On a Budget: Storage/Organizing Idea

I bought this little bench when we first moved into our home in May. It sits in a screened-in porch (which I DO.NOT.LIKE!) off our mudroom. Hopefully this porch will be enclosed with windows soon b/c it's so useless right now. The screens are falling down and dust is constantly blowing in. Uh huh....total dirt trap....I can't keep it clean. And everytime it rains, it gets wet and yucky....ughhh! In any case, I envision it soon with windows and indoor outdoor carpet and maybe a cute little Christmas tree that can be seen with white twinkly lights from the side of the house as you drive by???? Hmmmm....we'll see.

The bench, unlike this screened-in porch area, has been very useful. Not only does it look cute, but it is a place to sit to put shoes on, clean the puppy off after she's finished digging holes our backyard, and a storage place for all of my husband's many sneakers. I like the look of baskets better than what I have in the cubby holes, but baskets can get pricey and I bought these little collapsable storage boxes at Target for $5.99 a pop. They come in all different colors and fit in my storage bench perfectly!