I’m always on the lookout for regular items that come in handy for those of us in the chronic illness community. For the past few years, my main walking cane has had a flip-up handle that allows it to balance on the edge of tables and desks. I recently bought a new cane, though: a beautifully hand-carved wooden one. I can’t bring myself to clip a plastic handle to it, so I’ve been on the lookout for ways to safely hold my cane when I’m not using it.

Back to school deals at stores this time of year always mean there are new organizational tools on offer. I was at Costco this week and happened to notice that they had broom hooks on sale. I had been eyeing broom holders as potential cane holders, since the diameter of both tends to be similar (I have a feeling they would work for crutches as well, though I haven’t tested them personally). Luckily, I had my cane in hand, so I was able to test it out in the store. A perfect fit! I bought the four-pack for a ridiculously good price and hurried home, excited!

I “installed” one of the hooks to the edge of my desk at work so that when I’m seated working on the computer, my cane isn’t tempted to crash to the floor. I put another inside my front door, to easily grab my cane on the way out. I gave another to a co-worker who also uses a cane, and I’ve been holding one in reserve for when I find another handy cane-holding location.

If you are looking for an inexpensive, practical (and non-permanent–yay, for something I can use at work!) solution for holding your cane when not in use, you might want to buzz over to your nearest Costco (or other store) to check these out!