For the first 24 years of my life, I lived hours from the nearest IKEA. The first time I visited one shortly after my recent move to Philadelphia, it changed my life. I had become cynical after years of buying cheap, cruddy hardware for my home from places like Walmart, and I had largely avoided investing in new stuff that I thought would lead to more clutter That changed when I saw the brilliance of IKEA’s business model: less is more. By putting the burden of assembly on the customer, IKEA can charge far less for some of the finest furniture you can buy on a budget.
Since I learned what the coveted IKEA experience is truly like, I’ve been on a mission to outfit my home with more of the brand’s home organization gear. Yesterday, I set out to find whatever I could to help me organize my embarrassingly cluttered home office. My strict budget was $150.
As daunting a task as that may sound without context, it’s actually pretty easy to fill a cart at IKEA with a budget that low. You have to take your time to dig around and find everything in one of their enormous stores, but if you’re willing to give yourself the day, you will be rewarded with a wealth of quality accessories for your home.
At the end of the day, I made nine purchases during this visit to IKEA, and I stuck to my budget religiously. Keep reading to see what I bought and how I plan to use it.
1. DRÖNJÖNS Letter Tray 2-pack – $8.99
Early on in my search, I knew I needed to find something that would allow me to store small documents to which I need quick access. For example, I’m getting ready to file my taxes soon, and I want somewhere to slip all the appropriate paperwork as I receive it so it’s not just sitting out on my desk.
This two-pack of letter trays was a great deal. Not only do I get twice as much space to store files, but I can also stack them on top of each other to save space on my desk (my original goal).
At the moment, this is going to sit empty on my desk, but I imagine it will fill up quickly when the busy season of paperwork comes around. All of my insurance, car payment, and student loan paperwork needs attention at the same time each July, and this will likely be packed full when that time comes.
2. DRÖNJÖNS Magazine File 2-pack – $9.99
These magazine holders were right next to the letter trays I just mentioned, and they reminded me that I’ve been looking for a place to store all my previously published work from my past life as a print contributor. I also keep a book of crossword puzzles on me at all times, and now I have somewhere to put it when I’m not using it.
Just like the letter trays, these holders can actually slot into each other to save space. This somewhat defeats the purpose of purchasing a two-pack when you do this, but I also couldn’t find any nearby options to purchase a single holder on its own. At least not one that I liked as much as these.
3. FLÖNSA Pegboard – $8.99
For the longest time, I had a pegboard near my desk that was covered top-to-bottom in little keepsakes. Most of these were small photos of friends, notes from my mother, and tiny tchotchkes that reminded me of good times. Unfortunately, my last one turned into mulch after a few too many moves.
This pegboard is a bit smaller, but it works just the same. I didn’t hesitate for a moment before loading this thing up with my old souvenirs. For those that didn’t make it on here, I’ll find a new home soon.
Two things that I thought were especially nice about this board: it came with its own pins, and it has a flat back to which I could stick some command strips and eschew any more unnecessary holes in my wall.
4. FLOTTILJ Desk Lamp – $9.99
My apartment is already filled to the brim with lamps from testing all of the best desk lamps, but I couldn’t stop myself from picking up this cute little guy when I saw that it was only $9 (and available in blue).
This was the first piece I bought that actually required some assembly. It didn’t take too many steps, and it only required a screwdriver, but it did explain the low price.
Now that it’s all together and I’ve secured a bulb for it, this thing is punishingly bright. It’ll make a good light source if I’m ever tinkering with small parts from my bike, and I’m eager to see how long the bulb lasts before burning out.
5. SOLHETTA Lightbulb for Desk Lamp – $5.99
One thing you have to be careful about when looking for lighting solutions at IKEA is the lack of included lightbulbs. They’re easy to find, as they’re typically only a few aisles away, but they do incur an extra cost. Thankfully, this one was only $5, but I do have to count it as a purchase item.
As mentioned already, this bulb is insanely bright. Almost too bright. That said, I was happy to see that it came in a warm tone, because I detest using cool-colored LEDs in my home.
