I just watched this video and your other storage pantry video!! I think you'd be proud of me...I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment and we decided to forgo our second bedroom and we both moved into the one larger bedroom, and turned the 2nd bedroom into a large pantry and work room. I've easily got an entire year's worth of food stored in there and every other book and cranny in my apartment!!! I have my freeze dryer and a small chest freezer in that room too!!! I have 20 5 gallon buckets of various grains and beans lining my hallway wall. I have the underside of my couch filled. I have my some of my bathroom cabinets filled with most of my extracts I've made from scratch. I've got 2 book shelves on the back wall of my small hallway kitchen. I literally have food and needed items pretty much everywhere!!! I now have my big upright freezer living in my living/dining room combination. I have all the cabinets in my entertainment center filled with canned foods...My coffee table has a storage spot enclosed in it and I have it filled with toilet paper!!! Plus on my little patio/deck I have 4 Green Stalks filled with brassicas and greens currently...Everyone said we wouldn't really be able to store much but don't listen to the naysayers you can find places everywhere to put stuff if you really want to and have the proper mindset!!! We are the only ones we know that are prepared out of everyone we know including family!!! I spent every penny I could every month to get us to this point!!! If we could do it on bare minimum social security I know for a fact others can do it too if they really want to!!! You gave me a couple ideas for a little bit more storage too!!! I have one of those silly cabinets with nothing up there but have hesitated putting anything up there due to the heat...But I think I'm going to put some jars of pasta up there in leg warmers to keep out the light!!! I don't think the heat will hurt the pasta?!??? Haven't figured out what would be safe to store up there!!! I love your channel and have mad respect for you and all you do!!! Brightest Blessings 💜
You go girl! Don't forget, you can always throw a mattress on top of cases of canned goods or tubs full of food 😅. Your guests don't need to know they're sleeping on next years dinner... I won't tell if you don't. (Of course, as soon as I finished typing this, she mentioned it LOL.)
When my daddy passed away in January 2017 . We had to. Lean out his clothes etc . He still had moms dresser . To my complete suprise he had 2 full drawers full of peanut butter , 2 drawers of 32 oz grape jelly / jam. And 1 drawer with dried navy beans and brown sugar . He had so much jelly we were giving it away . If I remember correctly it was 64 jars . Lol he was ready for a long winter 🤣 of shtf.
If you have stacked 5-gallon buckets behind the couch you can put a thin piece of plywood across the top of it wrapped in a tablecloth. Boom! A place for decorated ducks.
I’m blessed as a single woman to live in a 3 bed townhome and I have a whole room dedicated to my food/cleaning/paper storage. And since I was laid off last month, I am glad to have been someone who prepared.
I am an empty nester. I have taken one bedroom with some built in shelves and have added 8 shelving units. Plus it has 2 closets. I like the idea of the 5 gallon buckets for a bed frame. I think I will use that for the two spare bedrooms. I prepare for not only myself but my daughter and granddaughter or any family that truly needs help.
I have read that from so many people. I'm on social security and I will not be going hungry if the government doesn't vote to extend the budget. I live in a small house but I store food everywhere. Under beds, in the bedroom, living room behind the couch, kitchen, basement. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. So I don't.
These were some great ideas. I have space above my kitchen cabinets that I had a collection of old decorative soup tureens and teapots. After watching your video I still have the tureens and teapots but they are no longer empty. They now hold cans of tuna, cans of Vienna sausage, canned chicken and beef, small cans of green chilis, mushrooms. What ever I could find from my pantry that fit. My kitchen decor looks the same but nobody is the wiser that they hold some of my preps.
A lady I know collects the big metal popcorn tins that always come out around the holidays. She lives off grid and uses the tins to store tons of her repackaged dry goods to keep the rodents etc. out. Plus they look super cute on book shelves, sitting out in various rooms.
Had a lot of my preps in the back half of my walk in closet. Recently, I moved all of it to a spare bedroom and consolidated all of my medical supplies to the master. They were all over the house in cabinets and couldn’t find anything and neither could anyone else. Bought plastic drawers, stacked them as far as possible, labeled them and stocked them. Now part of my closet is a dispensary, complete with wound care buckets from Refuge Medical, OTC meds, blood pressure cuffs, stethoscope, etc. climate controlled and easy to inventory. Think outside the box. Praise Yahweh for folks like you.
We added shelves between studs in a 20' long hallway. Have close to 2,000 jars stored there that are safe behind doors in the case of an earthquake. No one has guessed that's what we store behind what looks like floor to ceiling wainscoating (sp?). Easy and inexpensive project and it's pretty.
A couple thought, depending on your housing type, consider weight, even at floor level, we bought that exact shelving unit behind you, stuck it in the kitchen loaded it up, about 6 months later needed to reorganize, empty it and moved it, the floor had detached from the wall , there's still a 2 inch gap there..... canned food can be heavy. Also if your doing something like the buckets under the bed thing, pack each bucket as a 'kit' pack beans rice, seasoning, dry veggies etc, have each bucket be a specified time worth of food. This does 2 things, firstly you don't have to disassemble the whole thing mid shtf and have no bed and possibly out your whole stash at a inopportune time, secondly its more transportable, grab a bucket or 2 and know you have a specific amount of passingly diverse food stuff.
I have several totes of dehydrated meals. I sorted through them, added condiments and spices and a few canned goods, honey, coffee, tea and condensed milk. with a can opener. Snack foods etc. That way not all items combine tote. The totes fit under beds, closets, tables etc. My canned goods I use the boxes the jars were stored in to protect the jarsxand have under end tables, chairs etc. I am trying to prepare and can ready prepared meals such as soups and stews etc. In dehydrate some things to keep weight down.
My Sams club bakery gets their bulk frosting in square buckets. Empty ones are $2 each. Square buckets fit better and take less space than round buckets.
I've used 24 five gallon buckets under my queen size bed for years. Great long term food storage. I recently upgraded to a king bed and now I have 36 five gallon buckets. Not expensive. Easy. Can be done incrementally. Highly recommend. And I live in a 700 square foot one bedroom apartment.
