Are you looking for a storage system for puzzles that actually works? Much like the games in my house, I was a bit fearful to jump into this system since it is so drastic, but it only took me about two minutes after having it done to fall in love with the extra space that this system provides.
Puzzles are great, but they can become clutter very quickly…and take up tons of space in the meantime!
With a family of nine, space is a precious commodity in our house, perhaps the most precious commodity in fact. If you are looking for more space, organization, or an easier way to put away stray pieces, this is exactly what you need.
This is the most brilliant puzzle storage idea EVER!
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Just as with my game storage system, I needed to come up with an easier way to deal with puzzles. We have a ton of puzzles, especially since they are a great thing to incorporate into the school day with younger kids. Not only did I need to come up with a more efficient use of space, but I needed to come up with how to keep track of the pieces better. In my house there are often puzzle pieces floating around, and I am always having to track down a kid to find out what puzzle they go to.
Not only did I need to come up with a more efficient use of space, but I needed to come up with how to keep track of the pieces better. In my house there are often puzzle pieces floating around, and I am always having to track down a kid to find out what puzzle they go to.
The solution to these problems?
Ditch the puzzle boxes to free up space
Just make sure that you have cut off the picture and number that tells you the number of pieces in the puzzle. We then keep them in a gallon, or sometimes larger, ziplock bag with all the pieces and the picture cut from the box. Way less space than before. All the puzzles we own, which is close to 50, are in these two cream colored storage bins here. Such a space saver!
Get the puzzles organized
Next, we tackled the stray pieces issue by labeling all the pieces on the back with the same letter that corresponds to the letter we wrote on the back of the picture
To do this right, we put all the puzzles together first to make sure we had no stray or missing pieces that would mislabelled. This was a huge undertaking in our case, but we made it a family project. In fact, dad spearheaded this project since some of us may have been just a wee bit overwhelmed by this whole deal. It has exponentially paid off, however.
Then, it’s time to put this puzzle storage system in place!
Once you’ve got everything ready and organized, it’s a matter of putting them in some sort of container in which to store them all.
These are also super cute HERE
That’s it. It really is that easy.
If you are like me, you are always having to come up with a way to make things work better around the house. With so many people around here, this is vitally important, unless we are going to end up giving away some children or something 😉 Isn’t it amazing how much less space these puzzles take up? There are 14 puzzles stored in this bin!
When things annoy me or are difficult for me to handle from an organizational standpoint, I just have to spend some time figuring out how it can work better.
Here’s how I problem solve for storage solutions & ideas
First I have to identify the primary problem that needs to be addressed.
Next, I figure out how that solution would look to me in an ideal world.
Finally, I come up with a way to best connect these two dots. I sit on it for a few days to make sure the solution I have come up with is the best one I can implement, but when it’s a go, I jump right in with both feet!
Looking for more storage & organization ideas & trips?
Check out our solution for game storage HERE
Dealing with toy clutter HERE
Organizing in a small home HERE
Getting rid of clutter with questions to ask HERE
