Prepping for city slickers

[MYellowRose]

Lots of prep info out there for those who live in the country so I'm wondering if those of you who live in town/city do anything different with your preps? Right now there are 7 of us in a 2 bedroom portion of a trailer that has almost no storage space. I try and stock up on canned goods, especially since DD who does most of the cooking doesn't like them & I've got lots of powdered milk but not much of anything else. I stock up then overspend so I have to use my stores and sometimes have trouble replacing them. Help please!

[Michael32170]

Stocking something that you don't normally eat, is wasting money. Just keep a larger supply of your normal food on hand, and cycle through them.

[NCLee]

Find every nook and cranny in your space for storage. Under the beds. If you have any outside storage, put things that you seldom use outside. (Providing they can handle your heat/cold conditions.) This could mean extra dishes, extra linens, even summer vs winter shoes. Put in plastic totes, trash cans with lids, or any other container that's difficult for mice to enter. Then, use any freed up space for food storage. You may have room on the top shelf in the closet. Behind the sofa. Under a table draped with a cloth so no one sees your cans and jars.

Often you can gain space by re-packaging some foods. If it comes in a box with lots of airspace in the box, transfer to a glass jar. Excess packaging of many foods takes up a lot of space. Make everything as compact as you can, as long as you can safely do so.

Lee

[farmerj]

just stock up on more of what you normally would use.

[Junie]

I'm in a trailer, too. Granted, we added on to it, but I still have lots of stuff stored in the original trailer.

One thing I did that added a ton of storage space is to replace all the bed frames with those blue storage bins you can get from the dollar store - 6 for a twin bed, 9 for a full size. If you don't like the way they look, you can cover them with a dust ruffle.

I also store stuff behind the sofas, against the wall. Push the sofa back against it and you never even notice it unless you climb on the sofa and look behind it. I've also heard of people storing toilet paper under the sofa, against the springs.

We have a bench along one side of the kitchen table. I store stacks of canned goods under it.

We built bookcases that fit along the walls in the hall and store food in them, too. If you're not up to building bookcases, shop shelves will do nicely (the metal kind).

Then there's the back wall of the closets and on closet shelves, if yours have shelves. (one of mine does)

If you have a space above your kitchen cupboards, you can keep things there, too.

I have a few stacks of blue bins in one of the kids' rooms, underneath his window right up to the bottom of the window. Not only do I store food in them, I grow food plants on top of them in the winter. (that's why I stacked them under the window, so they could get light)

Does that sound crowded? Well, it is, but I'd rather have a crowded house and a full belly than a spacious house and an empty belly.

[siletz]

Great ideas already. Another storage idea is to buy a shelving unit that has doors on the front. It could go anywhere and just look like a piece of furniture. Under the beds are a wealth of space. What about totes in the attic crawl space?

Where there's a will, there's a way!

[randallhilton]

Get 3 or more 55 gal. food grade plastic drums and fill them with water. Add some bleach to decontaminate them. You'll be happier when water mains break etc. Beyond that, you can develop a rain catch system as well.

[MYellowRose]

Right now I've only got two twin beds, a 4 drawer chest, a desk, one chair for a table, & my bath chair in the way of furniture. Will be measuring the depth on the space under the beds so I can use it for storage. Will be getting a cheap bookcase next month so I can get my "keeper" books out of storage bins then I'll start using them for storing food. As for what I store, I do store only what I'll eat as I don't want to waste space as well as the money I spend on the food. Will be putting aside tuna, pouches & cans both; dehydrated onion, garlic powder, salt & pepper- that's basically all I use for seasoning; my powdered milk; canned chicken; peanut butter; jelly; olive oil- in small bottles as I don't cook with a lot of oil; and canned veggies- I drain them, rinse, and drain them again before heating on low with just the tiny amount of water left on them as the rinsing removes a great deal of the sodium they are processed with. I'm hesitant about storing things like flour, cornmeal, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda & so on. Any thoughts on storing these last items to keep them useable?

