As one might imagine, keeping our belongings in some sort of order, while remaining at hand and useful, occupies much time and energy (see Finding Storage Space for Bulk Purchases). Limited space, limited shelf and counter space, a small table downstairs and desk upstairs, all limit what we can do, and how much clutter we can get away with.
Finally, we struck upon an idea, implemented it, and improved our clutter/availability dichotomy immensely.
We purchased three inexpensive plastic totes sized to slide under beds. We also got a few smaller lidded tubs that can fit inside the larger ones. We found that we have just enough space under the living room loveseat to line up these totes. Each of us got one to fill with our laptop computer and whatever else we wanted handy.
Mark’s under-couch storage tote (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).
