Author of The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide and The Blackout Book
As budgets get tighter, more people downsize. You may find yourself living in a small space and wondering how on earth you can stash your stockpile in a little home. Small space prepping can be done and it can be done in a way that doesn’t make it obvious to everyone who happens to stop by that you’re well-supplied.
After spending the last 3 years living out of suitcases, I recently moved into a small apartment in a city to be closer to family. I had to start from scratch in the 600 square foot space. Before I took off on my trip, I had sold my furniture or given it to my daughters. My storage unit held some supplies, thousands of books, and some decorative items.
Now, a couple of months after settling into my apartment, I have a 6-month stockpile of shelf-stable food, 200 pounds of dog food, 80 gallons of stored water, and other essential gear. I created a small patio garden from which I’m harvesting some salad greens and herbs. I’m well outfitted with other supplies too.
In this article, I want to invite you into my home and show you around. I hope it provides some ideas for small space prepping.
Furnishings
Most of my furniture was chosen very deliberately for a combination of comfort, low cost, storage space, and a small profile. I purchased a bed frame new and on sale, and everything else either came from Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or the trash. Yep, I’m a proud curbside trash picker.
Because of my credit rating, I was able to rent my apartment without putting down a deposit. I used the money I would have spent on a deposit to furnish my home and start my stockpile.
Layout
When I chose the apartment, I knew it was small. I’d just come from living in a tiny house, where I had planned to write a prepping series. So I deliberately selected another small space because so many people feel that it’s darned near impossible to store their supplies in a little home.
Of course, you may already be in a small home and if so, you have to deal with the space that you have. Here are the things that I looked for when selecting my apartment.
- Built-in Storage: I sought deep, plentiful cabinets in the kitchen and bath, as well as closet space.
- High Ceilings: I knew that I could get a lot more into a space if I could go vertical.
- Laminate or Hardwood Flooring: First, I have dogs and it’s way easier to clean hard surfaces than carpet. Secondly, any storage containers that are on wheels or can be slid will move a lot easier on a hard surface. Hard surfaces can also be kept cleaner than carpet if the power goes out.
The apartment I rented only has one closet, but it’s a walk-in with some shelving. There are some nooks in my laundry closet where supplies can be stashed. The cupboards in the kitchen and bath are deep. The apartment has 10-foot ceilings throughout and laminate flooring.
Design
It may sound silly in a prepping article to talk about home décor, but it was important to me that if a neighbor stopped by, my place doesn’t scream BUNKER. I don’t want to hear those words that make every prepper shudder: wow, if anything happens, I’m coming to your place.
So I was careful that nothing was outwardly evident. I deliberately selected furniture with closed storage space or that I could stash things under. Keeping in mind the artwork I already had in my storage unit, I didn’t need to spend money on decorative items. I chose one main color throughout – emerald green – to match the bedding, shower curtain, towels, and accessories I already had. I still need to do a little painting of some furniture to pull it all together.
Here’s a Peek at My Apartment
Small Space Prepping in the Kitchen
I’m making great use of the kitchen cabinets. There’s only one wall of them, but the ones around the fridge are particularly deep and the top shelves are so high I need a step ladder to reach them.
As you can see, there’s still plenty more room. I’m using lower shelves for everyday use items, and high shelves for preps. I also have almost 2 feet above my kitchen cabinets. This provides enough space for some large “decorative” baskets in the future for paper products or lighter-weight items that are easy to get down without help.
The cupboards around the fridge are 8 standard cans deep and 2 cans high for most of the shelves. That’s a LOT of canned goods.
Living Room Preps
There’s a lot more than most folks would guess stored in the teeny tiny living room.
I had planned on getting a trunk for a coffee table but when I found the one I purchased for less than $20, I grabbed it. The large cabinets on either side of the console are a wealth of storage. The one on the left holds bedding and craft supplies. The one on the right holds medications and wound care supplies.
The console under the television holds 150-200 pounds of dry dog food. The top shelf will hold my prepping books once I retrieve them from my storage unit.
The small sofa has enough space under it for 3 under-bed baskets that were meant for a twin bed. These contain additional food, holiday decorations, and more gauze and bandages.
