I. love. storage.  Seriously.  I always consider storage whenever purchasing something.  Either it provides storage or it has to be stored.  So when I was considering adding a bench to the foot of the bed in our guest room, something where guests could stop and remove their shoes by the front door and a chair in the corner of our master I knew I wanted them to add storage if they were going to take up room.

I found the storage bench for the guest room first.  I’d looked at similar styles online and at Target, but just couldn’t stomach the $100-200 price tags.  So during a late night run to Fred Meyer I decided to cruise through the home decor area just to browse.  And then I spotted it.  The bright orange sign that said “Today only! All ottomans 1/2 off!”  *Cue heavenly music**

I started scanning the shelves and found a pleather storage bench and a small rattan storage ottoman.  The bench seemed the perfect size for the foot of the queen bed in our guest room and was regularly $160.  $80 seemed a pretty fair price for such a big bench, so in my cart it went.  I pondered over the rattan ottoman for the entry way.  I considered getting two to make a longer bench but our rental has just a small stair landing inside the front door so I opted to get just one.  They were normally $60, making it just $30.  Then I remembered I had a coupon for home decor!  Another 10% off!

I happily made my way to the register as they announced the store would close in just 10 minutes.  It was obvious that the cashier was ready for her shift to be over and not excited by the rush of people now in her line due to the announcement.  As she rang me up we realized that the storage bench didn’t have a bar code on it, so she called back to that department to get a SKU number.

The department clerk had a hard time locating one because I’d grabbed the VERY last one of this style.  Several minutes later the cashier was read a bar code which she entered.  After the computer automatically applied the sale discount it rang up at $24.99!  She didn’t bat an eyelash, although the rattan ottoman had rung up for more and was smaller.  I waited a moment for her to say something, but she didn’t.  She was ready to move on to the next customer and bring an end to the day.  She told me my total, I paid and practically bolted out of the store before someone would tell me I needed to pay more.

Once I got it home and placed in the guest room I packed it with extra blankets that guests may want to use.  The prettier ones left over from this storage in the family room.  The rattan ottoman worked out perfectly for the entry way landing and provided the perfect spot to store the extra dog leashes, ‘pop’ baggies and collars our kiddos have amassed.

I’d been stalking an ottoman at Target for the master for a while when I finally decided it was worth the price.  Normally $80 I got it for 5% off because I used my Target Red Card – if you shop at Target often and don’t have one you’re crazy!  Not the super deal I was hoping for, but I figured it made up for the super savings I’d gotten on the guest room bench.  And it was the perfect size to fit in the little corner between the back door and our closet.  It makes a perfect spot to sit and put on my socks/nylons and shoes each morning, which was exactly what I wanted.

I haven’t stored much in it yet, other than things that I don’t want the dogs getting into during the day when I’m at work.  For now the plan is to start storing clean trash bags there so I have a ready stock when I do the weekly yard clean up, eliminating the need to traipse through the house with dirty shoes upstairs to get one out from under the sink in the kitchen.

The best part about each of these ottomans is that they could work anywhere in our new home and probably will end up in areas different than they currently are.  Which is why versatility is the second thing I look for in each item I purchase!