Happy 2017! We're just about one week in to a brand, spankin' new year. How are those resolutions coming? If you're like many of the rest of us, "getting organized," is on the top of your list. And why wouldn't it be? It feels great to walk in to a tidy, well-organized space at the end of the day. Organizing your apartment doesn't have to be a tedious chore, nor does it have to be expensive. Keep it sparkling by employing a few of these simple hacks for making your apartment a thing of organizational beauty.

Toss it: 

Three hair dryers? Really? One great way to start organizing doesn't involve buying or creating a single thing. It's quite the opposite, in fact. Ditch the duplicates. Or better yet, donate them. Perhaps you joined households with your significant other and find yourself with doubles of everything from cutlery to curtains. Unless you truly need 12 black tee shirts, keep a few you love, and give the rest away. Do the same with the rest of your clothes, small appliances, and other items. The more space you create by giving away (or selling -- think Craigslist and eBay), the better you'll feel, and the more motivated you will be to keep your apartment looking its best.

Store it: 

But what about those beloved items you're not using right now, but just cannot bear to part with? Whether it's seasonal decor or a not-quite-this-century family heirloom, if you're not using it, get it out of sight and out of your apartment. Renting a storage space isn't as expensive as you may believe, and by keeping those rarely (or never) used items out of your active living space, you'll have more room to play with when you're ready for some more heavy-duty organizing or redecorating.

Evaluate it: 

One area where many folks struggle has to do with clothing. Consider that sweet pair of jeans from high school that are sitting in prime real estate in your clothes closet. Can you remember the last time you wore them? One good rule-of-thumb for clothing is to donate anything you haven't worn in over a year (make it two if you're sentimental). Start by turning everything on hangers in one direction: facing left. Every time you wear an item hang it back up facing to the right. Next year at this time, remove every item of clothing still facing to the left, and seriously consider donating it. Chances are good you won't even miss it, and you've just made more room for hanging the pieces you'll collect this year. You can use this same idea with drawers by rotating the pieces you wear to the front of the drawer and clearing out items that have lived in the depths of the back of the drawer for an entire year.

Tidy on, apartment dwellers. You've got this!