$1 store, barn edition

Oh the $1 store, how I love thee.
Let me count the ways......

Tote bags-> The $1 store has these in different sizes and in different colors and prints. You might have to wait to find the one you like or even dig thru the pile but they're worth it. They're great for polo wraps, pillows wraps, standing wraps, all the wraps. I had even found one years ago that is perfect for brushes. It holds 3 full size brushes, a grooming mitt, with pockets on the front for a hoof pick and mane and tail comb or brush.

The one woman at the barn has the hanging shoe bag in her tack room. It holds all of her spray bottles- fly spray, detangler, shampoo & conditioner, ointments, gels, etc. each in their own pocket. This could also work for splint boots. Hers has the clear pockets so tossing small stuff in one of them doesn't mean it is lost forever.

Wire S hooks-> great for hanging up a lot of things. These come in a 6 pack.

7 hook rack-> great for hanging up and organizing girths, bits, reins, snaps, extra leads, lunge lines and long lines... The hooks on these are rather small and close together, so it kind of limits what and how much you can put on it, but they still help kp things neat and organized. The S hooks above^^^ yeah, you need these for that.

4 or 6 hook rack-> great for hanging all of the tote bags on. This could also be used for halters and leads. I have one just for my lunge lines and long lines.

Small dry erase board with marker and eraser- for keeping track of feeds, supplements- who gets what and how much. This is handy if you're not doing something like SmartPak and have someone else feeding for you.These can also be used to note any number of things.

Over the door single and double hooks-> portable and easy to hang up everything in the barn aisle near the cross ties- tote bags with brushes, polo's, bridles, lunge lines, etc. I also have one for my car keys and jacket or sweatshirt while at the barn.

Small tote bin-> Since I don't yet have a shoe bag, mine holds the bottles of peroxide, alcohol, shampoo, conditioner, Epsom salt, baby powder, baby oil, petroleum jelly, shoe polish, spray bottles (fly spray, antiseptic and mane & tail conditioner) and a large sponge for bathing- all of which come from the $1 stores. There's also a  few bottles of other things from the tack or feed stores.

In the medical department of my drawer unit-> latex gloves- because, 100 count pack of plastic gloves, a pack of band aids for me, wound ointment, a 100 count pack of cotton squares- for wiping alcohol when giving shots, a small set of drawers for different size needles, a pencil box for syringes, a package of panty liners, maxi pads and children's diapers for wrapping an abscessed hoof or wounds with a few rolls of 'sport tape' similar to Vetwrap. Plastic wrap for sweating a leg, a few 'cold wraps' and a couple jars of Arctic Ice for icing a leg. A roll of paper towels and probably more that I can't think of off the top of my head.

In the tool drawer-> duct tape in fun colors, utility knife, a pair of pliers, a small set of screwdrivers, a tape measure, assorted clamps, a roll of electrical tape, zip ties, and a small flashlight. Again there is probably more that I can't think of at the moment.

For general grooming-> Hair brushes for manes and tails, shampoo and conditioner, large and small sponges, a 2 pack of wash cloths for wiping eyes and noses. A black dish towel for cleaning gender bits. Another towel for wiping fly spray on their face- a car wash mitt works for this too. A pack of the small bands for braiding or banding manes- they have these now too.   

Tack care-> dish towels for wiping down tack after use, wash cloths for wiping down bits- cheap enough each horse can have their own. Wash cloths for applying leather conditioner or neatsfoot oil, 3 pack of paint brushes for neatsfoot oil. The clear plastic gloves (see medical drawer above) keeps this all off your hands if needed. Small container with lid to keep cloths and brushes in between use. 

General cleaning-> A strainer works great for getting hay and feed sediment out of water tubs along with a small scrub brush when you just need to dump and scrub the water or feed tubs. Small bottle of dish soap for getting it all clean or washing my hands after applying meds, ointments or ??? Some $1 stores also have bleach if you really need to disinfect things. Disinfectant wipes-does this need further explanation? Broom and dustpan, small doormat for the tack room floor doorway. You can get trash bags, but I just use empty feed bags. Quart and gallon size zip top bags to line fly trap bottles- because I am NOT cleaning those things out to re-use it. Zip it closed and toss it in the trash. Done!

There's probably more stuff at the $1 store that would be useful around the barn or different uses for things I have listed here. Of course there are always going to be some things you just can't find or get at the $1 store. And even still, some things you just don' buy at the $1 store but spend the money and buy the brand name stuff. All of the things listed here, I bought at either Dollar Tree or 99 cent.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
May we all be surrounded with good friends and people we love.

Staying oganized

After my friend sent me that Instagram pic in the last post, and me trying to come up with something like it for my own tack room, I got to thinking. Scary I know. But seriously, now I was wondering how other bloggers stayed organized at the barn?

These are the things I use-

Tractor supply has 3 tier saddle racks. I have one and if they ever go on sale again, I will pick up another.  They're awesome.  While I don't care much for the wire rack underneath for pads, because it is pretty much useless for anything, the saddle racks are sturdy and durable.

The 10 hook tack rack from Schneiders. I got this from the Schneiders tent at the Scottsdale All Arabian show, (back when I lived there and used to go every year).  It has been awesome and again-when they go on sale.....

The $1 store had these 7 hook racks. One of them is for my assortment of girths. 

They also have a 6 piece package of wire S hooks- to hang the 10 hook rack, the 7 hook rack, the 4 prong hook I've had for ever and the manure fork by their stalls. 

There's also another $1 store find- the 4 hook rack that holds the various tote bags with my different sets of rolled up polo's. More bags with standing wraps and no bow wraps... and a few of these bags also came from the $1 store.

I also got one of these footlockers in gray for Kat's harness several years ago when it was new. While it has held up well for quite a while, it did finally start having issues with the handle on the front pulling out when trying to carry it. I bought one to replace it in Teal. It was around $30 at Wally World. The gray one is now a good place for their blankets in the off season. My assortment of Navajo pads fit in the footlocker, so I have another one just for those.

Sterilite makes these awesome drawer sets that are actually stackable. I have the 2930 model and the 2895 in wide, both in black and stacked up. It didn't take long before the drawers were all filled. A drawer of its own for just about everything.

So what do you use to keep things organized?