Whether you are just beginning your self-reliance journey or an old pro, you may be needing help hiding it while still having access and a beautiful place to live. At Totally Ready we are concentrating this year on daily challenges to prepare with supplies for; kits, food storage, power outages, evacuations, job loss and more. All of these may require supplies or may require storing differently so those supplies are grouped together and easy to access and use during an emergency. You may be downsizing, living in a small home with large family, preparing to care for extended family, residing in an apartment, so many reasons you may be out of room, but are you really?
It’s time to think creatively and make the most of every inch of our space.
Let’s begin with the tried and true — the ideas we have heard for years. These are the space-saving food storage strategies that worked for your mom:
- Create a table by stacking two 5-gallon plastic buckets, placing a wooden table round from the hardware store on top, and draping the whole thing with a fabric skirt. A little different spin, use a new plastic garbage can, fill with food and cover with a wooden round and to the floor tablecloth. Long fabric tablecloths are not popular at the moment so this may be a solution for a bedroom or less public area.
- Purchase a bookshelf or storage shelf and hang a curtain to cover your stored items. Again, fabric covers may not be appealing but consider checking out a thrift store for louvered or antique doors. They are out there as people are remodeling more and more.
- Move the sofa out from the wall and stack food storage in boxes behind the sofa. Cover with a board and cloth.
- Instead of a brick and board bookshelf use #10 cans to create that shelf. If they are full of food, they’ll serve a double purpose.
Most of you have heard those ideas, and most of them do not sound very appealing, so we will move on to some more creative concepts.
Under-bed storage
- We all know the value of under-bed storage. You can purchase risers for your bed, thus adding increased height for taller items as well as easier access. Higher beds are also a popular decorating trend. Purchase under-bed storage boxes, visit a shipping store to peruse the various sizes of shipping cartons available to fit your space. Wooden drawers from an old dresser or bins with rollers would be ideal for easy access. The cost of store-bought solutions can be shocking, so watch for sales, or innovate with what you already have on hand. If you know someone remodeling, ask if you can have the drawers from the cupboards.
Redesign your closets
- If you have a deep closet with a bar for hanging clothes, move the bar as far forward as possible. Make sure you still have room to hang clothing. Add shelving to the back wall of the closet. Even if the shelf is narrow, it can be used for smaller items such as soup cans, ketchup, or shampoo bottles.
- Add an additional shelf. Most closets have a shelf above the bar on which you hang your clothes. Look for wasted space above that shelf. Add another shelf if you can and take advantage of the space all the way to the ceiling. This second shelf may need to be more narrow than the original shelf to load items easily. Remember you don’t have to use this for food storage, but it is a great place for Christmas decorations and items you use only occasionally, freeing up other space.
- In children’s rooms, lower the clothing bar and add shelving above. Most clothing bars are hung higher than they need to be, even for adults, creating wasted space on the floor — which usually collects lots of clutter.
- Raise the floor. If you don’t want to lower the clothing bar build a platform on the floor. Place storage boxes, number 10 cans, or other items under the shelf and you will still have room for all those shoes on top of the shelf.
- Don’t forget the back of a closet door. An over-the-door shoe bag makes a great place to store spices, packaged seasonings, and other small items such as medications and deodorant. Another big advantage, you can see all your items, many of which get lost in drawers.
- The back wall is also a great place to hang shoe bags or a vertical can rotator. For directions to make a closet can organizer they are available at com.
- Canvas shelving that hangs from the dowel. Some of these units contain a drawer which is perfect for all those light weight items such as Q tips and tissues.
- Add a second rod. Raise the upper rod a few inches and add one at waist height. You now have room to hang some of those clothes currently kept in drawers freeing them for storage of food and other necessities.
Empty your closet
- Most people wear only 20% of the clothing in their closets. Try going through your wardrobe and if you haven’t worn something in the last year, get rid of it. All those things you are hanging onto for when you get in shape…donate them. When you loose that weight, you will have earned a new wardrobe. Once you have decluttered your closet there will be room for storage container that you can use to store food and/or supplies.