I am curious about how you make it all fit. Do you now have a really high bed? Does the mattress sit directly on the cans? Do you also use a box spring?
I recently pulled out a flat of green beans and canned chicken for my youngest son who is a college student. He thinks I’m nuts, but I am ok with that 🤓.
Finally, a prepper that actually mentions to not place food items outside in sheds or garages or even your secret bug out location unless it's climate controlled. You are the first one to address the temperature fluxation. It was a no brainer about the possibility of thieves, or bug out locations being raided or destroyed by vandals. So many great ideas you had. I especially liked the buckets and plywood under the mattress. Love your channel. Thanks for sharing.
I dunno, Trappers up north keep food in their frozen cabins all winter but I think that food gets used up before it has the chance to temp cycle much. It's the cycling that does the damage from what I understand. I have a whack of stuff stored where it's frozen, a ton of whole Wheat for example. 100's of lbs of whole Oats. So I stored flour packed in Mylar there as well. and some beans and dried goods. I guess "time" will tell. Good luck.
I'm still in a quandary about "temperature controlled". I live in Florida- in a non air-conditioned house! Best that can be done here is keeping the temp sensitive stuff down low along interior walls, away from sunlight. If you have any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!🌝🍀
@@patriciatinkey2677 I have the same issue here in SW Arkansas where it not only gets HOT it gets COLD as well. Heck, in my house, the lower cabinets can double for a refrigerator during the winter. What are people going to do if a storm or SHTF knocks out the power for more than a couple of days if the weather is too hot or too cold? I look at it this way: If the lids are still sealed, the cans are not swollen or bubbling and there are no bugs in the dry goods, it's good to go. The temp in my pantry shed fluctuate even with a small A/C and space heater between 38 and 86 degrees. I've lost a couple of jars which could simply be that they didn't seal properly from the canner and a few canned goods which were tomato soup and one can of citrus, probably due to the acid eating through the can OR a small dent that's not readily noticeable. I mean, how in the WORLD did people keep a years worth of food before the advent of 'temperature control' in homes? Where I am there is no such thing as a root cellar or basement due to the water table being so high.
I have several Metal trash cans in my guest rooms that I took the lids off of and cut a circular piece of plywood and remade a top...then I covered them with a round tablecloth and put a lamp on them on either side of the bed as night stands. Inside I have an AMAZING amount of FOOD!!!!! Just an IDEA!!!!!
I like using the hidden storage for the backups to the backups. The long term storage (or when I had a 425 sq ft apartment, the long term storage to rotate into the working pantry). I love storage ottomans! Basically they are empty boxes, but they're fancy and can sit out in your living room. They can be used for all sorts of things. Stack a few next to each other and you can make a bench seat for under a window (the pets will love it). Our favorite thing to store in our suitcase(s) is toilet paper in the giant packs. One pack fits nicely in a suitcase, and if you need the suitcase for traveling, it's easy to take the one (giant) pack of toilet paper out.
I stock Kraft Mac and cheese for my grandbabies. I always dump the pasta in half gallon jars vacuum sealed and the cheese powder I put in gallon freezer bag and put in the freezer. It keeps longer and takes less space.
I used to buy cat litter from Sam's that came in square 5 gal. buckets and I stacked 8 of them filled with dry goods at the end of hallway put a tablecloth over it and stacked small totes with first aid supplies. I took a new metal trashcan ( ace hardware still sells them ) I put a round board on top covered with tablecloth and filled with dry goods. It makes a great end table. Grandson no longer lives here full-time so his bedroom now holds extra can goods. My hubby built wall to wall shelving in dining area that holds over 800 jars of home canned food and it freed up so much room . I used self stick industrial velcro to hang curtains over shelving. I also have the French doors with built in blinds with curtain to keep dining area sunlight free . Living in hot and humid south Mississippi we can get 110+ heat indecies I use charcoal pellets to absorb any odors or dampness that may get into food storage i have the room darkening curtains and blinds on every window . I use chair covers to hide totes of medical supplies underneath chairs. It also helps keep cat hair off chairs. I have the over door pockets on every door. In the kitchen I keep seasoning packets food storage bags they are also great for the first aid items in the bathrooms they are perfect for folded washcloths and hand towels . A large tote with a covering makes a great coffee table. Lowes will cut wood to size if you want a sturdier top for coffee table. I put extra pillows and blankets in spacesaver bags and stack in attic along with seasonal clothes. My husband put a metal pipe across the rafters to hang coats and outerwear during summer My husband also put plywood in the part of attic to keep my large metal dish pans , totes , water bath canners extra jar rings things the heat won't harm. We have exhaust fans in each end of attic to draw out heat and they help. My next project hopefully will be a small island in dining area made from stacked totes or buckets with wooden top from old dining table. It will only be used for vacuum sealing station. In my laundry room I have the Sam's metal industrial shelf that has non perishable food stacked to ceiling with empty canning jars on the shelves. I also have 2 of the extra large totes stacked with more empty jars. I have new cases of jars stacked on top shelves of closets. My husband often claims I have every inch of house used but I'm still finding a little room. God bless!!
We have shelves all around the walls in our (2-car) garage. My large appliances, slow cookers, Dutch ovens and stock pots that I don’t use often are stored on those shelves in the non-climate controlled garage so I have more storage space in the house for climate controlled food. Works great for us!
Me too ! Did the same thing ! I live in a tiny house and have all my cookware and appliances in the garage on s.s.shelving from H. DEPOT.I just wash whatever i need to use when i bring it in the house.I have all my food stored in my kitchen and 2 cabinets in my living room.Antique brass bed high up off the ground, all my can goods in plastic baskets go under my bed.Works perfect for me ! Have a small chest freezer in a space in my hallway out of the way.No foodcon garage, will go bad !
Be sure to turn off the breaker that serves the dishwasher! It is a fire hazzard if you leave it energized, especially considering that there is a problem with it, making it non-functional.
