# Sticky  Food storage for trailer and apartment dwellers.



## Magus

Oh look. I'm still alive. guess I'll use the gift to give somebody else a few more days too.

I have heard this one too many times::brickwall:
"I don't have room to store supplies!"

can you spare 11'' in a corner? I'm here to tell you how to stash 5-6 weeks of food for one person in a 6'X11" space.

A standard milk crate measures 13"x13"x11" and also known as 4 Gallon / 16 Quart Square Plastic Dairy or Milk Crate. 

Begin with FRESH canned foods, it may be here a few years.

DO NOT cram it full of only ONE food item. instead,mix each crate with foods that go together, you'll feel like a retard if you have to eat ravioli for a week!

Try to mix it where you'll have a varied diet AND DON'T FORGET DESSERT!Canned fruits are great, in fact I'd suggest laying off the garbage.

IF you find you have a bit of extra room, just add a bottle of water or two, it's not like you won't be needing water.

Once your crate is full, stack and repeat. ALWAYS keep it where it won't freeze or get above 100 degrees.

Now if you think a stack of milk crates is ugly, drape it in some cloth that matches your decor, it'll also hide it from prying eyes.


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## NaeKid

Love it!!!


Stickied!



:beercheer:


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## Caribou

Longer legs on couches and chairs and a layer of cans under each.


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## bugoutbob

Don't forget the ever present under the bed


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## Magus

Odd you mention bed, I sleep on a home made frame, I can easily slide milk crates under there, sadly the milk crates that are there are my C.D collection and a couple of disused hunting guns.


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## Beaniemaster2

Don't forget the backs of doors... have racks made for storage... Also, a false wall if fabulous... Just build in shelfs and then cover the wall with drapes and you don't really miss that space...


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## jimLE

and im sure there's all kinds of wall space not being used,no matter if a person is living in a mobile home,apartment,wood frame/brick home.or where ever.like the section of wall,between the top of door frames and celling..small cabinets and/or shelves can go there.


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## LastOutlaw

pvc can be cut to short lengths to use for leg extensions for most furniture to raise it a bit to give more clearance underneath for storage.


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## JayJay

jimLE said:


> and im sure there's all kinds of wall space not being used,no matter if a person is living in a mobile home,apartment,wood frame/brick home.or where ever.like the section of wall,between the top of door frames and celling..small cabinets and/or shelves can go there.


What an appropriate post for me today.
Yeterday, in the laundry room I made (1) 3 shelves on a vacant wall over a formica counter top (folding table??) and (2)underneath that unused counter top, I made a shelf for 4 laundry baskets (two on top, two below on floor).
and (3), I made a drying rack on one wall using 48" dowel rods and 
2" X 2" wood. Height?? 7 1/2' tall. 
The drying rack has 6 dowel rods. Won't hold heavy jeans, but nice for undies, washcloths, etc!!
No more laundry baskets on the floor, no more drying racks on the floor, and shelves for storage eliminating one ugly cabinet that was....you guessed it....ON THE FLOOR!!

Note: those milk crates are rediculously expensive now---and they aren't waiting behind Food Lion like in the 
70s.
This is lots cheaper and looks nice and neat:
http://www.walmart.com/msharbor/sea...l0=e&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=23932469544&wl4=&veh=sem

I have one in my garage holding all my spray cans, paint brushes, etc.


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## jimLE

*we have a set of shelves that i built from dog ear pickets for fence's,for the movies on cd.in which they set cattie cornner in one cornner of the living room.in which i plan on replaceing with some others that actully set in the cornner eventully.and a person will see the cd's..but not whats in the back side.. *


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## Grimm

JayJay said:


> What an appropriate post for me today.
> Yeterday, in the laundry room I made (1) 3 shelves on a vacant wall over a formica counter top (folding table??) and (2)underneath that unused counter top, I made a shelf for 4 laundry baskets (two on top, two below on floor).
> and (3), I made a drying rack on one wall using 48" dowel rods and
> 2" X 2" wood. Height?? 7 1/2' tall.
> The drying rack has 6 dowel rods. Won't hold heavy jeans, but nice for undies, washcloths, etc!!
> No more laundry baskets on the floor, no more drying racks on the floor, and shelves for storage eliminating one ugly cabinet that was....you guessed it....ON THE FLOOR!!
> 
> Note: those milk crates are rediculously expensive now---and they aren't waiting behind Food Lion like in the
> 70s.
> This is lots cheaper and looks nice and neat:
> http://www.walmart.com/msharbor/sea...l0=e&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=23932469544&wl4=&veh=sem
> 
> I have one in my garage holding all my spray cans, paint brushes, etc.


Funny how these things keep popping up.

