Makeshift Mudroom

I really wanted a mudroom, or at least a place where I could organize all those coats, hats, backpacks, and seasonal items that seem to clutter up my household. I have a coat closet, but it is in the most inconvenient place in the house. It proved far to difficult for the troops to walk through the kitchen and open the door of the closet to hang up a coat and/or backpack. Apparently, it is much easier to just drop it on the floor! It made much more sense to turn the coat closet into a pantry(that of course, is another post entirely). A pantry is nice, but it didn't solve the mudroom dilemma. Of course, frugality is all about improvising. You have to make do with what you have available to work with. The stairs going to the basement are right next to the kitchen door (which is the most used door in the house). The landing on the stairs is fairly roomy, and since most of the troops assorted items seemed to pile up in that area anyway, I figured that the landing would work for a "mudroom".

Since, my coat area would be open for all to see I wanted to find a coat rack that was attractive.
I found this at a craft show and it had been discounted.

The cute sign was found at another craft fair, and it since it pretty much was perfect I bought myself a Mother's Day gift (that was my big splurge).

Dear Hubby took a leftover piece of fence (from our fence repair earlier in the season), cut the end off to fit the space, added some hooks, and secured it into the wall studs. Now there is a place to hang backpacks, and purses. Someday I will paint it to match the shelf....it's on my To Do List.

The ladder was a gift from my Brother and Sister In Law. They found it in the back of the shed on the property they were renting. Knowing how much I love old things, they painted it and gave it to me for my birthday. It makes the perfect "shelf".

Wicker baskets purchased at thrift stores for a dollar or less make perfect cubbies for gloves, hats, the dog leash, bubbles, side walk chalk, and all the other things that seem necessary for survival.


I found these fabulous S hooks at our local army surplus store for a dime apiece. They fit on the rungs of the ladder perfectly, and are great for hanging lunch bags, fly swatters, and reusable grocery bags.


The big wicker basket was found in the clearance section of a decor store for $6.97 (75% off). It works great as a catch all for shoes, and assorted sporting equipment.


The perfect makeshift mudroom! Now, I just have to convince the troops to put their "stuff" in the appropriate places.......and not on the floor!