I converted a bedroom into a pantry. Blackout curtains, it’s cold year round. The closet is packed with 50 yr #10 cans of meat and vegetables. The rest of the room is filled with EVERYTHING 😁 my canning, my preps from stores, all food and water. When that room filled up, I started storing all paper goods and cleaning supplies in another room. Plus, more water. I still have 1 guest room ( for now 🤣) and my master bedroom. I live remotely and alone so, it’s all good. I’ll keep going until there is no room. I’m not getting younger. I’ll be eating this food the rest of my life.
I'm working to get a bedroom converted to a pantry/craft room. I was setting boxes of free things on the curb but cold, rainy stopped that for now but I'll start again when weather permits. I have to let go of things I don't use or have too much of!! It's my fault, so I'm dealing with it as I can. Driving me bananas!!!
Leisa, I took 2 five gallon food grade buckets , stacked one on top of each other.made a round table top out of plywood and put it on top of the buckets and bought a 70 inch table cloth over it and used them as side tables.
I have beautiful hand made quilts that only get used during the winter months. They are on display and being enjoyed while providing camouflage for my preps.
My sister had what I called "step-in" closets: They weren't a true walk-in and turn around closet but they were deeper than an average bedroom closet. In all three bedrooms she put hooks on the back wall of her closets and hung the shoe organizers with everything you can think of. Some of them had food storage like the long boxes of pasta or the long tubes of vanilla beans, whatever would comfortably fit. Some of them held medical supplies, some of them held extra cleaning supplies... She actually put one in on the side wall of her linen closet, rolled her linens so they would fit in the shoe organizer, and then she used the shelves for food storage. There wasn't a spot in that house that wasn't full. Unfortunately I lost her 2 years ago and I wasn't even aware of some of her hidey holes until I was cleaning out a 4,000 square foot home. I donated most of the food because I was never going to use it in time but I definitely took a lot of ideas from her.
A little off topic maybe but I’ve had a couple friends that put a chest freezer in their den, covered with a pretty cloth that went to the floor, added a couple framed pictures and a lamp. Once a week one friend would get out what she thought she would need for the week to put in her small freezer in the kitchen Frig. It just looked like a pretty piece of furniture. I don’t see why you couldn’t use one that wasn’t working in a bedroom to store dry food items too. I would just put some steel wool in the drain hole To keep mice and bugs out.
During my 20s I lived in a two-room studio in a city. Space was at a premium but I always had a stocked pantry both because I liked to cook and because it helped me budget. I had two trunks that I used for pantry storage. A wooden one at the foot of my bed and an old steamer trunk that doubled as a coffee table. I 100% believe that everyone has space so long as they can get creative!
I'm a big fan of glass jars. When I buy dry goods in bulk, I pour those foods into glass jars. It keeps the rodents out of the food, and a full jar takes the same space as an empty jar.
This has been a major question at my house. I put flour, rice, sugar, cornmeal, etc in 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids and oxygen removers. Now, do I use from these and replace when empty, or do I store it and continue to buy stuff to use?
@@sadiemeazell7388 Miss Sadie, do you have some sort of liners in those buckets then? Gamma Seal lids are awesome, but they have not the greatest seal. As a rule, sugar should not have an oxygen absorber; I'm told that sugar will get hard as a rock. I reckon you could have a working supply in smaller containers, with your big buckets in reserve. The buckets could be rotated every few years or so. Or in many cases, perhaps a decade or more. One reason of course that we carefully pack food for long-term storage is so we can build up a large reserve supply before needing to rotate any out. Me- I like to dry pack many things like corn chips or chocolate candy and such and keep it in the basement. But, if I get a hankerin' for a little snack I'll just get into a working supply in the kitchen or pick something up at the store. And as a general rule, I don't rotate rice. My rice in reserve is white rice, which keeps very well and is dirt cheap, in bulk. I mean, like over 30 calories for a penny. My everyday rice is brown rice, in smaller bags. It's healthier, but as a general rule does not keep as well as white rice.
@@TonyGarrett-p1c I keep my sugar buckets in rotation, with a smaller container for daily use. I also have Mylar bags. Flour and sugar are rotated. White rice is not. I also keep a year supply of cleaners and things like coffee , baking soda, spices and tea bags. I have chickens and water glass eggs as well as pressure and waterbath can from my garden- as well as meats. I make dry soup mixes and vacuum seal. Just got my dehydrator and will be putting things in there.
When you mentioned storage behind a couch I instantly came up with another solution for storage. I'm going to make a bookcase without shelves. The length and height of my couch and as wide as my buckets. I may have enough space above the buckets to put a shelf to use for some containers to put extras of batteries, candles and other things. I can paint it the same color as walls or the couch and use it to put remotes, folded throws or even a lamp.
Oh my goodness, you have me thinking of ripping the backside off my couch to create internal shelving and perhaps a lift up plywood bench under the cushions. Nice! Thank you!
Thank you for your ideas clearing out the top cupboard above the fridge and putting canned goods up there and clearing out my bookshelves two of them for canned goods. Started prepping a year ago.
I live in a mobile home and am worried about the weight. Canned food weighs so much! Anyhow, I took my decorative 18x48x60 shelf in my bedroom and got rid of all the decorative things. I turned it into a giant medicine cabinet. My grandmother got sick at 7:00 in the evening and I had everything she could have possibly needed on those shelves. That proved to me how valuable a decision I made. Pretty and cute stuff is going away. Give me cough syrup, vapor rub and Tylenol.
We also live in a mobile home and I put my large canned food rack over the metal frame. You also want good quality metal racks. This is not the time for cheap Walmart racks.
I have RV'S, Dig out under it in a few spots and place buckets of water underneath it will come in handy if something happens; like what happened in Texas when there was a water ban. Or whatever and you have a garden.
Good idea. But don't forget the Oil of Oregano as a powerful natural antibiotic. Use 3 to 4 drops and put in capsules. Take 3X a day for 4 days at a time.
