(Holiday Gift Guide) CleverMade Collapsible Crates are Perfect for Growing Families!

In today's post, I am excited to tell you about CleverMade Collapsible Crates with Lids.  This is one of those products that I should have known about years ago because the concept is perfect for growing families.  The concept is simple - the crates are nice and sturdy for when we need them, but then collapse into a compact form when we don't need them. The photo above shows the crates in both expanded and collapsed states. Let me share my top 5 uses for our CleverMade Collapsible Crates.

1. Seasonal Sports Equipment
Do you have sports equipment or other gear that your children use during certain seasons of the year, but then you have to store the items at other times of year?  CleverMade Collapsible Crates are perfect for this!  Pop them open when you need them for storage and then collapse the containers when the sport is back in season. 

2. Holiday Decorations
Holiday decorations take a lot of space.  Organize your decorations for different seasons with CleverMade Collapsible Crates.  Personally, in addition to the perks that I mentioned above, I also love that the open handles on the sides allow air to flow through the containers.

3. Hand-me-down Clothing
We often set aside clothing that our children have outgrown and then donate everything once the pile is large enough. CleverMade Crates are a nice design as we are able to pop them open when we want to start using the crates again and then collapse them after we donate the items.

4. Partially Completed Projects
If you are like us, we often start projects such as fixing an item, but then put the project on hold due to time constraints or waiting to run an errand to pick up extra supplies. For instance, my husband used Sugru (which is awesome) to fix all of our broken iPad and iPhone cables. He needed somewhere to allow them to dry, but also planned to take a second pass on some as needed. These utility crates were perfect. They were expandable when we needed them and then collapsible when we were done.   

I also had a project to wrap and ship several gift items.  I was able to store the items and packaging supplies in a CleverMade Collapsible Crate throughout the week while I slowly worked on my tasks. When I was done. I saved room by collapsing the crate.

5. Toys, Toys, and Toys
Toys are a big part of childhood. My children have gone through many toys over the years as they worked on fine motor skills, large motor skills, creative play, and more.  Similar to hand-me-down clothing, I also store toys that they outgrow and donate them once there is a large enough collection. Again, CleverMade Collapsible Crates are perfect for this as we fill the crates over time, donate the items, and then collapse the crates when they are not in use.  

We love CleverMade Collapsible Crates and wish that we would have found them sooner. However, it is better late than never. I am happy that they will last for many years to come.

If you want to learn more, visit the CleverMade website here. Personally, we use the 46 Liter Collapsible Crates with Lids and the 62 Liter Collapsible Crates with Lids.