6. RUNDBAL Storage Box w/ Lid – $2.59
I can’t say I had much of an idea what to do with this bin when I bought it, but I figured it would be a nice place to contain the miscellaneous clutter that always seems to make its way onto my desk. I must be a sleepwalker, because I constantly walk into my office and find gloves, hats, and bike lights scattered all over my desk with no memory of putting them there. Maybe they’ll stay in this bin if I keep the lid on.
One thing you have to look out for with products like this one at IKEA is that the bin and its lid were in different places on the shelf. This is probably for the sake of storage efficiency, but it’s easy to miss the bonus goodies if you forget to look for them.
If you do forget to grab one piece of a multi-piece product, the checkout computer will let you know. An easy way to know if you’re missing a piece is to check for big yellow numbers near the barcode.
Interestingly, I can’t seem to find a link for this bin online, which suggests to me that I stumbled upon some old stock. Nothing else was this cheap. It pays to spend more time looking around.
7. VESKEN Shelf – $11.99
Now we’re getting to the real meat of my shopping excursion.
As long as I’ve lived in my current apartment, I have severely underutilized vertical space for storage. I get a lot of natural light, which has made me wary of blocking too much of it out with shelves. Unfortunately, having stuff all over the place with nowhere to put it is just as demoralizing as a dark room.
One place that has been particularly overrun is my bathroom, in which I’ve been using an old shelf a friend gave me to store my toiletries. My problem with it is that it’s too wide and too short, so I wanted to move it to my office where there’s room for it and find a taller, slimmer shelf for my bathroom. This shelf I acquired yesterday works perfectly.
It’s still not the most glamorous storage solution I’ve tried, but I’m not exactly on a mission to make my bathroom look like a throne room. I’m just happy to have everything off of my sink, and I’m even happier to have a clear walkway to my cat’s litterbox.
Now, my old shelf is in my office to the left of my desk, and I’m using it to store even more little bits of décor as well as a few pieces of cycling gear, such as tools and my mountain biking helmet. It’s a nice pop of color that the room needed, and it’s one less disorganized pile of stuff on my floor.
8. As-Is TROTTEN File Drawer – $54.99
The best part of going to IKEA in the flesh is the opportunity to peruse the As-Is section at the end of the store, which is where they showcase blemished or returned products that they’re selling for a discount. If I have any large furniture to pick up from the warehouse area, I always scan this area beforehand to make sure I’m not missing out on an opportunity to spend less on what I was just about to buy.
Lo and behold, I found a file drawer I was originally planning to buy new for a sweet 50% discount. It’s certainly not perfect —the drawers are slightly askew in the frame — but I don’t think it’s anything anyone will notice unless they really poke around in my stuff. How hypothetically rude!
9. Lunch – 14.84
If you thought I wasn’t going to celebrate that killer As-Is find with some lunch, you’re kidding yourself. As long as I’ve been shopping at this IKEA, I’ve been diligent about taking advantage of the restaurant on the second floor. Not only was I able to knock out a few hours of work, but I also got to go hog wild on the free refills at the soda machine and indulge in some of the best food a furniture store can offer.
Normally, I get the Swedish meatballs, but my editor put me onto the salmon fillet, and I think it’s just as worth the hype. The lemon-dill dressing with which they coated this plate is to die for, and I intend to figure out how to replicate it at home with haste.
The view isn’t the most stellar from the South Philly location (I highly recommend going to Newark to watch planes take off from the airport instead), but at least the SS United States is hanging out nearby. I hear it’s headed to Florida in the coming years, so I have to give myself some time with it before it goes.
Overloaded but under budget
Any time I have to take multiple trips back to my car to carry everything I bought inside, I consider it a serious day of shopping.
In total, I spent $137.44, landing me safely below the budget I set out to enforce. If it weren’t for that As-Is find, I’d be in much hotter water, but the cheap furniture gods were looking out for me today.
To all of you who don’t live near an IKEA, I strongly encourage you check it out the next time you find yourself in the radius of one. Even if you don’t have the same luck I did, you’re bound to save a huge chunk of change on supplies you didn’t even realize you needed. And if all else fails, you can always get some meatballs.
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