabulous coasters. I would love to know how you would use them. I brought a few of the square ones home. They are perfect for my tea in the morning. This is such an elegant way to stay organized. But I think my favorite trick of the video is this next one. They have these garden hooks this year. Now, they brought these back in the past, but these are in white. Now, all you have to grab are two garden hooks, a piece of wood from the Crafter Square and Dollar Tree stain. Check this out. This is $1.25. Okay. Okay. They brought these sprayer bottles back. Now, this reminds me of something that I’ve seen at Anthropology. Look at how pretty these are. I want to find for you the hidden gems. And these are still 125 each. Maybe you didn’t know Dollar Tree had stain. They do. The Kona brand and the Verithane brand. This one glides right on with one of these foam brushes. And then I wipe the excess away. Then I attach the Dollar Tree hooks to the bottom using two small screws. And now I have a beautiful and very charming shelf for next to my vanity. This entire project cost me less than $4. Isn’t it so cute? And two products flying off shelves right now are this little mirror and glass box. This is $5 and such an elegant Dollar Tree score. And both stores that I shop at sold out of these almost immediately. These washable rugs. This is by the brand Badgely and Mishka. I shared this with you in my last video. These are so elegant and definitely have that vintage vibe. And you can do this so frugally. These are $5 each and a 10 out of 10 score. Just trust. And I’ve got a whole makeover coming up. But first, the laundry section got a ton of new containers. These are so stunning. Remember, you can line these with a larger bin to help reinforce them. The organizers are all back, my friend. If you are getting organized, now is the time to hit up Dollar Tree. The colors are really beautiful, serene, and neutral this year. I’m really loving it. This is so bougie on a budget. I am obsessed with the Homebrite Laundry Fragrance Booster. Now, high-end versions of these sell for a lot, like $20 a container. But here’s the thing, a lot of them from Dollar Tree don’t smell very good, except this one is in pink champagne. Has a light and lasting fragrance. So, you can put this on your clothes, put this on your towels. Y’all, this smells so good. Can you see? >> If you’re doing a laundry room refresh, your clothes might as well smell good, right? >> If you’re looking for a refresh this year, you want to get started and get organized. Quit wasting money at the Dollar Tree on bins you don’t use. Perhaps you feel like you never have any luck at the Dollar Tree. Or you buy items at the Dollar Tree, but you don’t end up using them. You don’t even know how to use them. You just feel overwhelmed with your home. If you can relate to any of those things, I made Fresh Start Power Week for you. So, if you’ve ever walked into Dollar Tree going, “How does Katherine find the things that she finds?” I’ve got you. In Fresh Start Power Week, I give you the exact formula I’ve used for over 10 years to organize real homes, including how to find the best Dollar Tree near you and my favorite stores in all 50 states. I break down step by step, room by room, category by category, in a way that actually works for busy homes and busy minds. This isn’t about buying more bins. It’s about doing seven simple steps that actually matter so your home feels more organized, cleaner, and easier to maintain. Less mental clutter and more peace. Everything I’ve learned over a decade and distilled into a method you can actually follow even if you feel overwhelmed or behind. And for this week only, when you purchase Fresh Start Power Week, you are going to get exclusive free access to my 30-day Love Your Home Again positive declutter challenge. 30 days of motivating videos from me of intentional areas around your home that will make a difference if you declutter. You can do it in about 15 minutes a day. Also included as free bonuses are my whole house organization workbook, my fresh start cleaning routines checklist, and my fresh start closet capsule. All of this has an over $100 retail value. It’s just $27. You’re catching the very end of the sale. If you are looking to finally get organized and to truly love your home again and you like the positivity found here, I think you will absolutely love this. It’s an incredible way that I get to support you and you get to support this channel. I can’t imagine something more meaningful than getting to encourage you on this journey. Be sure to click the link down below. This sale won’t last. Like, I bundled a ton of stuff and put it together. It literally costs less than the average trip to your Dollar Tree. I’m going to teach you how to organize and there’s a brand new product you have to know. This is here. So, the space we’re making over today is my closet. See how the door cuts into the space? It’s less than aesthetic. So, rather than bemoone it, I just took the door off the hinges. Who cares? This made such a difference to completely open the area. Hey, thanks, Charlie. I knew I could declutter just a couple of items. And remember, when you purchase Fresh Start, you get my 30-day declutter challenge free. So, if you struggle with decluttering, with letting go, even knowing where to start, I will walk you through every step of the way in every room of your home. Even just clearing this space out and having a small pile of items I could let go of was starting to make a big difference because the first step if you’re redoing a space entirely is to completely clear it out. I wanted to see a blank slate. And yes, we were keeping those wire shelves that was not in the budget today. Now I could start to see possibility. What would you do in this space? I decided to go bold. I was going to take off one of the wire shelves to completely open up the wall. I started to regret this a little bit as soon as I did it, but I knew if one wall was open, I could have more storage. I took some leftover paint that I had when we redid our office downstairs. I was actually almost an entire gallon. So, this cost me no money and about an hour of time. The color on this is Sherwood Williams Jasper Stone. I’ll be sure to link it below. I wanted a moody jewel box, something luxury, and I went crazy and totally painted the ceiling, too. Okay, so now for some Dollar Tree organization. Their 15 packs of velvet hangers are just $6 and these woven bins are $5 each. Once we had the space painted, this allowed me to see possibility. I didn’t love the wire shelves, but that’s okay. We can add to it. I went on Facebook Marketplace and I found this gorgeous vintage dresser. Combine vintage with DIYs with affordable items, and you really can make a space sing. And of course, I also got on Facebook Marketplace this gorgeous mirror. And what’s crazy is a viewer named Caroline actually sold this to me. I love those little god wings. And honestly, this made a perfect way to elevate this space on a budget. I picked up this ceiling light. It was listed for $40 and I bartered it down to 30. And this shoe rack was just $10. Consider purchasing some of those base items for organization from the thrift store, from Facebook Marketplace. And now we’re going to jump in with some Dollar Tree organization. You know that adage, if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing, right? A lot of times, I think that that is not true at all. As long as you’re not wasting money on something, it’s okay to do something halfway. I wanted to replace those wire shelves, but it wasn’t in the budget, so I got these little Dollar Tree labels. You actually get 30 for 125. And I added these to the Dollar Tree bins. I knew that this would be the perfect way to organize those bits and bobs to make them easy to get down and also easier to find. These Dollar Tree rose hooks gave such a fun vintage vibe. I always aim for progress, not perfection. It doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be good. Now I have a beautiful jewelbox closet that I love. Using paint I had and removing the door. What a difference this made. Now, will I do something to this space later? Maybe. But for now, it inspires me so much. Let me be your cheerleader today. You can do it. Little actions can make a big difference. Savor the small things. If you enjoyed this video, leave it a big thumbs up. And if nobody has told you today, guess what? You are enough. I’ll catch you soon.