The Bedroom
If you don’t have stuff stashed under your bed, you are missing out on many square feet of empty space. I have 20 gallons of bottled water, 6 gallons of white vinegar, my clothes drying rack, and luggage full of preps under my bed. Even without risers, a standard bed fits a typical 1-gallon jug with just a little shimmy to get it under the edge. If I had risers I could get a lot more. I have ordered a dust ruffle to hide these items from view.
The Hallway
My apartment has a long, narrow hallway with more storage areas for small space prepping.
Immediately beside the door is a small used cabinet I picked up. In it, I keep emergency sanitation supplies like contractor garbage bags and cat litter. It’s right beside the bathroom door, so conveniently located.
To the right are 3 doors. The first is to a locked utility closet with the water heater, furnace, etc. I’ve accessed this closet and there’s no real room for storing other items.
The second door is where my stackable washer and dryer live. On top of the dryer is a box of 50 rolls of toilet paper. I have a TP subscription and there’s room for one more box of 50 rolls on top of that. In front of that, I keep laundry detergent and dryer balls in the basket. Not shown, on each side are cleaning items like brooms, mops, bleach, and a stick vacuum.
The third door is my walk-in closet. It isn’t huge but bigger than most closets I’ve had. I obviously keep my clothing in there, as well as my bigger vacuum and some plastic shelving unit. The one shown holds batteries in the bottom drawer, portable water filtration supplies in the middle drawer, and computer and electronic supplies in the top drawer. You can see my bug-out bag to the left of that unit. Not shown are my buckets of food and large water filtration unit behind some hanging clothing.
Storage in the Bathroom
In the bathroom is the built-in cabinetry and a little cabinet I pulled out of someone’s trash pile and cleaned up. There is no linen closet. Instead, there’s a door into the hallway and a door into the bedroom.
Since it lacks a linen closet, I keep towels and extra hygiene supplies like soap, shampoo, conditioner, and about 2000 baby wipes in the built-in cabinetry.
The drawers contain day-to-day use medications, cosmetics, hair products, and styling utensils.
The trash-picked cabinet was a real score. The only issue was that it was dirty and the knobs aren’t in great shape. It didn’t even require fresh paint. I cleaned it up and will install better knobs on the doors when I come across replacements at a good price.
But the real benefit is the additional storage space.
I can fit 54 rolls of toilet paper on each of the two shelves. So, including my laundry closet, I have the space to discreetly store more than 400 rolls of TP here.
I have a toilet paper subscription to a company called “Who Gives a Crap.” (Hilarious name.) It isn’t the very cheapest option around, but during the Great TP Apocalypse of 2020, the company was praised for never missing a delivery to their regular subscribers. As this website has been predicting more looming shortages, I like the fact that, if nothing else, my bathroom tissue will arrive for a little bit longer.
The Patio
My apartment comes with a small patio. On it, I have two chairs and a shoe rack my daughter and I found at the dump. I went to Home Depot, hoping to grab a couple of more mature veggie plants because it’s late in the season. While I was there, I rescued some herbs they were throwing out. I grabbed a used indoor-outdoor rug to make it look a little homier.
Because the apartment building has rules, I have to keep my plants and pots looking nice and follow their visual guidelines. Normally I’d have just used cheap, throwaway pots, but I spent a little extra and got mostly matching ones. I have squash, a tomato plant, thyme, Italian parsley, spearmint, hot peppers, basil, and 2 kinds of lettuce growing. With any luck, I’ll get some tomatoes, and the herbs have perked up enough that I’ll have some to dry. The squash is iffy, but I’ll give it my best shot. My small space prepping garden was put in during the wrong season but I hope t get a few things from it and can bring in the herbs for the winter.
The real star (aside from Bella, of course) is the food-safe barrel in the back corner. It holds 60 gallons of water. I’m running it to the DIY carwash to clean it out, then filling it from my sink. It has a 2-piece lid. I also purchased a piece of window screen that I cut to fit in case I one day need to move it out from its corner and collect rainwater. Because it blends in with the wall and I stuck a basil plant on top of it, it seems fairly discreet back there. Nobody has mentioned it.