K put a heavy duty wood shelf over the door in the bathroom. On it are some nice painted wooden crates holding extra personal products and the clean folded towels.

We have a bed frame that can fold up and moved easily if needed and has 14" of clearance under it. We found that the totes from Costco fit under the bed so we store preps in them and can fit 8-10 totes under our bed. Right now we have a pair of litter boxes under there so that limits it to 6 totes.

Roo has the same style frame for her bed and we keep one tote of preps under there and the rest of the space is toy storage.

There are lots of neat photos on Pinterest of how people are able to "make" more room in small spaces. I have seen some very organized and storage heavy custom cabinets. Just think of all the wasted space under your sinks. Most people don't think to put shelves under there and find ways to fit things around the pipes.


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## kemps

@Grimm, I heard about the shelf over the bathroom door before. Once we can get a shelf I would love to do that. I have done a lot of research on space savers due to my interest in tiny houses. The tiny house motto is every inch counts. It really does.

I actually acquired some shelves from broken shelf units and used those on the radiators for more storage. As long as I am careful about what I put on there it is more than ok and those shelves were free found by the dumpster at our apt. I would just say don't discount "odd" spaces. If you are worried about how it looks you can use decorative bins and boxes to use that space.


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## Caribou

kemps said:


> If you are worried about how it looks you can use decorative bins and boxes to use that space.


Or a simple curtain can hide your TP or whatever you stash up there. A cheap curtain rod, a pleasant piece of fabric, and a few minutes on the sewing machine.


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## kemps

Caribou said:


> Or a simple curtain can hide your TP or whatever you stash up there. A cheap curtain rod, a pleasant piece of fabric, and a few minutes on the sewing machine.


Very true! That would be another good one! :2thumb:


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## Grimm

Most Long Term Food Storage companies carry majority of their products in a smaller can size called "everyday" or "pantry" size. These are the size of a small coffee can and take up less room than a #10 can. If LTFS is something those with minimal space want then consider the smaller cans to fit the space you have.


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## kemps

Another thing I have utilized is on the door shoe organizers. Those things hold so much and aren't too expensive. I even got some at a free market.


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## jimLE

* i just measured the height of my bed.anything that don't stand any taller then 8 1/2 inches can fit under it..now it's a matter getting rid of what's not needed there first*


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## aaronliford07

*re*

Nice! I never thought of that!


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## Grimm

jimLE said:


> * i just measured the height of my bed.anything that don't stand any taller then 8 1/2 inches can fit under it..now it's a matter getting rid of what's not needed there first*


You can use risers to lift the bedframe a few inches which will increase your storage space under it.


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## jimLE

*yeah,i thought of that.but im not sure i want to do that.on account it already sits higher then i care for..plus my pomeranian might not be able to jump up,onto then..lol*


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## readytogo

*What are your needs?*

My father most has been a survivalist &#8230;..Because in his small bedroom he hid $10,000 dollars and in his 3 feet raise bed frame he had a treasure drove of food items .Is not hard to make storage space what`s hard is deciding what to store what`s useful and practical ,what has a value for future needs, in other words what are you storing for?.


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## jimLE

i just grabbed a tote on wheels,in which there's no lid..the one that came with it,broke..it's idea for under the bed.i have work boots slip on dress shoes and house shoes.most of them fits in it just fine.so ithey'll be going under my bed after i eat..


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## Caribou

jimLE said:


> i just grabbed a tote on wheels,in which there's no lid..the one that came with it,broke..it's idea for under the bed.i have work boots slip on dress shoes and house shoes.most of them fits in it just fine.so ithey'll be going under my bed after i eat..


Excellent idea!

Along the same lines, you can make a shallow box out of plywood and place appliance wheels under it. This will provide ready access. Some 1X4 or 1X6 can be used for dividers and added stiffness. The appliance wheels are made to carry a lot of weight i.e. a loaded fridge or freezer.

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:Refrigerator Wheels


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## jimLE

good idea on the plywood and all..but yet..im still working on the idea of shelves on one bedroom wall..in which one part of the shelves will above the bedroom door..


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## jimLE

here's a lil something i made for the fluorescent light that i installed..can't see it in the pic.but i installed a light switch for the fluorescent light,and a electric outlet for the coffee maker to boot..


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## offgridcooker

The best way to save floor space is to stack. 
You can stack 5 gallon pails to the ceiling.


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## weedygarden

offgridcooker said:


> The best way to save floor space is to stack.
> You can stack 5 gallon pails to the ceiling.


Well, you have to be careful about stacking them too high. The lids and buckets can only handle so much weight on them and they will break. I think the recommended limit is to stack them 3 high, but I could be wrong.


