I always have trouble finding tables to go on either side of my bed. I have a large panel bed with a really tall headboard. There were no matching tables for my bed, and the color is a very unique shade of cherry walnut. Whatever went next to it needed to be the right size, as well as come in a color that didn't compete with the bed.

Everything I saw in stores was completely out of my budget. I needed to spend about $50 total, and I routinely saw single tables for more than a hundred dollars.

The solution? Laundry baskets. Baskets in general are a great, thrifty source of quick occasional tables, but these turned out to be fantastic bedside tables! I grabbed two of them at World Market for a whopping $50 total and placed them next to my bed. Now I can stack books on them, and even store off-season linens inside for safe keeping. Plus the natural woven texture of the basket helps it stand out from the wood of my bed!