The $13 Target Find That Keeps My Kitchen Clutter-Free

I’m one of those people who is constantly searching for keys, headphones, electricity bills … you name it. The door to my apartment opens up into the kitchen, so the counter closest to the doorway had become a dumping ground for odds and ends. Because it’s a small kitchen, though, any kind of clutter makes the whole room look messy. For a while, I had some hooks set up by the doorway, which were handy for my keys, but not much else.

During a recent Target run, I couldn’t stop myself from browsing their home decor section — even though I didn’t really need anything for my apartment. But I saw something from Target’s Project 62 collection, which I’m obsessed with, and a lightbulb went off in my head.

Buy: Decorative Gold Envelope, $13 at Target

There it was. This perfectly cute metal envelope. I instantly knew it had form and function — and could solve my kitchen clutter dilemma. I knew it could be the perfect catch-all for the many things I keep misplacing, the piles of bills, and the random stuff that somehow ends up in my kitchen. (I really don’t understand why I find a tube of mascara by the kitchen sink at least twice a week.)

Here are my favorite things about this dreamy golden envelope.

Because the envelope is super lightweight, I was able to hang it up with Command Strips, which took less than five minutes. No, seriously … I did it while I was microwaving popcorn. I live in a rental, so in addition to making installation a breeze, the strips won’t damage the walls when I eventually move out. I used the Velcro-like Command Strips to hang it up, so the envelope is also pretty easy to take down and clean out every once in a while.

The envelope fits in with the rest of my kitchen aesthetic, and most of my visitors think it’s just a decoration. What they fail to realize is that it holds all of the bills I need to pay, mail I want to deal with later, random loose change, emergency hair elastics, and so much more. It looks small, but it actually does hold a lot — although not so much that the mess gets out of control.

I couldn’t believe the low price of this envelope! For the price of one Sweetgreen salad, I could instantly declutter the biggest problem area of my apartment, and also added some metallic pizzazz to the space.

Now, whenever I can’t find something, this magic envelope is the first place I look. Chances are, I’ll find what I’m looking for.

Do you have any little organizers like this that helped you declutter your kitchen? Tell us about them in the comments below!