Why You Should Wait to Buy Bins Before You Organize

Alex Trabue
7 days ago
3 min read

Labeled storage bins on pantry shelves illustrating why you should wait to buy bins before organizing

If organizing is on your to-do list, there’s a good chance you’ve already thought about bins.

Clear ones. Matching ones. Stackable ones. Bins feel productive. They look like progress.

But here’s the truth most people don’t hear until after they’ve spent the money:

Buying bins too early often creates more clutter—not less.

Waiting to buy bins isn’t about depriving yourself or doing things the “hard way.” It’s about making sure organizing actually sticks.

This is why many professional organizers recommend that you wait to buy bins before organizing, so decisions come first and containers support the system—not the other way around. We don't use bins until the very end of a job.

Bins feel like a solution—but they skip the most important step

When a space feels out of control, our instinct is to contain it.

Bins promise:

Order
Boundaries
A quick win

But bins don’t solve clutter. They solve visibility.

If you haven’t decided what actually belongs in a space, bins just give undecided items a nicer place to live.

That’s how you end up with:

Full bins you avoid opening
Closets that look organized but feel stressful
Storage that has to be redone later

Organizing isn’t about where things go. It’s about what earns space in your home.

Buying bins first locks you into decisions you haven’t made

Bins create limits—even when you’re not ready for them.

Once you buy containers, you’re subconsciously telling yourself:

“This stuff deserves space.”

So instead of asking:

Do I need this?
Do I use this?
Does this fit my life right now?

You start asking:

How can I make this fit?

That shift matters.

Organizing should support your decisions—not pressure you into keeping things.

Why this backfires long-term

When bins come before clarity, a few things happen:

You organize items you’re unsure about. Which means the clutter isn’t actually gone—it’s just better packaged.
You buy containers that don’t fit the final amount. Too many bins = wasted space. Too few bins = overflow and frustration
You avoid revisiting the space. Because reopening decisions feels exhausting

This is why people say, “I just organized this… why is it already a mess again?”

The only time buying bins first does work

There are exceptions—and they’re very specific.

Buying bins early can work when:

The category is clearly defined
The items are non-emotional
The quantity is stable

Examples:

Pantry staples you use weekly
Kids’ art supplies you refill regularly
Cleaning supplies you already use consistently

If you can confidently say, “This category stays,” bins can help.

If not—wait.

What to do instead (this is the step that changes everything)

Before buying anything, do this:

Declutter the category completely. Everything out. One category at a time.
Keep only what you actively use or truly need. Not what “might come in handy someday.”
Group what’s left by function. Not by how it looks—but by how you use it.
Live with it temporarily. Even for a few days.

Then—and only then—buy bins that:

Fit the actual quantity
Match how the space functions
Support daily habits

Bins should finalize a system, not create one.

Why You Should Wait to Buy Bins Before Organizing Your Home

This is the part people don’t talk about enough.

Organizing isn’t about containers. It’s about reducing the number of decisions you have to make every day.

When you wait to buy bins:

You make fewer impulse purchases
You stop organizing the same space over and over
Your systems last longer

The goal isn’t a picture-perfect space. It’s a space that stays manageable without constant effort.

If you want help making decisions before you organize, I created a 20-Minute-a-Day Declutter Guide that walks you through what to start with, how to make progress without overwhelm, and how to build momentum in small, realistic pockets of time.

You can find it here → 20-Minute-a-Day Declutter Guide