[S2man]

Rose, on the items you are hesitant about storing, most should be fine if you can keep them dry. Better if you can keep them cool, too. The flour and cornmeal will be subject to insect infestation, though. So storing them in the original paper packaging is not good. Several of us here put those items (and more) in canning jars and vacuum pack them. This eliminates the moisture and oxygen, killing any insect eggs which may already be in them. Even if you can't vacuum pack, the glass jars will keep out most pests.

[KarenBC]

I keep gallon pails for baking powder on hand...for a LONG time and it still works just great. It's way cheaper here to buy it at a warehouse store in a gallon pail than it is to buy it in those small bottles at the grocery store.

I learned the hard way about keeping white sugar in the paper bag it comes in...flat on a cement floor. Darn stuff "soaked" moisture up through the floor and became a rock. I was able to deal with it - but nothing goes on that floor now unless it's in a plastic/glass bottle or container of some type (vinegar, peanut butter)

[NCLee]

I'm hesitant about storing things like flour, cornmeal, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda & so on. Any thoughts on storing these last items to keep them useable?

Store dry goods in glass, if possible. Plastic is an alternative, but it's not as effective as glass jars. If it comes in paper or thin plastic bags (like dried beans) transfer to a better container. Tightly cap. Keep in a dark place. If the glass containers have to be stored in a lighted area, wrap in paper. (Paper cut from paper grocery bags, wrapped around the jar, and held in place with a rubberband works. Wrap in construction paper. Spray paint the jars black before filling.)

Don't store baking powder. It has a limited shelf life. Make your own, as needed, from baking soda and cream of tartar that you've stored. Both baking soda and cream of tartar have a very very long shelf life. http://frugalliving.about.com/od/condimentsandspices/r/Baking_Powder.htm Google: homemade baking powder for more recipes and tips.

Edit: Since space is limited, don't store pre-mixed "convenience" mixes. Store the basic ingredients, then mix as needed. For example, don't store hot chocolate mix. That box takes up space. Just mix it up as needed, from the ingredients that you already have taking up space in your storage area. The added benefit is that you have those ingredients for other uses, too. They aren't tied up in a chocolate mix if you need them to bake a chocolate pie.

One more storage tip. If you have more than one window in a room, consider putting a bookcase in front of one of them. Yes, it cuts down on the amount of light in the room, but it does offer storage space that many don't think about using. If the window has blinds inside the frame, close them before putting the bookcase in front of them. If outside the frame, take them down, along with the mounting hardware (unless you have a window ledge). Cover the window with white poster board stapled to the frame. Or, plain white fabric. Put the bookcase tight against the window to save space. You can also cover foam insulation with fabric and apply to the window (depending on how the window is made). This will help insulate the back of the bookcase if you live where freezing temps are a factor to consider.

A previous poster mentioned an attic. Use the attic for things that aren't affected by the temperature changes that happen up there. Frequently, it's far too hot in the summer for foods. And many attics are subject to freezing temps, depending on how the roof/attic are insulated.

IMHO, a better option may be underneath the home. Depending on the moisture conditions (shouldn't be any material ones) in the crawlspace. If it's fairly dry (should be), lay plastic sheeting if it isn't already there. Put supplies in plastic totes.

If the area is subject to freezing, store things not affected by the cold. For example, glass jars of flour and dried beans will keep fine there.

Around here crawl spaces usually have pipes, thus are protected from freezing. The only worry is mice, so containers should be heavy duty, if mice are an issue where you live. Store all items in glass and metal, inside totes is probably the best option.