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## jimLE

i think that it's got a lot to do with whats in them..if it's items that are lite weight in them.then they prolly can be stacked to the ceiling.but then,if they have lots of weight.then no more then 3 to 5 high.


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## VoorTrekker

Storables. All kinds of storage boxes. As for five gallon buckets, I place a 3/4" piece of plywood or shelf material across the lids edges and I can stack more ontop of those pieces.

The retail crates are crap, too flexible and no tensile strength. Rubbermaid cannot be stacked with anything over @10 lbs., Sterlite are too brittle.


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## notyermomma

I just came across this beauty via Facebook.

http://diply.com/most-amazing/article/ikea-kitchen-cabinet-bed

Its a fantastic idea, although it seems like a lot of trouble just for a dachsund.


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## readytogo

the 5 gallon buckets can be stack as long as 12x12 piece of plywood is in between them that way you will created a better support, you can also hide the buckets with a nice curtain and have a entire wall full of goods or like stated before right under the bed on a high frame, queen size bed will give you something like 33 squared feet of storage.


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## Krykit

The milk crates idea is simply brilliant. I'm in the beginner stages of my foray into the world of prepping and I was wondering how to store things in the apartment. I will be creating little caches like these in the corners of every room. I'm a single mom so I have to have enough supplies to last for two to last a while as it would be difficult to bug out to another location with a younger child. I don't have people over besides family so I don't have to be too concerned with prying eyes but if someone inquired I would just tell them that I have started couponing and am making a stockpile.


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## Grimm

My parents are purging their home of un-needed or unwanted items. So when ever they visit us they have some piece of furniture or bags/boxes of odds and ends for us. Most gets donated or tossed but I have saved a few items as preps. Mostly boxes of candles my mom bought over the years but never used for whatever purpose. 

The big item is the top half of a Hoosier cabinet. It is 12 inches deep and allows for storage along a wall that has no outlet and is in the path of a doorway. I have a bunch of prep items in this cabinet since it looks more like a sideboard than a treasure trove of survival goodies.

I also have an old steamer style trunk that serves as storage but also as a side table.


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## Country Living

Krykit said:


> The milk crates idea is simply brilliant. I'm in the beginner stages of my foray into the world of prepping and I was wondering how to store things in the apartment. I will be creating little caches like these in the corners of every room. I'm a single mom so I have to have enough supplies to last for two to last a while as it would be difficult to bug out to another location with a younger child. I don't have people over besides family so I don't have to be too concerned with prying eyes but if someone inquired I would just tell them that I have started couponing and am making a stockpile.


Good for you! Don't forget about all the wasted space you can use for your preps that's behind the sofa, under the beds, and the top shelf of the closets.


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## readytogo

My friend just bought a house not new but is a pretty good size it has a nice size garage in which we have already build shelves for his many tools ,he just put in a 8x24 shed for more tools and outdoor gear but he wanted something for the inside ,for food items under air-condition, the kitchen had a 8x10 empty wall I build a 8x10x12" deep shelve ,80 cubic feet of space; lots of cans, jars, etc of food items and with sliding doors you can`t hardly tell is there ,in the formal dinning room a 8x12 wall got the same but with beautiful wood panels held together with decorative threaded wood dowels that hold shelves full of his wife nick knacks and books; you can`t tell what`s behind the panels; that's another 96 square feet of space. In any wall this system can be applied, using 2x6 ,2x8 ,2x10 ,2x12 ;depending in your room size.


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## Sybil6

I print "rustic" labels off the internet and wrap them around canned goods so it goes with my decor. I am also using several cans to hold up a "welcome" sign. I also have a giant pantry which I have installed a false back, so it doesn't look as deep as it actually is.


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## AmmoSgt

Sybil6 said:


> I print "rustic" labels off the internet and wrap them around canned goods so it goes with my decor. I am also using several cans to hold up a "welcome" sign. I also have a giant pantry which I have installed a false back, so it doesn't look as deep as it actually is.


Like it? LIKE IT? .. that is a class act I LOVE IT!


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## Sybil6

AmmoSgt said:


> Like it? LIKE IT? .. that is a class act I LOVE IT!


Glad you approve. Recently I've struggled with oxidation but some packets of silica gel thrown into my cupboard seems to have done the trick.


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## jimLE

we got this a few days ago..i not only got quiet a few store bought canned foods on the shelves and organized.i also freed up some other areas some,for more foods,or what ever..pluss the glass doors allows me to see what's inside of them without opening the doors..so only store bought foods will go there,when it comes to company.


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## readytogo

Sybil6 mention oxidation ,well that`s a common problem in storage especially in metal containers and in areas of storage without proper ventilation. Exhaust and ventilation fans are available for such occasions but I have used many types of moisture absorbers and they all work find- http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Moisture+Absorber+for+Food&FORM=RESTAB -just an idea.