- Convert a broom closet to rotating shelving. Directions for building rotating shelves can be found online. Stick the broom and vacuum in the garage.
Under a staircase
- If you have enclosed space under your stairs, it could be a huge cavern just waiting to be put to work. Add access to the space within by creating an opening, add a door and store away!
- Utilize an open staircase by installing custom cabinets, shelves, or storage cubes on the wall under the staircase. For a decorative look add a bench with storage inside. If you don’t care about fashion or don’t have the money to make changes, just stack away. This is a great place to stack and store lots of goods. If you are stacking, keep a map of your inventory and remember to rotate your foodstuffs. Hang a curtain to hide your stored items.
Recycle
- If you remodel, or know someone who is doing so, salvage the kitchen cupboards and add them to your garage. Remember you can mount them high and go all the way to the ceiling with storage while retaining plenty of floor space for the car.
- Old doors can be hinged together creating a screen to hide food behind. I know someone who did this with French doors and added simple, inexpensive blinds to the back. It looked great and hid her treadmill.
Use an armoire
- Instead of a dresser, use an armoire. An armoire will double your storage space but without taking extra floor space. Add shelves and place folded clothing on the shelves. Add baskets for small items. You probably don’t really want green beans stored in with your clothing, so why not move the sheets and other bedding into the bedrooms and empty the linen closet for food storage. Remember to look up Baskets, hat boxes, and other decorative storage containers can also be added to the top of the armoire for even more storage, and can be decorative as well.
Consider the bathroom
- Have a big bathroom? Add a dresser and store your supply of toothpaste, hygiene items and other bathroom products where these items are easy to access to use.
- Add storage above the toilet. You can purchase a ready-made shelving unit or create your own. Try hanging square wicker or wire baskets with the openings facing out. Roll towels and store them here instead of in a cupboard. Now the cupboard is free for food storage. Use a smaller basket or closed container to store smaller items. Place these in the baskets you have hung on the wall.
- Pull the towels out of the cupboard and place them in a basket on the floor or store them under a bed. They are easier to pull out from under a bed then canned goods would be. Just because they are called linen closets does not mean they are only good for storing linens.
Add shelves
- Do you have a lot of wasted space inside your cupboards? If you are stacking cans in the cupboard, you can easily add another shelf. Adjust shelving to accommodate the size cans you wish to store on them. Leave about 1 ½ inches above the can so you are able to easily access your stored food. Pre-laminated shelving is ideal — it is easy to clean, and there is no need for shelf liners. Home centers will cut the boards for you so take exact measurements with you. If your shelving has the plastic supports, this would be a good time to replace them with the stronger metal ones. If you have cupboards without the pre-drilled holes for shelving, you will need to get some 1″x2″ boards and add supports for each new shelf.
- Hang a shelf on the walls a foot or two from the ceiling. In your bedrooms baskets can be placed on the shelves and used for storage. In a family room or office books can be placed on the shelves freeing space in the cupboards for storage. Baskets on these shelves are a great place to stash supplies like mylar blankets, glow sticks, bars of soap, etc.
- A shelf over a doorway can also add a great architectural touch to a room. Home improvement stores have lots of decorative brackets at every price point.
Move the sofa
- If you have a sofa in the middle of a room, consider adding a dresser or cabinet behind it that can be used as a lamp table. This is a great place to store games, DVDs, or anything else that is taking up space in a cupboard that might best be used for food storage.
- Check under your sofas. Some are high enough to slip a case of veggies under or at least a low box with seasoning packets, toothpaste or other small items.