I am currently sitting in bed and I can see 5 bins and 8 buckets. They are out in the open, but I have nowhere else to put them. There are bins all over the house, most of them are not hidden because there isn't a good place to hide them. What is in the bins is more important than the aesthetics of the house.
I store my paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, plastic wrap etc.), cleaning supplies and canning equipment in my garage right outside my kitchen door. Those things are not affected by the heat and it leaves me more room in the house for food storage. I added shelves to my broom closet and made it an additional pantry and now my brooms and mops hang in the garage next to the shelf with my toilet paper. I’m with you, we can always find more space!
I had a bottle of cleaning break while I was on vacation. Some of my psper products get wet. So know i raise my Paper products so if it happens again the stuff is off the floor. Which it has a couple times.
Love ALL of these ideas! I looked around, I mean really looked, and found so many more places! 😀 I found that the backs of my non reclining furniture has a Velcro closure at the bottom and when I lifted it up….giant open space! Winner! 💕💕
You got me thinking. I just looked under my ottoman and it has a zipper and about 10 to 12 inch space from where the cushion is to wear that zipper is. Cha-Ching!!! Thanks for that idea!
I can't store behind my chairs and loveseat. I have dogs and have to pull out to vacuum behind every week. It'd be too heavy for me to continually move, but not a bad idea for someone else
Sitting on my couch with my laptop in front of me that is sitting on top of an EMPTY vintage trunk. Then remembered there is another empty trunk in another part of the house. Also, one big empty suitcase we never use. Good video!
I had a big old 12 drawer dresser (long boy) that I used for canned goods for years while I needed to maintain a guest room. Whole room looked totally normal, was packed w/ food. Made a tv stand out of stacked totes, concealed with room matching paneling, looked like a built-in, lol
My husband put up shelves in his closet for our jars. Now, it's so funny, he is actually building a large room off the laundry room with wall to wall cabinets. I think he said 14x20. My LOVE! Leisa, we think you ROCK!
I think your Husband Rocks! I've committed serial matrimony- over the course of 45 years- had 4 husbands. Only 1 was smart enough to see the sense in preparedness!
We took the old coal room in the basement and sealed up the coal shoot and lined it in new walls and built it into a Cantry. And yes… it is that important.
I use the shower in my guest bath for paper products, shower curtain hides everything and if an occasional guest peeks they will know where the extra TP is stored. I'm working on changing our guest bedroom into a storage pantry, we have lived here for 24+ years and in that time we have had overnight guests 3 times. We live in a small mobile home so we have had to be creative. TFS👍
I lined a wall in the spare room with bookshelves, hung a pretty single curtain across each one with tension rods. I store Every kind of goods in them.
I will move my paper goods into the guest shower. Great idea. Then that frees up the long metal top shelve in the master walk in closet where I can put dehydrated pints and quarts!
Thank you for your video. Sub-basement over flowed so I started putting things into my bedroom, then said to hell with it and started filling the main basement. Overflowed from there into the barn, ... lots of room in the barn for things that are not harmed by freezing. It never gets hotter out there than 80f and never for a long time. I have my eye on the spare bedroom but, "what would people think", specially if I tell them Mum (and me!) can't do company anymore and the hotel is right there. You want to visit with Mum? Fine, but your not staying overnight let alone the whole week. Nosy (bleepstards) I also label my stash differently writing the year I stashed it not the BBD date on the product. I also kinda regimented my stash by year as well, 2019 in that corner and wall, 2020 in the other corner and wall, and the isle of shelves in the middle have a side for each year. They are the old fashioned metal grocery shelves wide on the bottom and growing narrow the higher you go and with two sides. Year 2021 started filling the main basement and made a started in the barn and the same with 2022. I have bait stations and traps set 24/7, 365 days a year in the barn. This year we have been lucky rodent wise. Not only that, but the cat kills anything that moves and is smaller than her. I dunno, I'd have about fifty five gallon buckets by now, ... lost count, again. Buckets are so easy. Flour, Beans, Pastas, Rice, and I never mix liquid with dry. I will have an assortment of dry good in the same bucket but that's as far as I push it. I tackled 2019 and got through it all with a minimum of loss, ... I now "allow" for a small percentage of loss and that way it isn't so devastating. True story. Damn that canned fruit anyway. I'm eating my way through 2019 now, ... rotation eh? Ate a box of Mac and Cheese that was two years past its BBD and the only thing I noticed was the pasta took longer to cook. Otherwise it was fine. The new generator slowed me down prepping wise because I was so broke paying the small loan off and this will be the first month I have with all my funds, ... all $475 to blow as I see fit. I'm doing a focused prep with Powdered Skim Milk and a trip to the Grain Elevator for a half ton of whole wheat and 500 lbs of whole Oats. "Chicken feed", I tell the family as I prepare to mill my own flour. Good thing I have chickens. The funny thing is, .. the price of whole Wheat is down from last year and I surely didn't expect that with all that happening in the world. Anyway, $355 a ton compared to $400 a ton last year. I'll not complain eh? And there goes the fun I have complaining. Anyway, I have 2020 to start on now, .... go through all that stuff and if I'm lucky, make more room. I've given up on tidy, True story. Mum has/had nine sisters and must have all their clothes and will not let me get rid of them. She would leave for Florida with a carry on and come back with two suitcases of dresses, ... and she doesn't wear dresses. Still, I'm making headway with donations to the local thrift store the ladies run to raise money for the hospital. Everything is a memory for Mum now and if she can't remember, she'll make one up. True story. God bless her. We have a closet full of yarn she had stored to knit her old age away with and now she can't remember how to knit, sew, crochet, cook, ... and it bothers her something awful I'm sure but then, ... she forgets about that too. Anyway, I get my hoarding naturally it seems. May the abundance of the world always be manifest in your life!
So happy to hear you recommend keeping preps inside your house. You have more options for protecting things when they are in your home. That's all I'm saying.
