PREPS PART 17: STORAGE OF PREPS

This subject has been touched on before but I would like a consolidated thread of how you store your preps. So don't be afraid to repeat yourself.
What system do you use to keep track of your food expiration dates? Where do you keep them?
Where do you store all your 'stuff'.
How do you secure weapons?
Gardening equipment? Tools? Radios? Chemicals for household and gardening use?
Have you done any hardening of electricals for EMP? Where are those stored?

I would love suggestions on shelving that allows cans and jars to be accessed from front and back so you can add the new stuff to the back. How do you secure these so they don't tip over?

OK folks, storage of preps.........

Ya know, besides front to back, there is always top to bottom. Newest stuff goes on next shelf down, use top shelf first, ect. Same idea, different orientation.

Cardinal said:

Ya know, besides front to back, there is always top to bottom. Newest stuff goes on next shelf down, use top shelf first, ect. Same idea, different orientation.

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You must have a LOT of shelves...mine are already full and I just can't find a way to easily add the new stuff to the back......here in earthquake country I can't stand the shelves in the middle of the floor for obvious reasons......I have been wondering if sliding baskets on each shelf might help.

Actually, mine are new and fairly empty, so I can organize how I want to. And I just arbitraily chose top-down orientation to rotate. Metal baskets , or even plastic ones sound like it would work if you need to do front to back. And that way if you need to move everything it is already semi packed!

Storage is a neverending problem around here because we have very limited storage space. We've had to get creative, but even then there's simply buckets stacked up in various places. Our back hallway is lined with buckets stacked three high with boxes of #10 cans on top - this is along the length of the hall. At the end along the width are crates of gallons of water. Also have stacks of buckets behind one couch, buckets lined up with a board across the top and a sheet thrown over with books lined up across the top, things stored under beds (it is too easy to forget them there) and we've even filled up unused suitcases with food items. I would LOVE to have a pantry!

We have a room upstairs that DH uses as a loading room. He shares under the tables and the 3 closets with me. We have a stack of boxes of #10 cans that doubles as a tv stand. We have shelves in one of the closets all the way around that is full of cans. I put cans on them that come from less than half full boxes. I use from them if I can. I have boxes stacked floor to ceiling in middle closet, and buckets stacked floor to ceiling in the other.

I have a stack of boxes that I use as a printer stand. It has a narrow basket of paper goods in front on the floor. I used to have 2 printers on that stack of boxes by inserting a board under the first box on the stack so that it sticks out to the front far enough to put a printer on it. The printer on the top added to the weight of the box is enough to counterweight so they don't come tumbling down. I lable the end of each box with the contents and date of purchase or canning.

I have boxes of stuff under my sewing table and use another stack as a side table where I can keep my accessories and thread box. I have underbed storage containers with storebought canned goods. They can be found under the 3 beds upstairs.

I keep herbs in quart and half gallon jars vacuum sealed on gorilla shelves in the downstairs room that I used to use as a shop.

I have cupboards in the lavatory downstairs that I keep home canned foods in. I expect to add another full bath off the downstairs room this year so the lavatory will become a walkin pantry. The room we are building on the front porch el will become DH's loading room and much of the storables will come down there. I have 6 gorilla shelves that can be used in that room. I can't wait.

When I bring food storables home from the grocery store, I mark them with the date of purchase with a Sharpie on the end of the can. That way I can more easily rotate them. Since we only shop once a month, it is easy to see what we have and what we need to rotate out. I have beans and soup mixes, and wheat stored in stainless steel fountain drink syrup cans under the stairway.

We keep our solar system equipment in the garage as well as our garden tools, mechanics tools, carpentry tools, etc. We do have some of the gardening tools in the roof beams of the back porch roof. Under that same roof, we have a 1500 gallon tank full of rainwater. We have a set of 3 string filters that will pretreat the water then an Aqua Rain filter we will use to remove whatever is left. It will be drawn through the triple filters with a solar powered water pump that will give it enough pressure to make it usable.

DH has several radios and radio equipment on the table next to his chair. It stands about 30" tall and he uses it most of the time. We also have a radio in the truck. If it comes to that, we can hide the antenna in a nearby tree and camoflage the wire.

We keep our cooking facilities inside and outside and use them as needed. DH is thinking about building me an outdoor stove/oven so I can bake in the summer. He found some plans that wouldn't be too expensive to build and wouldn't look like cavemen lived here. LOL

He is planning on wiring a plug into my kitchen from the solar system so I can use my bread mixer and my flour mills on solar if I need to without the use of an extension cord. I already run my computer and monitor on solar 24/7. I have one lamp in the livingroom on solar all of the time so we just turn it on when the lights go out. We have been slowly working toward self sufficiency here for about 15 years. Living on a fixed income makes it slow going but each step is one step closer to our goal.

Mushroom

I would like to have an easy tracking method. Not being a "native" of CA (if there is one), I have a fear of being in a bad EQ. I have water, food, medicine and other items stored in over 7 places. This is on the assumption, that if part or all of the house collapses, I will still be able to get to food/water, etc immediately until I can (hopefully) dig out what remains. Just overly paranoid about EQs I guess. So, I have to remember to rotate out in large lots. Area 1 moved to the pantry, replace with new items, etc.