If I’m here through next summer, I expect to be able to grow far more food on that patio.
Here’s a little more information from this video clip of an interview I did.
So that’s how I’m small space prepping in a 600 square foot apartment.
There you have it – small space prepping that doesn’t make my home look like a bunker. I have some other ideas I’ll be adding as the months go by, but this is what I’ve put together in the first couple of months.
Do you live in a small space? Where do you store your preps? Please share your small space survival ideas in the comments.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 11 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at Learn.TheOrganicPrepper.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
Very nice, cozy and well thought out Daisy. You surely have a knack for organization. My apartment, that I share with my girlfriend and our son, is a little bigger (just shy of 800 square feet, with a long, useless hallway running the length) and I find myself running out of space every other weekend as I aquire more and more preps. We have very little built in storage, so I’ve had to rely on metal shelves for our 14-16 month foods, and plastic chests stuffed to the brims with gear, clothing, bedding and more food. We do have three closets, all quite small, but one is full of tools, weapons, more clothing, and a whole bunch more fun stuff (this one is locked, of course), our bedroom closet is pretty much just clothes, holiday items and computer parts (the girl is a wicked nerd), and our son’s closet is toys, 4 months of diapers, wipes, couple guitars and clothes. We keep 5 or 6 backpacks of various sizes pretty well stuffed with emergency essentials kicking around all over the place so if need I can rapidly grab them, chuck them in the car and off we go. Still, every corner is piled with essentials, and every piece of furniture has something stored in or under it. Hope every stays healthy and happy. Prost!
When my wife and I finished building our cabin (288 sq. ft.) in Alaska, I removed the toe kick plates off all the kitchen cabinets and put in tiny recessed hinges. It was a perfect storage place for flats of canned vegetables and other preps to be out of sight.
Tiny living was fun. We did well with it.
I store pet supplies in open style end tables. Just disguise them with a nice scarf. Have ice melt hidden between couch and wall. Once I get another layer in I will hide it as a sofa table. I have rattan baskets on book shelves to hide items and also pack items in small boxes to hide behind books.
The apartment looks really good! The water storage in the corner is genius! I had to go back and look at the picture again to find it. I bet none of your neighbors have any idea that an extremist prepper lives there. My bed is a problem: I purchased a bedframe from a company called Hollywood Something. It literally has supports every 8 inches throughout the bed frame. Didn’t notice until we put it together-but what a nuisiance. You cannot fit anything under there but errant dog balls.
Could you put this b game for long term under that r you’d have to move the bed to get to them. Not easy but it’s space.
Lol. Auto spell drives me crazy. Could you put things for long term storage under the bed. Set under, even if not easy access between all those supports.
Very cute! Definitely doesn’t look like a bunker! I already hear “I know where I’m coming if I’m hungry “ from people when they see my garden ; definitely don’t want people who come into my house thinking that!
My house is small and lacks storage space. Has a sorta shallow closet minus any doors; guess I could frame it out and install doors but haven’t gotten to it.
Under the bed storage is really useful in my house. I’ve had “bed dust ruffles” on my list but hadn’t gotten to it; you motivated me to finally order some today!
My furniture is all pretty small scale and lacks storage capacity. I have put canned goods behind my books on the bookcases; a good spot that is out of sight and uses empty space.
Fortunately I have a garden shed to put stuff like tools and yard equipment; nothing that would freeze or draw critters such as bears.
I think I have managed to stash a reasonable quantity of stuff anyway, without it looking like a bunker.
Daisy, I know you’re a woman. But nevertheles:
YOU DA MAN!!
Daisy, you have made such an impressive use of your space! And definitely accomplished your goal of your space looking homey, not like a bunker. Great job!
I may have overlooked an article on this topic, but what types of electronic and computer supplies do you recommend having on hand?
I very much appreciate all you do!
Daisy–thanks for sharing this! Do you have a chart, notebook or spreadsheet that tells you what you have and where it is? Thinking of the food products, so you know what to rotate in and use.