1. Under the bed in buckets and mylar under a board holding mattress. 2. In a closet and on shelf. Up is safe from rats! Unused clothing can be placed in a space bag that the air can be sucked out of to take up less space and be stored elsewhere. 3. Behind the couch. 4. Inside furniture. Dressers, make furniture. 5. Beneath stairs. 6. In dropped ceilings (for lightweight items). 7. On shelves near ceiling -- or above bathtub/shower. 8. Inside and under couch and chairs. 9. In suitcases. 10. In small packages. Empty spaghetti etc out of its packages and condense into containers such as buckets. 11. In cabinet above refrigerator. 12. Above cabinets. 13. In corners. 14. In bookshelves maybe with a springrod and curtain in front of it. 15. In top half of undersink cabinet. Install a shelf.
I have three large filing cabinets in the garage that hold a bunch of stuff that I don’t use anymore. That’s a great idea. I guess it’s time that I go out there and get rid of stuff that I’m not using that somebody else could use possibly and use that space to my advantage and benefit.
One of my best investments was a vacuum food saver with jar attachments. I re package ALL of my dry goods.... crushhables like pasta goes into jars and beans/ legumes go into bags. FYI... you can re use previously sealed canning lids by using them with a vacuum sealer!! IT WORKS!
Well, well, well, ... I just checked under the bed in the spare room and it's packed with totes full of, .... get this, store bought cooking magazines. Hundreds of the things. Man, the stuff Mum stores. Mum was clipping recipes for the longest time with the chance she "might" want to make them one day, but those days are over. Looks like she stopped clipping and just started stashing the whole magazine. I have my work cut out for me eh? Mum doesn't even know she has them BUT! if she sees' me at them, ... look out! Cherished family heirlooms each and every one! Pitter patter, I must get at er. Good luck.
We bought a nice wood bunk bed drawer unit 20 buks used and lifted our bed with bed risers and store canning jars there... We are ordering three storage cabinets that will go along one end of our guest room.. You can turn a coat closet into a pantry. We bought two bug cabinets and added them to our huge master bath for paper goods. That room has a sky light and that room will become our indoor green house with our seed bank (a must)... You CAN save dry good pkts like noodle rice sides tuna pkts etc mashed pkts rice pkts ramen etc in a tote in a shed or garage.. Think Bug Out Bag-Camping/Hiking
I added a shelf over my shower. No food but extra soap, shampoo, first aid stuff. I just didn't need a 9 ft tall shower!. It's only about 18" high but deep enough to get lots of lighter weight up there. Front is covered by a valence that matches my shower curtain. Hung it using command hooks and no problem in the last 5 years.
☕️👋 I’m using our extra bathroom tub for storing all our paper goods. A shower curtain and no one knows what’s in there. It saves a lot of space in the pantry.
Im using the extra bathtub for my laundry. I have 3 pets that use blankets so I need the whole thing. But...Im thinking I could ad a stand alone shelf to stack supplies.
An extra bathtub or shower stall is also a great place to store bottled water, especially gallon jugs. A stainless steel shelf unit should fit the space nicely. If the jugs should leak, the water will go down the drain instead of wherever else some people choose to store water, such as atop carpeted or wooden floors. The insurance company would probably not pay for such water damage.
@@patsytownsend9083 Good idea. And if space is a problem, water for flushing toilets can be stored in 33-gallon cans outside. Collecting rainwater for that purpose is also an option in order to avoid using tap water.
Military housing has been renovated universally now, but not until retirement time in my case (of course). Previously, it was notoriously either lacking in storage space or your closets would be larger than the rooms. I had to learn to have multi purpose furniture and was really fond of the beds with drawers underneath. I decided to build my own after mine was damaged and when I got to the point of building and installing drawers, I realized the beautiful functionality of shelves. Even if I were going to use buckets under the bed, I would build the cubes out of plywood first. I don't have much furniture that doesn't double as storage. Our grandmother's loved their CEDAR chests for a reason. Lining just the inside of less expensive storage with cedar will help resolve rodent and insect issues (roach infestations being another thing military housing and the moving/storage companies were known for). Lining a typical closet is a project you can complete solely from Lowe's or Home Depot products for less than you might expect. Grabbing one of the inexpensive Sauder type pantry cabinets new or off Craigslist and partially or fully lining it would be under $100. Cedar is a godsend and it's something you can do piecemeal to fit in your budget.
Another thing I learned is to not store things empty like luggage. Now is the perfect time to stock up on metal tins, too! They aren't airtight, but they stack well and are great for many things (popcorn tins hold a lot of paper products, for example). Metal, glass, and cedar are my go to's. Plastics can be handy, but in my experience they fail sooner than later. Having said that, I do use a lot of plastic storage containers in my RV because of the weight issue. I generally use plastic for upper cabinets and metal tins and glass in the lower storage. I suggest lining the RV cabinets and everywhere feasible with cedar even if you don't store a crumb of food on it (I do, but know many don't). I learned the hard way that RVs in storage make excellent rodent housing.
I’ve used my 5 gallon buckets as my bed frame while my Son and 2 grands were living with me. Since they’ve moved I have placed them in the extra room, had to because my Fur baby is old and was having a hard time getting into “HIS” bed. Love all the ideas from you and all the comments, Thank You everyone.10:47
Or, you can create a ramp out of plywood - make sure it's wide enough for your pet's size/ safety. To make it less steep, I place it on top of my sister's hard foam stepper ( for doing exercise step-ups) against that wall & against the bed, and just lay a full length of dollar store latex shelf liner - secured on both ends/ sides to ensure it's not slippery. My dog slept on the floor, but I had to do this for my cat when his back was injured by an off-leash escaped dog. That, plus non-slip strips in a path everywhere he needed to go - I initially used dollar store latex shelf iiners, but upgraded to the heavy rubber floor underlay instead (cut at least 1 1/2 ft. strips so that you can easily walk on it, too, get the store to do this on the rack, and MUCH easier to vacuum/ sweep over & wash), AND expensive but WORTH it vet laser treatments saved my cat, and I didn't have to put him down. BTW, for dogs, you can make cheapo non-slip booties out of latex shelf liner and sections of velcro. Work really well on slippery floors for your aging/ injured dog - non-slip, easily put on/ taken off, and washable/ reuseable. (Ask & I'll give direction.) Cheers!