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## Sybil6

readytogo said:


> Sybil6 mention oxidation ,well that`s a common problem in storage especially in metal containers and in areas of storage without proper ventilation. Exhaust and ventilation fans are available for such occasions but I have used many types of moisture absorbers and they all work find- http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Moisture+Absorber+for+Food&FORM=RESTAB -just an idea.


Sillica gel packs (dunno if I spelled that right) come in shoe boxes and such and we tend to hoard them because they work well enough thrown in the backs of cabinets during the humid season.


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## jnrdesertrats

I purchased some of soda can rotation racks they are really cheap and fit most canned foods.


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## Foreverautumn

jnrdesertrats said:


> I purchased some of soda can rotation racks they are really cheap and fit most canned foods.


Where can I get one of those?


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## jnrdesertrats

I think we got ours at Wal Mart they come in plastic or metal/wire. Here is an Amazon link with inexpensive on up. The beauty is the oldest get used first. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_13?k=can+rotation+system&sprefix=can+rotation+


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## Txpirate

Hello it's my first post and I had stopped prepping for a while. Wife suffered brain injury so money is super tight now. But one thing that I do do and have done for a couple years home shopping next work from time to time has there prepping time were they sell wise foods I have bought buckets of wise food at a discount on there 4 payment plan and made that part of my long term storage plan. Then I HAVE OTHER ITEMS FOR SHORT TERM. bUT YOU CAN find a lot of space in most two bedrooms apts.


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## terri9630

jnrdesertrats said:


> I think we got ours at Wal Mart they come in plastic or metal/wire. Here is an Amazon link with inexpensive on up. The beauty is the oldest get used first. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_13?k=can+rotation+system&sprefix=can+rotation+


Soda and beer never get old in this house. :rofl:


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## weedygarden

Txpirate said:


> Hello it's my first post and I had stopped prepping for a while. Wife suffered brain injury so money is super tight now. *But one thing that I do do and have done for a couple years home shopping next work from time to time has there prepping time were they sell wise foods I have bought buckets of wise food at a discount on there 4 payment plan and made that part of my long term storage plan. *Then I HAVE OTHER ITEMS FOR SHORT TERM. bUT YOU CAN find a lot of space in most two bedrooms apts.


Welcome to the forum Txpirate!

I am sorry, but I have no idea what you are saying in that second sentence. Would you edit this a little bit, please, especially that second "sentence", the one I posted in green? Thank you.

I agree, you can find a lot of space in two bedroom apartments, but in many homes as well.


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## Txpirate

From time to time on the Home shopping network. They run a Prepper showcase.
Normally it is Wise food Buckets there marked well down and you can take 4 months to pay on your debit card. So it comes out to about $25 each month. So twice a year I order a bucket of food. There stackable fit in any closet real well. So i use the buckets with the 25 year self life as my Long term food storage then Use every day foods for my short term storage. I use a section of the Main bedroom walking closet for all my prep items.


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## weedygarden

Txpirate said:


> From time to time on the Home shopping network. They run a Prepper showcase.
> Normally it is Wise food Buckets there marked well down and you can take 4 months to pay on your debit card. So it comes out to about $25 each month. So twice a year I order a bucket of food. There stackable fit in any closet real well. So i use the buckets with the 25 year self life as my Long term food storage then Use every day foods for my short term storage. I use a section of the Main bedroom walking closet for all my prep items.


Thank you. I get it now!


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## terri9630

Txpirate said:


> From time to time on the Home shopping network. They run a Prepper showcase.
> Normally it is Wise food Buckets there marked well down and you can take 4 months to pay on your debit card. So it comes out to about $25 each month. So twice a year I order a bucket of food. There stackable fit in any closet real well. So i use the buckets with the 25 year self life as my Long term food storage then Use every day foods for my short term storage. I use a section of the Main bedroom walking closet for all my prep items.


Please keep in mind that for some here English isn't their first language and run on sentences can be difficult for them. Anything other than that, spell check. Sometimes spell check will "help" out even when you don't need it to. My phone does that to me all the time. Matter of fact this weekend I made chocolate child cookies. Not sure what those are but my phone said I made them. I thought they were chocolate chip cookies but what do I know.:dunno:


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## Flight1630

terri9630 said:


> Matter of fact this weekend I made chocolate child cookies. Not sure what those are but my phone said I made them.


I'm thinking it's the cookies that you give to other parents kids then send them home


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## Txpirate

Not sorry folks I am a person that types like I talk. so I want be posting very much.


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## BillS

Caribou said:


> Have I mentioned that I hate auto correct.


That reminds me of a Facebook post:

"Autocorrect I'm sick and tired of your shirt."


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