Let’s face it, we have a finite amount of space in our homes to allow for our preparedness supplies. When you run out of room on the shelving systems, in the closet and under the beds, you have to start getting creative in finding more space. I have personally stowed items in every nook and cranny around here. I knew that if I wanted to have a good pantry supply and also have disaster supplies on hand, I had to find hidden spaces around the home.
Here are some of the solutions that I have found.
10 Space Savers For Your Preps
- Baskets and wire bins – I went to the discount stores and found large baskets on sale. I put them under chairs, benches and on consoles or cabinets. We also used them above our kitchen cabinetry.
- Under bed storage – Under the bed is usually the first place we turn to when our closets run out of space. I like to use plastic containers with lids that can be stored under beds. This keeps pets from opening any packages and protects it from the elements. Re-purposing old dresser drawers can also be a solution to under bed storage. And adding wheels to the bottom so they roll out will help you gain easier access.
- Trundle beds – If your trundle bed is going unused, it’s a great place to store your preps. Simply remove the mattress and voila!
- Old metal filing cabinets – Who’s going to look for preps in the filing cabinets anyway? Consider storing lightweight groups of items such as medical supplies or flashlights and batteries, or even spices. It’s a great way to organize your preps! Also, if you remove the drawers of the file cabinet and set the cabinet on its backside, it can also be used to store brooms, mops and other household tools. It could also be used an impromptu rifle rack.
- Paper filing boxes – I used this method to store my short term food supply. We repackaged food in Mylar bags and added them to the filing boxes. I can honestly say this storage methods works, but there are some drawbacks. For one, I would not set heavy items in the boxes. The boxes cannot take much weight and compromises the shape of the box. Stacking the boxes on top of themselves can also be problematic. t is a good storage system and an added benefit is it’s cost effective.
- Suitcases – For some reason, I have inherited many suitcases over the years. Rather than letting them sit in a closet, put them to work. You can even use the luggage tags as a label for the contents inside.
- Storage ottomans – I love furniture that serves dual purposes! Storage ottomans are functional in living rooms and will also conceal smaller preps such as your battery supplies, paracord or books and board games for your off-grid entertainment.
- Trashcans – Large 35-gallon outdoor trash cans with wheels are also a uniform way to store your gear. Many preppers store their Mylar bagged goods in trash cans for easy access. One could also store their 72-hour emergency supplies in a trash can for an all-in-one container.
- Wall space – Wall space is the most under utilized storage areas of a home. Lightweight emergency supplies can be stored on wall shelves. Crates secured to the wall can also make good storage space. Think of collecting many different sized crates to create a crate wall. This would make an amazing storage system.
- Faux rocks – Hiding your preps in plain sight or camouflaged in faux rocks or statues is another covert way to hide your preps. You can purchase these through garden stores, or make your own. Look online for the right types of clay and design plans.
As mentioned before, when we run out of space, we have to get creative on how we store our preps.
What ways have you kept your preps hidden in your home?
This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on November 19th, 2013
This article is a great help for creative storage ideas around the home that usually only people with housekeeping experience in small spaces would even dream of. It is also well-suited for those of us with no history of ‘having anything to hide’ ever before. When it comes to *hiding* the goodies, I’ll presume the author isn’t giving up her own favorite spots – I sure wouldn’t:) We’ve had 60 years at least of both television and steady illegal drug use. The drug users have no doubt tried most or all of the places listed here for hiding their ‘stash’ and every thief has seen enough TV crime shows to have good ideas of where to look for family sidearms and ammo. So, whilst there can be no guarantees, perhaps the best we can do is make the ‘search’ too much time and trouble to bother with – degree of bother on the scale with degree of importance of hidden item.
For help with that, I hope some of the men, with building and construction experience, will offer some advice here. It’s a constant hassle for me being a widow for I can’t just call over my shoulder to ask how a thing like this is accomplished. God gave us almost thirty years and it still wasn’t enough and I still wonder how on earth my husband always could make what we needed and fix what we needed, as if it was magic.
If you rent and do not own property, taking a lot of trouble for a food supply where you live might be a total waste. Your landlords will happily help themselves to whatever you stored after they throw you out. Best bet is buy a piece of land, any land, and if you can’t do that, make good friends with those who have done, and then start burying some of your food caches. Undeveloped ranch and grazing land is good for there are no close neighbors and those there are don’t want to be bothered anymore than you do. The point is, you want to be where you have a legal right to be messing around ‘putting in flower beds’ or digging for a septic without scrutiny.
Storing your sidearm is self-explanatory: it belongs on your side, day and night, not stored in a file cabinet, and if you have several, arm everyone in the house. A child ‘too young’ to carry is still not too young to die; remember that and give the kid a fighting chance. Weapons you cannot see will not be at your hand when you need them most. If you’re storing enough to equip an army, well, you don’t need anyone to tell you anything anyway; you’ve already thought of it.