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If you are moving into your freshman dorm—or have just finished unpacking (or trying to)—you probably are astounded by just how little space you have to work with. When it comes to dorm room storage hacks, the focus is all on keeping everything as tidy and compact as possible. Let’s take a look at a few clever ideas which can help you make the most of the limited space you have!

1. Make use of divided plastic storage containers.

Why don’t more college students think of this? While you will probably have a few big tubs which you stash everything inside of which you can manage, you should also consider some compartmentalized storage bins.

There are a lot of ways you can use these to your benefit. You can have compartments for different classes, or for different days of the week. This can help you plan and prepare for the week ahead, which in turn can save you time as the week unfolds—and prevent you from forgetting anything important.

2. Use soda can tabs to expand wardrobe storage.

You know those little tabs on soda cans? Pull them off and start collecting them. Grab a hanger from your dorm room closet, and slip one of the tabs over the hook and down. Then hang a second hanger and hook that onto the tab. Do that with as many of your hangers as you can. You now can fit more than ever in your tiny dorm room closet!

3. Use bulletin boards to store more jewelry and other odds and ends.

Tempted to bring a jewelry box with you to college? Consider skipping it—it will take up a ton of space, and it isn’t really necessary for the most part. A lot of jewelry can be hung, including earrings, bracelets and necklaces, so invest in a bulletin board and use that to store your jewelry instead. You may also find that you have some extra space on the board which you can use to help you plan out your week or express yourself.

4. Use tension rods to store lots of shoes.

Shoes can be tough to organize in college, because the floor of your dorm room closet is going to be tiny. You could get one of those plastic shoe hangers to put on your closet door, but you are already using that to store other stuff, aren’t you?

Instead, here is an idea. Buy some tension rods which will fit in your closet. Then put them near the bottom of your closet just off the floor. If you have a lot of flat shoes to store, put two tension rods on the same level with each other, and you can rest them on top. If you have heels, you can stagger two tension rods at an angle to hold them. You can do several rows if necessary.

Looking for even more great dorm room storage ideas? Read onto 8 Surprising Dorm Room Organization Hacks, Part 2 to find out even more ideas for organizing your small room.