I have some lower cabinets that I can’t access things in them very easily. I can’t afford those expensive pull-out shelves they sell for kitchen cabinets, so I use plastic cat litter boxes that I got at the dollar store to put my things in. All I have to do is reach down, grab the edge and pull them forward to get my items. Because of the depth of the cabinets, I can put 2 boxes in the space. I put long-term food storage items in the back one and can use my long-handled grabber to bring it forward if needed. The front one has items that I need or use frequently in it. Because these are in the lower cabinets, I don’t need to label the cat boxes, as I can see what is in them when I pull them forward.
I also used the same kind of cat boxes (but a little smaller in size) in the upper cabinets in my travel trailer, where I could only see the items that were in the very front of the cabinet. When I needed something, I just had to pull the box down, set it on the counter, get what I needed, and put it back up again. I tried to group like items together in each cabinet and then put labels on the front of the cat boxes to remind me where things were located.
Cat boxes worked for me, as they were the right size and cheap. But you could also do the same thing with metal bins, baskets, or cardboard boxes (if storing lightweight items) when storing items in places that are difficult to reach or see completely.
Most excellent, Daisy! Some very creative solutions, well-executed. I am living in an apartment as well, and have for fifteen years and am disabled to a moderate degree. I do not have visitors to speak of, so have not had to hide all of my gear. Most of it is in totes or containers so it is not obvious as to what I have.
For several years I had my twin mattress sitting on a 2x5x2 set of totes. Two wide, five long, and two high. I no longer sleep on a bed, but use a recliner due to my sleep apnea. Still have the totes though. Many of mine are stacked along the walls, others are used at tables and one set as an additional counter for the kitchen with a light plywood cover.
Prepping in an apartment is doable. It does take some outside the box thinking and pushing the envelope at times. Especially to stay within the rules. I have a nice balcony, but it is pretty much restricted to casual use. No storage. I would grow some things, but my apartment is on the inside ring of apartments, on the third floor. The deck faces north, looking over the courtyard, so unless I use growlights, nothing I have tried to grow has been successful.
At one time, the tenets had permission to put in a community garden in one section of the courtyard. Despite the building being three stories, we did get enough good sunlight to grow quite a few things. Some in the ground, with more in buckets.
It actually produced quite a bit, however, as is often the case in endeavors such as this, those of us that put in the time, money, and effort did not get much of the rewards. Whenever something was even close to being ripe, it disappeared in the night. People that contributed nothing got the bulk of the goods.
Because of some other problems, the permission was rescinded and we have not been able to do the community garden since. Something to think about, however.
First, a question. Is the lid of the water barrel on correctly? It really looks like it is not seated correctly to me.
Some ideas that can make prep storage a bit easier:
1) Invest in an extending boat hook. This allows pulling things forward and pushing them back in tight spaces without having to be a contortionist or using something makeshift that does not work well.
2) For deep shelves for storing things like canned goods, more than one can high, the boat hook does not always work well. In lieu of installing sliding platforms in the cabinets, consider installing shelf liner, the slicker the better. Then, use a piece of fabric, with loops on the corners in the back, that will slide easily on the shelf liner.
Have the slide pulled out and add a sideways row of cans and push the slide back using the boat hook. Add another row of cans and push the slide back. Continue until the shelf is full. When something is needed, hopefully with the oldest items up front, after the easy to reach items are used, pull the slide forward to access another row of cans and then push the slide back.
There are many variations to this. One is to build trays that fit the space and load them with the items and slide the tray into the cabinet. With canned good the trays can get very heavy very quickly, so consider that when designing the trays.
3) Using uniform totes several items of furniture can be created by stacking them appropriately and covering with a fabric throw. Coffee table, end tables, bedside tables, etc.
4) As one of the other posters mentioned, there is often space behind the books in bookshelves. If you can find shelving that is extra deep that is one way to get it, or it can be build fairly easily. Have the shelf supports adjustable so same height books can be on a shelf and next up shelf can be placed just above the tops of the books, effectively hiding what is behind the books. If the opening is tall, only very short things can be put behind the books without being seen.
5) If getting or building deep shelving is not possible, consider making a shallow shelving unit the same size as the book cases or shelving units you have and put it behind those units. If the shallow shelving unit is finish the same as the regular unit it will not be too noticible. Or you can simply add side panels that cover the sides, concealing the joint. Probably no deeper than one #10 can.
