The greatest part of my day is when I take my first sip of coffee. As a former barista and self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, I try to romanticize every aspect of the caffeination experience: I typically sip my favorite French-pressed iced coffee out of a mug from my novelty mug collection. While I’ve received quite a few as gifts, most of them have come from my travels. It’s my go-to souvenir everywhere I go, and one sip takes me right back to the busy streets of Lisbon or the medieval castles of Belgium.
However, as my mug collection and passport stamps grow, my storage space decreases. I can’t bear to part with any of my beloved mugs, so I’m very quickly running out of cabinet space. At least, horizontally. It occurred to me recently that I needed to start thinking vertically.
The stacking method sounds simple enough, but when you have an eclectic cup collection of all different shapes and sizes, there’s a real risk of breakage. After a lot of trial and error (R.I.P., Aruba flamingo mug), I found this adjustable stacking gadget set to help combat the lack of balance and security issues.
How to Use the Expandable Coffee Mug Organizers
The organizers come in a set of six for $24.99, which will help stack 12 mugs in total, for about $4 an organizer. I ordered two boxes to start with, which was enough to tackle a big portion of my collection. The first thing I noticed is that they’re adjustable — I knew this from the packaging, but what I didn’t realize is just how adjustable each organizer is. They stretched and contracted enough to fit my thickest and most narrow mugs, which was a pleasant surprise!
Setting up the mug organizers is a fairly easy process. It took less than 10 minutes (most of which was spent lining up my mugs by circumference). For maximum security, the top of each mug should be about the same size as the one that it’s paired with. Adjusting the gadget to the correct size is easy: Simply push or pull the expandable legs to the desired circumference. My only gripe is that I wish they “clicked” into place, but overall it feels very secure.
What Happened When I Tested the Coffee Mug Organizers
After reorganizing my cabinets, I was amazed at how much space I created! It’s no secret that storage is a struggle when you live in a tiny New York City apartment, so being able to get organized without downsizing my collection is a huge win.
While these organizers were originally designed for mugs, there’s no reason they can’t be used for other items around the home of similar shape and size. Now that my coffee mug collection is in shape, I might order a few more organizers and start on glassware.
For less than $25, this is a fantastic deal for any other mug-obsessed folks out there. The best part? Now that I’ve freed up so much storage space in my cabinets, I have plenty of room for the mugs I’ll bring back on my next trip!