@@kgrant3184 I spent $20 for my stairs. They are made of wood and each step has nice carpet like fabric. Plus they fold up for storage if needed. I bought them at Aldi. I also bought booties on eBay. They were supposedly used but they came pretty much brand new. I bought Ruffwear booties for snow and another pair for everyday use. I paid for the 2 pairs of 4, (8 booties) $25. Those Ruffwear booties are $50 for 2 booties. If you want 4 booties it is $100. I have lots of their products as they are premium materials and workmanship, but I never buy them full price. I often buy from Geartrade for deep discounts.
I have an end table with a door. I've never put anything in there and I've had it for about 20 years. Now, all of my stock of dish soap goes in there. I live in an old, ugly trailer that has almost zero cabinets, with no space above; however, I have bought pantries and bookcases(curtains over the bookcases) to use up any available wall/floor space. I have the totes under the bed. An extra closet was cleaned out last fall and filled with shelving for my canning supplies/extra blankets/med supplies. The pup tent(for when power goes out in winter & we have to huddle) is stashed behind the sofa, because it's flat. Living in this small, ugly place has caused me to become much more organized and creative. Not only creative on where to stash things, but to be creative and making things eye appealing to me. Since moving here, I've found that if I can make an area more eye appealing, while stashing preps, it keeps me from falling into depression of where I'm living.
A few years ago, we were setting up our guest room in anticipation of my parents coming out for a visit. We had replaced our mattress & so we had an extra mattress, but not an extra box spring or bed frame. While checking prices on a certain online retailer starting with "A", I came across a metal platform bed frame that did not require a box spring, bonus was that you could get them with a 14" rise or an 18" rise. We went with the 18" since my dad is very tall & has had both hips replaced, so taller is better. That height turned out to be PERFECT to fit 5gal buckets & the larger Rubbermaid totes underneath! Soon after, we replaced our own bed frame with the same kind, so now we have 2 king size beds worth of "tall enough for buckets" storage space! Best decision EVER! (i believe the brand was Zinus, but i've seen several different ones, we got the ones with the metal frame & wooden slats...SUPER easy to assemble as well!)
If you've got an old broken dresser or the yard sale next door has one, grab a couple drawers and throw some little casters on the bottom of them... Instant under the bed storage that rolls right out.😊
I stack # 10 cans just inside the doors of three closets in my mobile home . I have eight on each side, 16 in each closet. This way is giving me the whole closet to use for other paper preps and suitcases . When you open the closets you do not see the cans . It was wasted space so now a great hiding place . I also bought nine aluminum foil buffet pans that fit nicely under the king sized bed in the guest room . The room is carpeted so the pans that are filled with cans and jars slide out like drawers on each side and at the end of the bed. Next month I will buy bed risers to raise the bed high enough for nine more pans.
Maybe I’m dense but I’m not understanding how you’re storing the number 10 cans… ive bought several so would love to understand how you’re storing them. Some are ingredients I use to cook with like minced celery or onion and some are soup mixes. They were all for 25 years shelf life but I’m disabled so on bad days it’s nice to use the soup or entree ones for a quick meal. Thanks
@@lindacline3437 , when you open your closet there behind the door frame is wasted space . It usually doesn’t get utilized so I had 17 cans in the closet . Then I saw the wasted space . So every time I shopped ( once a month ) I bought four # 10 cans and used that space . They are stacked 8 high on each side . One closet only has freeze dried and the other two are mixed . A can opener in each closet in case anything happens to the ones in the kitchen. My daughter was here, used the closet and didn’t notice the cans .
Above the cabinets, I put baskets with food In them. Food in plain sight if you know what's in it. Other thing: get a record book that lists what you had by categories and assign codes for locations. I look under "chicken broth - home made" - it's at 2A - under the bed. As I have thought I was running out of room, I create a new location code and code those products/ food there. Number 10 cans of tomatoes are coded as 5A- in the hobby room walk-in closet. The foods are listed as vegetables, canned meats, dehydrated potatoes, store bought vegetables, etc. I look up the food and find where I put it!
That is a good idea of having your food in different locations and your list. Everyone else is putting their food in one place, not good from what I have heard on the news and other places that the government has banned prepping and they are trying to pass a law that they can take your prepped food And guns without a warrant. Make sure you hide your record book.
I wouldn't place any thing of food on my refrigerator because top of the refrigerator gets too warm. I put my seedlings on top of my refrigerator to where it keeps them warm to sprout, everything that you mentioned in your video, I do. God Bless you and your family 🙏❤️🤗
False closet or walls. Found a beautiful folding screen. Stacked things in the corner put up the screen and draped a pretty shawl on it. Is great love it
I have a folding screen sitting in my garage. I use it in another house but didn't want to throw it away because it's so lovely. I now know the next thing I'll do in my spare/guest room. Thanks.
We use our RV to store extra paper products, empty jars, foil, trash bags, and canning supplies such as canner and mylar bags. Medical supplies,blankets, sleeping bags, etc. No food products. We have also use a spare bedroom and under the stairs. They stay cool and dark.
We bought 18” bed frames, so we store under those. I made bed skirts to keep it all dark. The pups are not really happy they can’t hide under them anymore!
I nearly jumped out of my seat when you mentioned putting rods and curtains on bookshelves. I've done that, both with a long curtain on a multi-shelf unit, and three rods on a smaller bookcase. Hubby put hooks, large enough for the straight rods, found at a garage sale for almost nothing, and I made simple slide-on panels. When I want to get in the shelf I just life the rod off, get the jar, and stick the rod back on. It keeps everything dark, brightens up the room, and adds great storage space. Relatives stopped by recently, and I could just see the brother-in-law sitting there swiveling his head around the kitchen with the stuff piled high on top of the cupboards and food stacked in the corners. It might not be to everyone's taste, but I LOVE it and feel so blessed. Thank you for this encouragement.