6) Where possible, for canned goods that are used regularly, consider getting or making can rollers that can be loaded from the front and the cans roll backward, drop to the next level, and roll forward. This allows for first in, first out use, making rotation of stock easy. The biggest problem with this is they not to be very space efficient. At least consider them.
7) Similar to the shallow shelving unit behind a regular shelving unit, there could be some wall spaces where you can build a free-standing false wall a few inches from the regular wall. Again, not too deep of an area or it will be obvious that there is something there. Make the wall in panels so each panel can be removed to access what is behind it.
There are many other ways to use small living areas to store preps, either out of sight or hidden in plain sight.
Again, well done, Daisy.
Just my opinion.
Great ideas! Thank you for them!
And good eye – No, the lid isn’t on the water barrel correctly. I have to take it to the carwash to clean it out before filling it. I have help for that tomorrow.
I have a small house, so converted the largest bedroom into the 2 person office, which also has the bigger closet. The 2 bedrooms have #10 food cans & other items stored under the beds. On the top shelf is about 6 months of TP, extra bedding & blankets. At the recessed sides I built shelves to stack storage containers that each hold 1+ week of dehydrated foods. Out of season coats, jacket and costumes partially conceal shelving units with canned goods. The bathroom shelves have baskets of cold/allergy meds, and first aid supplies, with extra peroxide, soaps & gallons of water behind the towels. There are large shelves over the washer and dryer that hold extra supplies of disposable plates/cups/silverware & tin foil/zip bags/parchment paper. Thinking of hanging dowels with fabric curtains so that no ones sees anything from the door or windows, which are usually closed. Also have 3 big boxes of extra cat food to hopefully last 4 feral cats through the winter. And additional shelves in the garage for extra pine bedding, straw, & chicken feed. Trying to keep my stocks up for us, and all the critters too. I worry that prices are going up and keep seeing half empty pet food shelves. The garden was a bust with the excessive heat and rain, and even the zinnias got the powdery mildew this year. What few tomatoes that made it the skunks & chickens stole! Good thing I didn’t need to depend on what I could grow.
I love all of your articles and ideas Daisy! Please keep doing what you do to inspire all of us!
We live in about an 800 sq ft mobile home. One bedroom and one bathroom. No shelves yet in the lower kitchen cabinets. There was no built in pantry. Just a small walk in closet in the bedroom.
I added a homemade storage bench by the front door then added a 2.5’x2.5′ freestanding closet at one end. It holds jackets. Then I framed a 6’x6′ wall behind the bench and covered it with bead board. (Almost free from a cabinet shop.)The back side of the wall is nailed to the wall on one end and to the corner of the little closet on the other end. The backside is unfinished with a 1″x4″ a foot down from the top. That has 2 clip units for mop, broom ect. Then beside that is a clear plastic shoe bag filled with vitamins, fingernail care items, ect. Salt, oatmeal oil, ect linded up along the floor under household tools. Against the home outside wall is a 3’x6′ bookcase. Facing the breadboard wall are 2, 12″ deep x6′ tall cabinets with a space between them. 2 sheets of roadside found 1/8″ thick wood backs the cabinets and hold them in place with one end screwed to the bookcase on the outside wall. This created a walk in pantry. The outside toward the living room is enclosed by 3 bookcases facing the livingroom and one across the end of the row of bookcases and the first 12″ deep cabinet facing into the pantry. The space between the two shallow cabinets is just right for 2 stacks of plastic buckets of beans and rice ect. The two 12″ deep I cabinets are a filled with canned goods, the 3′ wide bookcases across the closed end is filled with mostly dry goods, batteries a bag of flashlights, solar battery chargers, bags of powdered eggs, survival blankets, and with extra wood flooring laid on top, the cabinets and open space are topped with paper goods. The floor space is just large enough to allow a rolling 3 tier set of shelves. I plan to use a sheet of wood paneling cut to size to enclose the opening. It can slide behind the bookcase that covers the end of the row of bookcases and the 12″ cabinet end. Its compact but created a lot of storage for 2 people. The paper goods are screened from view by tall books and vases on top of the row of bookcases.
