Creative Food Storage...Storage

Okay, I admit it.  I have pantry envy.  You go online and google food storage or pantry, you will see image after image of neatly placed rows of foods on shelves.  So many ideas, it makes one envious and wish they had that organized and fully stocked food and emergency supplies storage.  Wouldn't it be "the bomb" if we could grab one of those hand held shopping baskets and "shop" for items in our own basement to stock the kitchen pantry.   Like photos on Google Images, I wish I had a basement grocery store, with aisle after aisle of foods, water and other emergency supplies.  Ahhhh. 

Photo courtesy of Robin's Roost

Okaaaayyy.  Back to reality.  And the reality of it is that to some of us, one of the obstacles in the path of food storage is space.  No place to store food or other emergency items.  Do you feel like you are a prime candidate for an episode of Hoarders?  Is every room in your house crowded with bags, boxes and piles of food towering over you to the point that you wonder if one day it will all implode and you will be lost in the debris? 

Have no fear, I have a few suggestions.  Not having had time to take actual photos, I checked the Internet for photos to illustrate my points. 

Photo courtesy of Walmart.com

I purchased a set of bed risers from Walmart.  (But you can find them anywhere.)  It lifts up the bed about six inches and gives you room for storage underneath.  Some food storage items have a long shelf life.  Simply tuck them  under the bed and be sure to record what you have under there in your food storage inventory book with expiration dates.  That way, you will know what is there and when it expires. 



Photo courtesy of  A Matter of Preparedness



In my Internet search, I ran across a great blog called A Matter of Preparedness.  She has a couple of entries on storage in small places, as well as other preparedness ideas.  In her entry, she says that she stores 104 #10 cans under a queen size bed.  You could get more under a king size, but you would require a couple of extra risers.  Please visit her site and enjoy. 

Another idea in creative food storage storage is to utilize underneath coffee tables, end tables, sewing machines, etc.  Store your boxes under the tables and drape a coordinating cloth over it.  There you have it, easily disguised storage.  Another cool blog, Prepared NOT Scared goes one step further to create an entire nightstand table out of food storage.  See the image below and read about it here. 





Photo courtesy of Prepared NOT Scared



One of my favorite ideas on water storage is a Youtube video from LowBuckPrepper where he displays his wall of water.

 

Using 2-liter bottles as storage is simple.  As you empty one, fill it up with water and stack it on the wall.  You should store at least one gallon of water per person per day.  Two 2-liter bottles is approximately equal to one gallon.  If my calculations are correct, that is twenty-eight bottles per person for two weeks.  LowBuckPrepper has enough water stored for nearly four people for two weeks.  Storing it against a wall, makes it a lot easier than stacking boxes.  I think this idea is ingenious. 

Here is another great idea.  A self-rotating can rack that doubles as a buffet-style table behind your couch.

Be sure to check out this great blog with lots of great ideas:  http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/01/26/small-spaces-storage-solutions-results/. 

I once stored things behind the curve of a sectional couch. There was a ton of room between the wall and the couch.

Now, get your creative juices stirring and see where you can reclaim precious space to store the items you need.  Under or behind a couch?  What are your creative food storage storage solutions?  Share!