I don’t like moving house but there is a positive. The good thing is I’m forced to go through EVERYTHING in the entire house. Each time I move, I challenge myself to think of space-saving-user-friendly systems to help with running the household more efficiently.
For example, instead of storing DVDs in their cases, I remove the discs and keep them in a sturdy multiple-sleeve DVD case. Below are a few benefits I’ve discovered by storing DVDs this way:
1. Huge space saving benefits
2. Easy to flick through and view DVDs.
3. Saves time as there is no need to match the right DVD with the case. Just find an empty sleeve and slip the disc in.
4. I se a smaller DVD case to take on holidays.
I store the empty DVD cases in a box high up in a cupboard — and I have even been know to throw them out because we really don’t need them and they just take up space.
Tip: I do keep a few special occasional DVDs in their cases away in our DVD cupboard.
Instead of the picture above, this is how our DVDs look.
Works for me! How do you store DVDs?
30 Comments
Trish
January 3, 2011 at 10:35 amWe have trialled it with some success, we use that system in the car and just started at home for the odd ones with missing boxes.
I must get rid of the boxes altogether I think.
I know it will save time matching them back up and yelling when I find the DVD’s on the floor because the small people can’t find the right box.
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
January 5, 2011 at 7:41 amYes, I find getting rid of the cases important. Just have too much stuff in my life.
Carolyne Thornton
January 3, 2011 at 10:38 amYes, great idea, I do the same as you, those DVD cases drive me mad. I keep them stored in a plastic basket, as once my kids grow out of them I either give them to a younger relative or friend or take the the local op shop (providing they still work and are not scratched!)
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
January 5, 2011 at 7:42 amI’ve cleared out all the DVDs too and given some away. It really feels good!
katie b
January 3, 2011 at 11:12 amwe use the exact same method for the kids dvd’s, comes in handy when you have little ones that like to pull all the movies out lol
im a thrower though and all our cases get thrown out except if they are speacial edition or boxsets (makes it easier to find all the discs rather than searching through)
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
January 5, 2011 at 7:43 amLOL I agree!
Coralie Plozza
January 3, 2011 at 11:29 amI had an organising lady come in at the end of last year and she suggested taking all my dvd’s out of the cases and into something similar to this was so glad she did and didn’t make me donate all my movies love my movies..lol.. and I am finding that we watch more you can sit back and flick through what you have and see ones you don’t watch as often.
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
January 5, 2011 at 7:45 amThat’s interesting about seeing what you don’t watch as much. As I was going through the DVDs, it’s true, I knew which ones needed to be cut from the collection.
I think I need an organising lady to come to me!
Lucy
January 3, 2011 at 2:25 pmI totally hear you with regard to the moving house being a catalyst for organisation! (We have lived in our current home for 4 years now – the longest ever – it makes me twitchy.)
Last time we moved, I did the same trick with the DVD’s. I still stash the boxes (in a crate in the garage).
Works like a treat for us…I just buy additional folders as required….
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
January 5, 2011 at 7:46 amHA! You know, I wonder if I will get ichy feet when I’m actually settled. Moving is hard but there is something very decluttering about it.
Marita
January 3, 2011 at 4:24 pmWe have over 1000 DVDs in our collection. Husband is a movie buff…. Oh the drama when I insisted it was time to turf the VHS collection, we still have a few titles he could not part with.
The girls DVDs we store like you do in a case with the covers in storage boxes in our garage.
Husband ended up getting dedicated external harddrive and putting all the movies on there. He uses XBMC program to organise and catalogue them and we run a media centre through the TV.
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
January 5, 2011 at 7:47 am1000! WOW! That’s amazing! I really laughed about the VHS. I still have a few myself but they are not making it to the next house I can tell you.
Sally
January 4, 2011 at 7:50 amWe have put all of the discs into a folder like you have, BUT the best thing we did was buy a hard drive and a media player. DH copies all of the movies onto the hard drive and then we have it constantly plugged into the tv and the kids can select the movie from there. It is fantastic as it means the kids are not handling the discs (and getting them scratched) and they are not laying around everywhere.
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
January 5, 2011 at 7:48 amTHAT IS BRILLIANT! I will have to look out for one of those.
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Mark
September 2, 2011 at 6:06 pmGreat idea!
We actually have a 400-disc capacity DVD player, so we just bung them in there. I’ve no idea where half of the original cases are these days, and even now, we’ve tons of spare slots available.
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kelly
September 16, 2011 at 12:07 pmi’ve just done the same thing, but i just can’t seem to throw the cases out. I don’t want them but it seems like such a waste, do you know of any good recycling uses for them?
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
September 16, 2011 at 12:18 pmJust had a look Kelly and you can recycle DVD cases here for free http://www.cdroms.com.au/cd/recycle.html
kelly
September 16, 2011 at 2:00 pmthank you for going to the trouble, unfortunately i’m in WA but i’m sure there is something around here. i’ll have a look 🙂
Mel Windly
September 16, 2011 at 2:49 pmLove it. We’ve also started to do this with our music cds now also. Have taken all the kid’s music, put them into a cd case with the paper album cover/ song lists in the same pocket. It’s a bit squashy adding the song list but means I can always find the song I’m looking for for kids parties, etc. I will be tackling all the other CDs next!
Lena Kwan
September 28, 2011 at 8:52 pmGreat idea! Well, same as you, I have a folder to put all the discs in such a one place orderly, all dvds or cd movies that we already finished watching. If there’s a new purchase dvds or cds, I let it to be in its case or cover until we watch it over and over before putting it in a folder.
vanny
October 3, 2011 at 1:53 pmYeah Kelly, was wondering earlier where you’ll put the cases. It annoys me also that there are lots of cases scattered around the house.
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
October 3, 2011 at 3:44 pmI keep all the cases in a box in the garage but am thinking of recycling them.
aira
October 7, 2011 at 5:33 pmGetting a hard drive and a media player is such a good idea. So much easier than having a pile of dvd tapes. I’ll see if I can find those things. Recently I’ve been thinking of how to get rid of those dvd cases.
Ann
October 24, 2011 at 7:05 pmI have several shelves full of DVD’s and am desperate to make space. I thought of storing it all on the computer but the thought of transcribing it all stopped me. I think your idea is much better and it will certainly save loads of shelving. The boxes can simply be thrown out – its not like the old days when the record cover was a work of art.
Terrance
November 11, 2011 at 8:10 amYou have convinced me to do the same thing, I can’t stand dealing with all my DVDs and their cases. I am going to put them all in sleeves in a case, then I can move them anywhere without a hassle.
Mau White
January 12, 2012 at 4:53 amI am sure it will save lots of space…But what did you do to the empty case?
Mau White
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
January 12, 2012 at 8:29 amI keep them in a large box in the garage but I am going to see if I can recycled them somewhere.