Small Space Prepping

My recent contact with the website The Survival Mom, (http://thesurvivalmom.com) has reminded me how much I truly believe in the varied and sensible philosophy of the prepper movement.  A wonderful website, one of the top respected prepper websites, owned and managed by a "mom"...the site is filled with practical, clear and useful information. As I was reading through the articles and tips, I suddenly realized that a plan the spouse and I recently birthed would mean a lot of thought about my survival preparations; the preparations I've been able to gather and future accumulations. 

Over a time span of a year to year and a half, we will be downsizing and changing our summer cabin in to our primary residence.  With children, grand babes and even a great grand child here in Texas, not to mention old friends and ties, we will not be abandoning our home state, we just will no longer maintain a home here.  Even though, I've always been what I would call a practical prepper and have never had vast stores or an underground bunker, etc. the changes will make it necessary to rethink my survival supply storage.  Our cabin is small and it's likely that a travel trailer will be our residence when we are visiting our hometown. 

Here are a few thoughts I've had about using small spaces and still maintaining a reasonable amount of preparations in case of a major disaster or crisis:

                    *Dry canning is an excellent way to store dried goods. The food stays much fresher for a long period of time. Boxes are not near as good for long time storage and take up more room.  A box of hamburger helper will fit in a pint jar, a box of cereal in a quart jar or two.  Some of the things you see on my shelf (in the picture) are jars of powdered eggs and powdered milk, rice and noodle dinners.  If you live in an area or fear earthquakes, I've thought before that putting your jars back in the box they came in would provide some protection. It would require much better labeling, since you couldn't view the jars but would make them very stackable.

                   *It's amazing how much stores will fit on even 2 or three feet of several shelves. Under beds is great storage space. You don't have to have fancy containers, just a shallow box that cans or jars, etc. can lay down in, not loaded too heavy to slide out. A suitcase or two, stacked in a closet would hold a lot of first aid and medicines, toiletries or other necessities.  Of course, the plastic buckets from the hardware store also are water proof and hold a lot of small items and they stack well. Put paper goods and soft goods like flour sack towels in a large trash bag, tie it on a hanger and push it to the back of your closet.

                  *If you really look around, even if you live in an apartment or small home, you can find spaces to have some storage.  If you are limited on closets and cabinets, then use containers that serve double purpose, such as old suitcases that stack to make a table, but can be filled.

I don't think that living in small quarters, not having a whole room to spare, should keep you from being prepared.  Use your imagination and as I've always said, just a thing or two at a time and you will not be without if tomorrow is not what you expected it to be.