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These days it is all the rage to live in tight spaces. The tiny house movement has become a big deal, which means that a lot of people are now searching for storage solutions for small spaces. If you have limited wall space, you want to make full use of it. One great way to do that is to augment your existing shelving with hanging storage bins.

A lot of shelves consist of a single wood plank. You set items on top of the shelf, and that’s great—but what about the space underneath? Oftentimes, unless you have another shelf immediately below, it just goes to waste.

If you are looking for storage ideas for small spaces on a budget, you do not necessarily want to go out and buy more shelving. But you can probably afford a few cheap plastic storage totes.

Here is what you do to attach them to your shelves as hanging bins:

1. Purchase some wood, and prepare a number of long, thin wood cleats which can fit underneath your shelf. Wait for them to dry, then paint them the same color as your shelf. That way when you attach them, they will look as if they were always a part of it.

2. Drill holes in the cleats and then screw them to the bottom of your shelf. Make sure you measure the dimensions of your plastic totes beforehand so that you know how far apart to space the cleats.

3. Slide the plastic bins into place (remove the lids first). They should rest on the cleats in such a way that they are not compressed, but still receive ample support. You can pull them out partway, reach in and grab what you need, and slide them back into place. Alternately, you can always pull one out completely if you need to and then put it back.

As you can see, this is a very creative storage idea for small spaces. But what if you do not like the appearance of the plastic bins?

Thankfully there is a lot you can do to modify their look. You can paint them, cover them in fabric, or even decoupage them. This can disguise their nature and help them to blend in with your décor. In fact, you can customize them so that they are a perfect fit with your furnishings. If you search around online, you will find dozens of different ideas which you can personalize and make your own.

You can also attach chalkboard paint labels to them so that you can see what is inside them at a glance. If you change things up, you can always erase the labels and write new ones.

Though this project does involve some woodworking, it is a beginner-level project which you can tackle even if you have nothing more than basic tools and supplies. With it, you may be able to double the capacity of your wall storage—all without ever purchasing another shelf!