Because switching to a new vehicle means having to find new places for everything, here is how to organize a car console. And I did it for $5!

We recently traded in our old van for a newer model.  We are now on Vanna the 3rd! 😊 Since it is a different make, the console was completely different, yet I still needed to carry around the same stuff.  

This console is great because it has an upper and lower compartment, so I wanted to make sure everything was accessible and stayed neat. And since I have a car payment again, I wanted my console makeover to be as inexpensive as possible.

My kids are older, so much of the time it is just me in the van, and therefore I don’t have as much stuff in there as I did when my kids were little.  No extra diaper supplies or changes of clothes – woo hoo!

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What my necessities are:

• a box of Kleenex
• hand lotion and sunscreen (I DO live in Florida, so sunscreen is a year-round must here while driving)
• hand sanitizer (because we need gallons of it these days, right?) This one smells amazing!
• a charging cord for my phone
• extra change
• sticky notes and pens (for lists, grocery items, etc.)
• a map light (because someone using console lights drives me nuts when driving)
• napkins (once a mom, always a mom)
• store reward cards holder and resident card for my neighborhood amenities
• coupons and extra blank deposit slips for my bank
• my lint brush and collapsible dog water bowl and leash (because my dog loves car rides, too)
• and a “manna” bag the kids’ youth group made. It is a large Zip-loc bag filled with non-perishable foods, water, a toothbrush and toothpaste, mints, and a homemade card.  When I am stopped at a light and see someone with a cardboard sign who looks like they are in need of some food, I can easily hand them this bag.  I LOVE this idea and once we give a bag away, we get items and make up another one. Find out more here: How to make manna bags for the homeless.

So, here is how I organized my console to fit all of these things.

I am a professional organizer and do organizing presentations at local libraries, so I have LOTS of organizing “goodies” at my house that I use as props during my presentations. Almost all of these items are from the Dollar Store, and many come in packages of 3 or 4 for a dollar.  I LOVE the Dollar Store!

Ready to get organized? Get your free guide of 10 fast and easy ways to get organized for under $10 below, created by a professional organizer (me 😊).

Here’s what I had to work with.  Lots of possibilities!

So, I rounded up anything I thought might work and lined them up on the seat.  There were lots of small plastic storage containers and baskets of all shapes. Some were round, some square, and others rectangular.

You might notice a couple of cut-down cardboard boxes in there, too. Those are also part of my organizing presentation, showing how to re-organize your junk drawer for a custom fit that doesn’t cost anything!

See that here: Use recycled boxes to organize your junk drawer!

Organize a car console: Lower console.

The lower console is an odd shape.  It is deep, but the bottom sides are rounded.  And it has that little built-in tray in the front with a power outlet.

Because of the weird rounded sides, I put in the tray with the rubberized bottom to stop things from sliding around.

The Kleenex fit there nicely, and the lint brush fit right beside it. Then I added a small container to hold my lotion and sunscreen behind the Kleenex. Because the sides of the console are rounded, there was space for the dog bowl and my resident card on one side of the tray and the napkins, coupons, and bank deposit slips tucked on the other side.

The reward cardholder sits perfectly right in the front.  As I mentioned before, there was already a tiny little shelf right in the front, with a power outlet right below it.  It was probably designed for a specific purpose, but I found the dog leash fit in there nicely, and I didn’t really need the power outlet accessible all the time.

Yes, I do have things in here pertaining to my dog. He goes with us often, so there are white hairs that don’t go well with my black business pants – which is why the lint brush is SO important.

If you’re a pet parent too, here are some more great ways to organize all your dog’s stuff!

So if you’re keeping tabs, that is $1 for the tray and $1 for the bin (which actually came in a pack of 3!). So that’s $2 to organize the bottom console! Woot!

So far, so good! Now it’s time to deal with the upper console.

Organize a car console: Upper console.

For the upper console, it was a pretty tiny space, so I wanted it to be as efficient as possible.

I used one of the snap lid boxes for my loose change.  I used a small plastic bowl to hold the hand sanitizer (I am always paranoid that it will leak, and this console had a cloth bottom). Then I used a cut down brownie mix box to hold my sticky notes and pens, and the map light, which we have had forever, tucked nicely in the back.  

It’s hard to see in the picture, but trust me, it’s there.  The completed upper console doesn’t look like much, but it is everything I need, and all of the items stay in place without sliding around.

Cost of organizing the upper console is $3. One dollar for the change bin (which actually came in a 2-pack), $1 for the bowl (which came in a 4-pack – SCORE), and the brownie mix had been a dollar, so we got a pen holder AND brownies from that deal! Nice! 😊

Tired of the clutter but don’t know where to start? Get the FREE list of 50 items to declutter RIGHT NOW!

Now, you may have wondered:

What about the manna bag?

Well, there just wasn’t room for it in the bottom console like I had hoped there would be. But, this van has a little cubby right in front of the console that I wasn’t using, so that is where the manna bag is stashed.

And, actually, it is a great place for it.  It is shaded and I can grab it quickly when needed.

My husband, daughter, and I all have manna bags in our vehicles. I just love having one handy to help the person standing on the corner with a sign that says “Hungry. Please help.”

Here is how to create your own manna bag!

So, that is how I was able to organize a car console for just $5.

I found a place for everything I wanted to store.  Everything is easily accessible and organized. And, I still have extra containers from the sets as well as a batch of delicious brownies!  I would say this console organizing project was a big success!

Here are some other ideas on how to keep the rest of your car clean and organized!

~ Pam

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