Just some more thoughts..... Hope they help a bit.
Lee

[cinok]

Interior walls are great spaces to store canned food in tight spaces. By removing some of the Sheetrock on walls you can stack cans or build shelves.'on thing to make sure is that you don't cut any wires or plumbing.we have a wall full of canned food and other supplies for major Shtf stuff takes a this wall is out of site and recovered in Sheetrock but can be easily removed by popping of some trim and a few screws
Few min

[Wyobuckaroo]

Rose
Agree with the thought to only stock things you will normally use.
Your situation is a little different.........
Yes, you must consider space as a measure of what and how you store extras.

Every persons situation is different........

Good luck
Wyo

[MYellowRose]

Thanks for the suggestions, no attic in the trailer & though there is a crawl space under it I would hesitate to store things there as there's no way to protect it from theft. I rent, don't own and there is no fence except for a small dog pen out by the front porch that the landlord added on. I've thought about covering the windows and stacking canned goods in that space but don't know how good an idea that would be. The only time I use prepackaged hot cocoa mix is if it's given to me, otherwise, I make my cocoa from scratch using cocoa powder, sugar, a dash of salt, & reconstituted powdered milk, delicious if I do say so myself. I need to get things like flour, cornmeal, baking soda, cream of tartar, yeast, and so forth so I can pretty much cook whatever I want from scratch. I also want to find an old, '40's or '50' era, cookbook so I will have it on hand.

[NCLee]

One of the best general cookbooks, IMHO, is the Joy of Cooking. You can find it in both hardback and paperback. Over the years, I've accumulated 3 copies, with various revision/printing dates. A few years ago they published their 75 year Anniversary edition (hardback), when it went on sale at Sam's Club. The others, I found used, in paperback, and only paid a dollar or so for them.
http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Cooking-75th-Anniversary-2006/dp/0743246268

This is a large cookbook that's much more than simply a collection of recipes. There's much how-to in it. From the basics to the more advanced cooking methods. Even though I have a number of other general cookbooks, this is the one I'd keep, if I had to dispose of the rest for some reason.

For more on the Joy of Cooking, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joy_of_Cooking

Next favorite is Cooks Illustrated - America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/bookstore/detail.asp?PID=336
Again, it's more than a collection of recipes. Lots of how-to, as well. If I could keep 2, this would be the second one.

Hope this helps, a bit.
Lee

[offgridbob]

If you have a trusted friend who is a homesteader or just a friend out in the country se if you can rent some space in an unused barn or offer to build a storage place for a designated time and it remains theirs when the time is up. It's worth a shot.

[DiggingDogFarm]

City prep is going to, no doubt, boil down to "prepping" each other (if you know what I mean).

Cities and citiots are the epitome of dependency. There's nothing sustainable about a city, all that sustains is imported.

I suggest consulting with some of the Caribbean tribes, they have the first-hand experience.

Grandpa might turn out to be tougher than anyone suspected!!!

[DiggingDogFarm]

Interior walls are great spaces to store canned food in tight spaces. By removing some of the Sheetrock on walls you can stack cans or build shelves.

Why not insulate the house with rice cakes or marshmallows?

Now, there's an idea!!!!

;)

[MYellowRose]

DiggingDogFarm I'm sorry you consider me a citiot. I'm here through necessity as much as through choice. I'm disabled and no longer drive so I need to be where there's a decent transit system to get me to and from the doctor appointments I have as well as to the hospital every 6 weeks or so to pick up a prescription that can't be mailed as it needs to stay refrigerated. Where I live is actually out in the county and not as densely populated as other areas. I'm half a mile from the closest bus stop and a mile to the closest grocery store, which I can walk to and from if absolutely necessary even though there are no sidewalks. I'm trying to be as self sufficient as possible under my circumstances.

[Cil]

City prep is going to, no doubt, boil down to "prepping" each other (if you know what I mean).

Cities and citiots are the epitome of dependency. There's nothing sustainable about a city, all that sustains is imported.

I suggest consulting with some of the Caribbean tribes, they have the first-hand experience.

Grandpa might turn out to be tougher than anyone suspected!!!

I'd appreciate it if you would take your insults and stick 'em where the sun don't shine.