After living in a truck for over a year, starvation and anemia nearly killing me, I now live in someone's storage room. I already don't have the full space of the room because it's their storage room. I recently got a great job and after a few weeks was informed that I'll be going to part time hours for 1 year and then back to full time. Because of this I have been using my fulltime checks to do a MASSIVE 1yr stock up of food and everything else! All of these items are currently stored in one small corner using one shelf level to create a table and stacking in and under the little table. I have 1 bin for Breakfast foods, 1 bin for can meats, and 1 can for misc. In addition to this stock, I live in a hurricane area and Have 3 and 7 day emergency food bins prepared for me and my dog. I'm not generally a "prepper" since I don't have my own home, but I desperately wanted to get ahead of the storm that I know is coming in my own life (this happens a lot as a nanny), and turns out YES I can store 12 months worth of food in my tiny living space :-) It can be done!
Thank you! Loved the beginning where you said that we have to lose the Prepper/Hoarder mentality because it doesn't fit today's world. Powerful. Love your channel!
Not to mention the fact that storage outside your dwelling is far easier for thieves to access! I pack my coolers, watercooler, suitcases, under my bed, under sinks, laundry hamper . . . I use every single thing that will hold something (cookie jar, reuse plastic containers by putting bags of dried beans in them, vases, etc.),
You are very smart Cindy. Folks complain that they dont have room. LOL is my response. Folks have to think outside the box for food storage. ANY apt., room or house has storage even if it is for a few jars here and there. Build up walls with shelving. Fortunately my home has foam in the walls, even at 100+ temps, will maintain a 70-80 for 12 to 24 hrs. Use your attic for additional storage. Get some ply wood up there and buy those plastic stand alone shelves at the home improvement store or Sam's Club, Costco. They are surprisingly durable and can support lots of weight. Plastic shelving in your attic is important because they are light and wont stress your attic beams..this is very important as your attic is not exactly built for massive loads. No your storage might not be pretty but it will save your life. Set your priorities. De clutter and get rid of stuff. Let someone else use your unused items. In these times lots of folks would love to have your gently unused items. Helping someone else is a good thing!
@@kellyname5733 I live in a small 2nd floor apartment with even smaller amounts of storage and you'd be surprised at the amount of preps I have stashed unseen, grow a container garden on my deck, can, dehydrate foods. Where there's a will, there's always a way!! I'm 59, just had 3 major surgeries in the past year, both knees completely replaced; and I still manage to do something every single day . . . Some days more than others, today the store down the block had a sale on 16-oz jar of store brand peanut butter for .44 each, limit 2, 2 more items in preps and I got my PT in walking . . . Outside the box 👍
I have been canning all month and have ran out of space. Now food is going in the living rooms. Husband already built a closet in the hallway for my canning
Take the toe kick board off of your kitchen cabinets and roll cans under the cupboards. Then lightly fasten the boards back in place, making them easy to access. These items won't be quickly accessible, but they will be stored safely. And there's a lot of room under all of those cabinets!
Use heavyweight Velcro to replace the toe kicks. Great place for ammo and hardware that goes with it. Makes it easier to get to. Can food store well there too. 😂
Attiç area is good for non temp control items. Store toiletries, paper plates, extra dish soap, laundry det, etc... My whole house has attic space, gotta use those spaces. Lots of decorations get stored n attic, let's prep those attics 🙏💖 From Arkansas
In an unused wall. Tear off the sheet rock, paint the back of the exposed wall and place shelves between the studs. Canned goods stack and fit nicely ceiling to floor. If you feel the need to hide it, only open the wall behind a large framed picture or hang a quilt to cover. (Double duty with a blanket and food!)
One of those over-the-door shelving units is my spice cabinet, aka the Wall of Spices. No more dropping bottles and tins out of the back of some weird, tiny cabinet over the stove.
I Have those over ever door in my house, door pockets I think there for shoes but they hold 40 quart jars each and some of mine are holding canned beans and can ned goods, door seems a little heavy when shutting but there sturdy and hold up well... and there were like $6 each to buy.
I converted my spare bedroom into a pantry. I put in shelves and stock those. It's not a huge room, but it gives me 1 full dedicated room. Since my husband and I are not clothes or shoe horses, we also use closets for boxes, #10 canned items and paper products.
Oh Leisa, I couldn’t agree more! We’ve installed 3 more shelving units, just like yours to add this years garden to. If I organized my basement, I could fit 30 of those down there, at least, maybe 45 - 50. I don’t plan on doing that but when SHTF, I’m willing to. Hubs built me some wooden shelves in my freeze dryer room for all my canners, stock pots and empty jars. We built a glass green house last year. Instead of buying plant starts, I’m going to start my own. We have 18 HUGE rhubarb plants and 40 raspberry bushes in our in ground 1 acre garden. I’m ready. Believe you me, it’s going to happen. We bought the house next door and our youngest son, his wife and their 4 kids moved in almost a year ago. That gives us 40 acres, combined to grow & raise food. Beef, chicken and pigs. My DIL is learning all the things I can teach her. 🌺🍅🍓🌶🍉🥬
All the paper goods are stockpiled in the attic. One package of each is in the pantry closet and the rest is in the attic. I don’t worry about the dust and temperature fluctuation.
Check frequently for rodents. They will obliterate paper products, and pack them around wiring to create nests. Paper products store better in active living spaces.