Use baskets
- Baskets, baskets everywhere! Store TP in a tall, tiered sewing basket in the corner of a guest bathroom, it’s decorative and holds about 15 rolls. Sheet music can be stored in a picnic basket next to the piano. Baby bottles and bibs may be stored in a basket that decorates a kitchen hutch. A basket on top of the refrigerator is perfect for storing light items such as paper plates and napkins or even bread.
- Use a large basket with a lid for a side table. A rattan laundry basket works well. Fill it with food or supplies. Top with a glass top from the home improvement store.
- Stack blankets and quilts in a large basket next to the sofa. They will be easy to access on cold nights while reading or watching TV and will, again, free cupboard space for food and supplies.
Use Boxes
- Cover boxes with burlap and decorate with fabric or burlap bows and use on shelves as you would baskets, much cheaper than baskets. If you order online you should have a supply of boxes.
Cupboards
- Clear items out of cupboards and off closet shelves that you don’t use more than a couple times a year and move them to the garage. Use these areas to store self-reliance supplies.
- Roll towels and place them in a wine rack hung on the wall. Our hutch came with two built in wine racks. What are we going to do with that? Roll place mats and place them in one wine rack, remove the second, add a basket to hide small items like cookie cutters. Now you can use the cookie cutter drawer for pudding, gelatins, spices or pectin boxes.
- Remove pots and pans from cupboards and hang them. All the decorative wrought iron curtain rods on the market now make an easy way to create a custom looking pot rack; just add hooks.
Open up a wall.
- That’s right. There are so many ways to use the space between the studs in your walls, including storage solutions. You can:
- Add a medicine cabinet. There are beautiful ones , which are flush to the wall and look like a mirror.
- Add shelves and use the recessed shelving for spice storage.
- Add dowels between stubs to hang tablecloths.
Enclose with cabinet doors for a finished look.
Uniform storage containers
- Invest in uniform storage containers. Having containers of the same size, for everything from linens to cereal, will greatly increase the amount you can store in a given space.
Use a trunk
- Instead of a coffee table use an old trunk. Cover with a piece of glass for a smooth surface, make a cushion for a comfy footrest, or leave as is. To make a simple cushion purchase an inexpensive sheet of wood product and cover with a foam pad or batting. Stretch fabric over the top and staple fabric to the bottom of the board while stretching it tight.
Home attics
- Don’t forget the attic. Of course, you would never store food in these hot spaces, but they are great for dry goods such as paper towels and TP and other items unaffected by the heat.
Create a window seat
- Use two purchased bookcases or cubbies to flank either side of a window. Add a bench or cabinets on the floor between the bookcases. Lay a board on the top of the bookcases, long enough to span both cases and the opening between. Add molding to the front edge of the board. Paint the whole unit the same color and enjoy your added space for storage. If you don’t have a window wall, use the same purchased bookcases and create a storage space as if you had a window. Add a board instead of a bench and you have a great desk.
Loft beds
- Make or purchase a loft bed even if you do not have more than one child in a room. Even when I was in college we all fought over the top bunk. Move an additional dresser or shelving, under the loft and clear out room in the closet for storage. You can often purchase bunk beds inexpensively at garage sales. It is a simple task to convert to a loft.
- OR place a sheet of plywood on the top bunk and store there. Hang a curtain from the ceiling and create a fort, tent, or castle look over the loft while hiding the stored items.
Next to the bed
- There is often more room next to your bed than your side table takes up. Consider getting a larger bedside unit, a small dresser, a trunk, a small bookcase. Many things will work as wonderful, attractive bed side tables and make great storage areas for TP, lotions, toothpaste and other nonfood items.
Add a Wall
- We have a friend who had a large living room. That is the room most of us only use when company comes. A wall was added to the end of the room creating a nice long “closet” which added extra storage space for food storage. The door is at one end of the wall making it look as though there is a small closet but through that unassuming door is a cool, dark, large space for food storage that extends the entire width of the room. If you have a room that is larger than you really need borrowing just 3 feet from that room will create lots of storage.
