Storage

[Mummytotwonow]

Hi,

I'm new to this board and I'm getting to the stage now with COVID, climate change etc that I need to get my sh@t together and be more prepared for the sake of my family.

I will start going through the beginners guides and tips etc to prepping, but I am just interested where everyone stores their supplies?? Is it just in your house or do you have lockup's or even to the extreme of bunkers?

I have also had this weird obsession recently also about wanting some form of underground bunker or remote facility for storage/safety in the event of social disorder etc. Does anyone on this board have any of these facilities?

Also, does anyone actually prep and have weapons? I think one of my biggest fears is social disorder and now thinking that maybe I need to be planning for this in the future.

Not sure if I've been watching too much news/Netflix preppers or am just going a bit crazy!!

Would love to hear from the experienced peppers on the above.

Thanks :)

I’m more of the well-organised household type than Armageddon prepper, so I might not have the sort of advice you’re looking for.

I’m chronically disorganised (with possibly adhd) so it’s easier for me to organise family life in chunks - stocking up different categories at different times, than to remember on a weekly basis. Out of that base I can expand to manage looming crises (like covid) and contract to more manageable levels.

I only store what I can keep track of, and avoid wasting. But there can be lots of nooks and crannies in an average house - behind furniture, behind kick boards, tops of wardrobes, under floors, etc. You just need systems to keep track of what’s where (which isn’t my skill set). Some areas aren’t good for storage (attics fluctuate to extremes of heat, for instance).

I would absolutely love to build a bunker under our garden (and a network of secret tunnels) but dh is a bit more normal than me in that regard!

I think of prepping in terms of being flexible and adaptable. For me it’s not about creating a bunker and standing guard. I don’t and won’t keep weapons. Although I have trained in martial arts and encourage the dc to learn those skills. Knowing my limits is important.

I teach my dc basic skills, just in the course of everyday life, so that they could cope by themselves (even just to be able to cook and maintain hygiene if I was too ill to get out of bed) but without frightening them.

I build relationships and community- try and be a good neighbour, a good customer to suppliers (as close to the source of supply as I can), I watch out for vulnerable neighbours and family.

I have grab bags that have been used a couple of times for hospital trips. They’re not extensive but would help us cope for a couple of days. I keep my car in good shape, top up at half a tank, stay on top of maintenance. And we do have a rendezvous point for shtf situations.

I also think it’s very, very important to protect your mental health. It’s sensible to take precautions but after you do you should be able to relax and enjoy life. Stressing and obsessing about catastrophic scenarios isn’t healthy. The coronavirus crisis really brought home to me that a positive cheerful attitude is one of the most important assets when things go wrong. Be careful that you don’t get sucked into dark places when you’re learning about prepping.

Hi OP,

I don't have anywhere other than my home store stuff, but as @thelegohooverer said there are spaces all over the house. Behind books in a bookcase, under the sofa, bottom of the wardrobe etc. I only have heatproof stuff in the loft, as it's melting up there in the summer.

I don't have weapons, wouldn't consider it, but if there is any civil disorder, perhaps looking at the security of your home would be a good idea. Can you barricade yourselves in, for example?

Weapons? No, of course not. If someone breaks into my home to come after stuff there is feck all I can realistically do about that. This isn't the USA.
I just try and make sure as few people as possible know it's there.

We live in a normal small house, in the UK. Not much room for storage. I keep a good supply of the food we eat regularly plus we have a freezer. Trying to encourage hubby to grow more at home. We have planted a strawberry garden this year which will hopefully be matured for next summer, we grow tomatoes, salad leaves. No bunkers, or weapons. We do have camping equipment which lives all together in a trailer plus an emergency binder with all important documents in, house insurance, passport, etc .. first and best line of defence would be to stay at home, grey man (woman) style. Lock the doors. If we did need to leave home for any reason, fire, floods etc, the plan would be to hitch up the trailer so at least we would have some form of shelter. Bit of a ramble, sorry.

I think everyone has their own situation. What would be right for me may not be for you. Think about the things that would realistically effect you and make a plan for that. It may be something as simple as forgetting your purse whilst doing a large food shop! Do you carry spare cash in the car, or a means of paying by using your phone for example.

Social unrest is a big one. I live in a small village outside a major town, but I would not enter town if there was a riot going on. If there was a long term failure in society, I don’t think anything I could do as a 50 something grandmother would be any good against intruders. My self defence mainly involves running away 🤣

I don’t prep for major social disorder or end of the world scenarios, but I guess prepping food/household supplies etc do help that.

I store in my spare room built in wardrobe as I have a small kitchen. This includes food, bathroom and cleaning supplies, pet stuff and stuff like lightbulbs/batteries/candles.

I keep some in with general household stuff. For me its about ‘being prepared’ so I have first aid kits, stuff by the door for emergencies like extra dog leads etc. Also have a kit in my boot - car care, Weather related stuff and then ‘48 hours out’ bag. This includes food, extra clothing, dog supplies, first aid, some hidden cash (small amounts!) charger leads, blanket and pillow etc.