I have dreams of having a storage area the size of a small grocery store, preferably underground Instead I have the typical 3 bedroom 2 bath house, with a 2 car garage that hasn't seen a car in 10 years. I have things stashed everywhere. Medical stuff in 2 large rolling carts with drawers and kept in a corner of the back bedroom. Canning jars are full of rice, wheat, pasta or dehydrated goods and are kept in cases in the bottom of my closet. The closet in my office holds #10 cans. My ammo is stored in my file cabinet (2 drawers). Things like oil and the batteries are stored in this tiny closet in the hallway. The linen closet has cases of #10 cans and the coffee supply (the bottom 2 shelves are used). I have rubbermaid containers full of stuff (food) stashed everywhere including under the tv table and in the bottom of the coat closet. Most of my canned goods are stored on a commercial shelving unit in the back of the den (covered with a sheet). Candles and the pellet guns and all the lanterns are in the front closet---never realized how many closets we have. Pet food is stored in cases in the master bedroom closet. Lamp oil and games are stored in the end tables and in the cabinets of the entertainment center. All nonperishable stuff like tp, feminine needs, excess medical stuff, bottled water, laundry detergent, etc. are stored on commercial shelving in the garage. Extras of toiletries take up shelves in the main bath and under the sink in the master bath. Stuff is falling out everywhere, but you can get creative. I have 3 of the superpails of wheat behind my couch and under the kitchen bar area in the corner of the den. Then a couple of cases of gatorade are stashed on top. You wouldn't know it was there. Sometimes I do forget where I put things, but most of the time I remember pretty well.

bump for night crew

I too, have limited space so I love those heavy duty banana boxes, with the lid. All supermarkets have them.


You can easily stack them because they are so solid. Plus they have the slots in the sides for your hands in order to carry the box or move them around. If you put a piece of plywood on top and then a sheet or nice piece of material you have more counter space.

Lilbitsnana said:

I would like to have an easy tracking method. Not being a "native" of CA (if there is one), I have a fear of being in a bad EQ. I have water, food, medicine and other items stored in over 7 places. This is on the assumption, that if part or all of the house collapses, I will still be able to get to food/water, etc immediately until I can (hopefully) dig out what remains. Just overly paranoid about EQs I guess. So, I have to remember to rotate out in large lots. Area 1 moved to the pantry, replace with new items, etc.

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You aren't paranoid in the least! I think it is very wise to have a back up in case something happens to your stash. I have been thinking about emptying and cleaning the bench storage chest inthe gazebo where the hot tub is and using that as back up......maybe I will do that this weekend. Thanks for reminding me of its importance.

Felt tipped pen always at hand. Mark everything with dates prior to going on the shelf.

Rotate just like a grocery store here.

Simple, but works wonders. No surprises if I find a can of old sardines dated 9-98. When I find that, I feed it to the cat that I do not like so much.

I have dedicated one of the larger bedrooms in our house as a store room. Got racks, shelving and put everything in there. Its much easier than when I was in an apartment.

LilRose said:

You aren't paranoid in the least!

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DH would beg to differ with you.

My husband lived through several of the really bad earthquakes here, Loma Prieta and the bad one in SF......he was just unlucky to be in those areas when they hit. He barely got out of his apt building alive and when he did, all the water in the large complex swimming pool had sloshed out! His apt was gone as well as most of the others...and remember, they BUILD for earthquakes here.

Never take earthquakes lightly.....your husband is suffering from a typically male response of, 'I am big strong man, nothing can hurt me!'
Ignore it and keep finding places outside your house for preps. I have a friend who has rented a small storage unit and keeps back up preps there, as well as cans of gas. Might be something to consider....or get a shed and store them in there as far from your house and the neighbors as possible. If a shed falls down it would be a lot safer and easier to dig through it than your house..in fact, the police won't LET you got back to you house until it is cleared as safe. Keep stuff in your car. Keep stuff at work if you can...maybe a mini bug out bag.

I just rotate, rotate, rotate

Staple foods like flour and cornmeal I buy in bulk and store in plastic storage bins. Bugs can't get in and the stuff stays dry.

I've also been known to keep canned goods under beds when I ran out of room.

My home is arranged so that everything is easily accessible anyway. I don't use "special" storage for garden tools, seeds, etc. Boxing some things just makes them another thing to have to move crap around in order to access.

I do the older stuff on front of shelves routine. Many items have dates on them and about every two months I check dates and make sure the stuff about to go out of date is in the front and plan to use it for dinners. The toilet paper is a big tower in my bedroom closet with a couple more packs on shelves. I have almost 6 months worth so easy to know which is older.

I need to find some way to store my rice better but have not been able to find food grade containers locally and don't want to pay shipping costs.

I also just got my grain seeds to grow grain so need to decide how to best store them as not sure when I will get them planted. Need to get my land. Plan to grow rice, wheat, oats, sorgrum and barley. After I start to harvest those I need to have some way settled to store the larger amounts of grain. Right now I just buy flour, put it in the freezer for a few days then rotate it to the refrigerator from there is is used front to back again.