- If you are renting use a curtain suspended from the ceiling to create the “room”. Right now a wall of fabric is a custom design statement.
Garage
- Consider the ceilings in the garage. You can hang shelving and add tubs, to store sleeping bags, sport equipment, holiday decorations, all kinds of heat resistant items will store well in a garage or attic, so look up. Remember preparing is not only about food. A garage or hot area is a great place for charcoal, water, camping equipment, paper goods and more. Hang the items used less often making room for items used more regularly.
- If you have attic space above the garage install a pull-down staircase and use this area to store items other than food. If you have open rafters build some platforms and suspend them from the ceiling using 2x4s to support them.
- If your kitchen is off the garage why not store your appliances on shelve next to the door into the house. Now you have freed up cupboard space for food which cannot be stored in the garage due to heat and cold.
RV
- If you have a boat or RV store items inside when they are not in use, which is, let’s face it, most of the time.
Hit Up the Family
- Do you have family nearby who could store some things for you like your Christmas decorations or old papers you need to hang on to? For someone with an attic this would not be a big sacrifice.
Laundry Room
- There is often room next to the washer and dryer. Purchase or build a narrow shelving unit that you can slide in and out. On the top shelf place items currently in use and on the other shelves store back up cleaning supplies.
Utilize Corners
- Attach hooks for hanging coats and umbrellas near the front or back door. Build a v shaped bench in the corner for boots and shoes and add a shelf higher on the wall for other items allowing you to use a coat closet for other uses.
Kitchen table bench
- Replace the chairs on at least one side of your kitchen table with a bench that has a storage compartment.
Repurpose a closet
- Convert a closet to an office and use the office as your “General Store” area.
Luggage
- Store out of season clothing, blankets and even linens in your luggage. You may even consider storing your TP and tissue supplies in them. When you leave on a vacation just dump them on the bed and replace them when you return.
Build a shelf
- Turn wooden magazine holders on their side securing the bottom to the wall. Top with a wooden board and you have a shelf. Place cookbooks in the magazine holder and storage items in baskets or boxes on the shelf.
Crown molding
- Hang crown molding attached to a 1×4 in a closet and you will have instant storage for your shoes. Crown molding comes out from the wall at an angle making it the perfect place to hang high heeled shoes. Now you can move your shoes to a closet wall and use the floor space for food.
Under the Floor
- Fold back carpeting and remove subflooring to expose joists. Build a box between the joists and store supplies, cash or valuables. If you need to replace flooring use carpet squares which makes getting to your stash very easy or use the corner of the room where furniture can be placed over the carpet to hold it in place. This is especially good for those living in apartments and worried about rioting and hiding valuables.
Spice racks
- Attach spice racks to the back of bathroom cabinet doors for storing toothpaste, lotions, deodorant, over the counter medications, prescriptions, etc.
- In the kitchen the same idea will provide a space for spices and vitamins.
Coffee Table
- Build or purchase a simple coffee table with straight legs. Add cubes beneath the table that are cushioned and can be used for additional seating. Be sure they have a hinged lid and store inside.
Kid’s Room
- Hang netting from the ceiling to store stuffed animals, balls and other light weight toys.
Patio or balcony seating
- Purchase or build a box with hinged lid. Create a padded seat and store charcoal, your Dutch oven or even a small tent inside.
Build a Table
- Purchase a unit designed with cubbies to hold baskets for a hall table. Add a glass top and fill baskets with food storage or emergency prep supplies. To create a dining table, purchase two units and place them back to back and top with glass.
Forget about Names
- A linen closet does not have to contain linens and a coat closet doesn’t need to house coats.
Now that you have created room for those supplies there is one last thing to prepare. Create a list of the places you have designated for storage areas and a master list of the items to be stored in each area. After all this work you want to be able to find your ingredients as you prepare your family feasts and the flashlights and batteries when the power fails. Get busy, get organizing and start or continue stocking up!
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