For a couple reasons I completely revamped my pantry storage (helped with mice and ants). I went to dollar tree and dollar general for bins/totes and baskets. Most came from dollar tree so this wasn’t expensive. I bought some larger square/rectangular plastic baskets and each basket is for certain type/category such as one holds all my condiments like ketchup mustard Mayo, one for oriental food items like sesame oil, soy sauce, bottled sauces like general tso sauce etc, … one for baking items like sprinkles (grandkids have to have variety lol), a couple cans of frosting on case I don’t have items to make from scratch, crisco sticks, canned milk, sweet condensed milk, extra bag of coconut etc. I bought 2 sets at Walmart of 3 nesting square plastic containers with lids. Think they were Rubbermaid maybe. I use those for canisters. One for sr and one for plain flour, one cornmeal, one sugar, one baking chips like chocolate chips and one for brown sugar. I bought some smaller clear totes with lids that are a few inches tall. One has boxes of pasta (not spaghetti), one has spaghetti noodles, one has Things like hamburger helper,‘scallop potatoes etc. On top of these I have clear plastic shoe boxes ($1). One has canned tuna, one cans of chicken and ham. One has the dry packets of gravy mix, taco mix, chili mix etc. IF YOU CAN ORGANIZE THE PANTRY SPACE you have you can use that space more efficiently. Using the totes and shoe boxes you’re able To stack items higher I have extra cases of vegetables stacked under the breaker box. Each cardboard box holds 12 cans and I’m able to stack it 6 high Under my bottom shelf I have a larger tote that I store my boxes of cake and brownie mix in. I also found that keeping the cardboard boxes that soft drinks come in help. They’re great to store many canned items in. You can cover with Kraft, butcher or freezer paper and label such as soups, cream soups, tomato products, corn, fruits etc. Each drink box holds usually 8-12 cans of food. You can usually stack 2 up (I used on shorter shelves) This is great to keep your cans from falling over and having stuff all over the place. You can actually store the drink boxes filled with canned items under the bed too. Another thing you can do in most closets is to stack cans directly on floor…. Stack maybe 2 to 4 or 5 tall (whatever works for you). Then cover with thick piece of cardboard or thin wood. On top of that I’ve got a tote with out of season clothes I stored in bags that suck air out (got my bags at dollar tree) then on top of the tote I have a rectangular laundry basket I store my shoes in. I used a $1 shoe box that I use to store other stuff…. One for socks, one for panties, one for bras, one as a first aid kit, one for spare toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss etc. Using the $1 shoe boxes under my sinks allow me to store a lot more…. One for sewing repair kit, first aid kit, extra shampoo conditioner lotion etc. I have the $1 shoe boxes stashed all over the house…. One for playing cards/card games; one for crayons and markers for grandkids, one for wide mouth rings, one for regular size rings, …. So many uses … it keeps things more organized, the clear opaque shoe boxes and totes allow you to see kind of what’s inside and they stack beautifully. I also use a bunch of the bigger square rectangular baskets from dollar tree all over the house. One holds bags of chips, snacks and our bread/ buns. For the tiny shelves in cabinets on each side of my stove I use the $1 shoe boxes (without lids) for spices … I have 2 for spices. The use the upper shelf (box ) for spices I don’t use as often and use the bottom shelf for ones I use all the time. Top shelf holds vanilla , popcorn salt, evoo, taller stuff etc. On the other side bottom shelf has measuring cups spoons etc, Second shelf has a $1 shoe box with vitamins Tylenol etc. IT IS SO easy to use cause all you do is pull the shoe box out get what you need and put it right back up I found a LOT of extra space just by trying to organize/stack my items. I hope this helps someone. Wish I could post a picture
@@NewYorkJennifer lol I DONT feel organized lol. My husband complains I can cram 5 lbs of poop in a 2 lb bag. No I have a small pantry and we live in the boonies so a decent stocked pantry is needed to throw meals together especially when grandkids come unexpectedly but thanks for the compliment 😊
It's all about thinking outside the box. (Bad pun, I know 😄) I lived in a camper & made sure EVERYTHING I put in it did double duty. Hide-a-bed sofa, 3 drawer nite stands as end tables, a chest of drawers for the TV stand, etc. My coffee table was the hardest worker though. It was a piano bench w/storage under the lid, doubled as extra seating & I'm a quilter so it was also my sewing table with a kitchen chair as the ironing board! I turned the main clothing closet in that camper into a pantry (a much smaller closet was for dress up clothes only) & had a good amount of storage in it. Not a years worth, maybe 6 months though. A couple more tips: put those dark, hard to reach corners in the kitchen cabinets (not just under the sinks) to work storing your long term items. You aren't using the stuff that's in them now anyway! A dead chest freezer outside can be used to store bulky non-perishable items like paper products, disposable plates & trash bags without the temperature & critter issues foods have.
I have a narrow shelf (originally for paperback books) mounted to the wall behind the door. You just have to put a door stop on the floor so you don't hit it. Mine is 6" wide shelves. But behind doors is the biggest waste of space in a small house.
ALL THE NEW PEOPLE KEEP YOUR STORAGE TEMPS BETWEEN 50-70 DEGREES BUT TEMPS THAT CHANGE NEED TO BE SLOW CHANGES. I STORE UNDER THE BED, EXTRA BEDROOM, MY KIDS ROOM. JUST SOME SUGGESTIONS. GOD BLESS AND EVERYONE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ❤️🙏🫂❤️🙏❤️
@@girlnextdoorgrooming just make sure your temp changes aren't abrupt. That will cause any home canned food a chance that lids will lift and reseal making the food useless. Commercial canned make sure there are no dings in the cans or any buldging in the cans, if you find any like that throw it the food inside will be contaminated with botulism. In Texas you're going to be fine I know many people that can and freeze and store their food for long term food storage. God bless and good luck😊🙏😊
"The people I care about are the ones that I need to feed 🙌 Thank you for telling it like it is for so many of us. My husband put in a closet organization unit. Its huge. The top of it collects stuff - all my long-term emergency food storage. It's a flat surface that otherwise wouldn't be used. We have lots of shelves on it too. Thats where my extra oil lamps, jugs of oil, butane bottles and emergency supplies are. No guests go in there and everything is fully accessible to us if there was an emergency! As usual, great video.