I had shallow bookcases down one side of the hallway leading to the bedroom. With my husband using a walker I took out the little kitchen table and set the two 3′ wide bookcases facing each other in the table area by a window. Those are all canned and boxed foods. Fresh veggies and fruits go in bins set between the two bookcases. It really only is obvious there is food in the kitchen.
With a bench and new wall, and bookcases on the other side of the pantry few notice the 3 ft wide storage area carved out there.
My queen bed is on risers and there is a nice bedruffel so the well filled space isn’t so obvious. Folded pants and shirts are on a set in shelf in the little closet.
In the bathroom there is an odd space between the sink and shower. I set in a tall1930s waterfall dresser. It’s sanded ready to paint but for now I’m using it anyway. It holds towels, and other items to use there. In the tiny toilet room I have over toilet shelves with TP and cleaning supplies. The shallow facing wall will have 1″x4″ shelves for more cleaning supplies, soap, shampoo, ect. I have a motel towel rack and drawer fronts from an old falling down dresser i found. Those hold the towels and an extra floor mat. The hooks on the old drawer fronts are screw mounted fake hot and cold water faucet handIes. The holder for washcloths is a plastic octopus painted turquoise. I plan to build an over the door shelf at the door between the bedroom and bathroom.
I’m building a headboard for the queen bed with 6″ deep drawers, free from an out of business cabinet shop. It will hold lamps, books, ect.
The livingroom tv cabinet is a simple fleamarket cabinet with 2 shallow drawers and 2 doors over a storage are. I set a used kitchen cabinet such as might be over a fridge, on top. I removed the doors. The TV is on top.
Above the ends of the entryway storage bench I’ve just made two drawer bookcases with cabinet doors cut down for shelves. One hangs on the outside wall. The other is hung on the side of the little closet. That bench holds BOBs and camping items. Fishing poles, ect hang on the new beadboard wall. A pretty coat rack is centered high on the wall.
There is much more but those were the most storage created. I do have a shed in the back yard for canning supplies and yard tools.
We have a good sized garden and I keep adding fruit trees, bushes, vines, ect.
The small home was a replacement home. I had a much larger residence that was vandalized when I was away working after being widowed 19 yearsago. I bought this mobilehome as an un repaired repo around 4 yearsago. Even the livingroom endtables are storage. 2, 10 gallons fiberboard round shipping containers with clamped on wood ends. I may cover them with cloth or wallpaper? Both are filled with pasta and dried foods.
Storage is my focused for now then I’ll work on finish work to look good.
This past week I’ve rearranged and parted with a rocker recliner. My husband has gone on hospice. We’ve moved in a hospital bed, oxygen concentrator, bed tray table and more is coming. It’s all going into the livingroom. I kept my antiquque cot used for a daybed. I may have to move a chair to a shed for now. We’re both sleeping in the livingroom. A small room now very croweded. Up is the only way to go for now. The end table barrels may be going out to a shed. All the extra hospice supplies are under my cot.
Soon I’ll get back to work on the kitchen shelves. I’ll be looking for more nooks to use.
Daisey I like what you’ve done with the apartment. It’s cute and cozy.
So sorry to hear that your husband is doing poorly. Praying for both of you.
Thank you, Clergylady. You have some fantastic ideas too! I would love it if you’d consider writing articles for us. You would bring a wealth of experience to us. If you are interested, email us at [email protected] – I think I speak for all of us when I say we’d love to hear more from you!
If someone says those words” if something happens, I’m coming to your place”, reply “that’s fine, I won’t be here. I’ll be at my bugout location”. When they ask where that is, just smile.
Wow, you are SO clever! And you gave me some really great ideas. I can’t wait to see the other ideas you come up with.
Daisy,
Good job on the apartment…all great ideas.
I remember hearing you say that the stores were always well-stocked while you were living in Mexico & ships continued to arrive there from China. That is, of course, in contrast to the supply-chain issues we were seeing in the USA.
That really struck me because friends have told us that ships were being held up at the US ports and not allowed to dock. It really makes me wonder what was going on and whether it will happen again.
There was a YouTube last night we watched. It was from different farmers saying they are being paid more money than their crop is worth to destroy their crops. If they don’t then they will be fined by the government. They can either mow it down themselves or the government will come put chemicals on it. Another individual says he is being forced to dump crude oil or face fines. This is a contrived shortage by the criminals in government.
I don’t have a small place, but I live far from everything. If I don’t have it when SHTF, then I won’t have it. I was in San Antonio visiting my mother two days ago. She went into the PX and Commissary at Fort Sam. I could not go, because they are again requiring mask and I DO NOT wear mask. I am waiting for the no shopping without vaccine passport. I am putting a lot into my preps, but money is the main issue.
Absolutely fantastic, Daisy!
It’s unbelievable how much you’ve managed to put into such a small space!
Thank you for sharing your home and your talents with us.
I am fairly new to prepping and have felt very fortunate to have discovered your blogs and books.
Due to this “beginner” status, I have a question.
How does one store gallons of water when everything that I have read says how bad it is to store water in plastic?
Even with rotation, is plastic the no-no that I’ve heard?
You undoubtedly have written about this very thing, but I only found you about four months ago.
Any direction on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you…and again, thank you for the virtual tour. Plus…the virtual coffee was delicious!
Molly
Hi, Molly, and welcome to prepping! ????
Most water containers have pros and cons. On a day-to-day basis, I limit my use of plastic. But in an emergency, all bets are off. In an emergency, I’m just worried about meeting our immediate needs.
Water storage can be in any of the following and I’ll list the cons:
Cans: The ones you buy that look like beer or soda cans are extremely expensive
Glass: Very heavy and easily breakable
Plastic: Could leach chemicals into your water supply
For those of us on a budget, we have to go with the easiest and least expensive option. If your plastic water bottles aren’t exposed to extreme temperatures, there’s less likelihood of chemicals leaching into it. Always use food-safe plastic for your water. My large barrel was from a pickle factory. It had a previous owner who cleaned it of the pickle smell (I wish I had asked her how) and used it for rainwater collection for her garden.
FEMA has some good advice about water storage here.
If you want to go deeper into water storage, I have a book called The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide. Kind of boring, to be honest, but it will answer all your water questions.
You have a beautiful home, Daisy. Thanks for sharing. I also have a small home, but I’m kind of a slob and my house looks like a rummage sale most of the time. I appreciate the pictures, you have given me some good ideas for practical organizing things!
Wow! Great example of a being well prepared and being stylish at the same time! This is beneficial information for those who live in smaller places in a city and can’t bug out to the countryside for whatever reason?
I live in a fairly large house with a massive basement, but after doing a huge move recently, I have begun to think less about how MUCH space I have; rather I think more carefully about WHAT I want to stock up on, and its accessibility, so this was a great article to remind me of that. I know from my own experience that much of what is purchased for prep is never used, so now — especially we are recently retired — I spend more time on the decision-making process, and do a more frequently inventory to use foodstuffs. Thanks for your great writing, Daisy!!
While I don’t live in a small space, I do live in an old house with a big lack of closets on my main level…no coat closet or real entry way spot an no utility closet. Because of previous remodels, the two “closets” that exist are only about 8-12 inches deep. Luckily one is deep enough to fit a vacuum at least. To maximize these shelfless, shallow closets, I got a couple over the door shoe racks (you know, the fabric kind?) and I store all kinds of things in the “shoe” compartments. Mostly bottles of cleaning products, etc. but it is such a handy, low profile way to make the most of these tiny spaces. I wondered if you might be able to do similar particularly in the space with the water heater. I could see storing stuff like olive oil or pasta sauce in the compartments easily, but really there are so many possibilities. Thanks for sharing a peek at your small space preps.
some great ideas although I am also using many of the same! My apt is just over 900 sq ft with a hallway. I was able to fit shelving along that wall to store many items. Getting rid of stuff not needed so goodwill will be happy!
Good. You’re on the first (bottom) floor. All the extra mass (all of your supplies and other preps) could be a problem if you were on an upper floor.