# Tips



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

I found this in another survival forum on storing oats. Adding one or two salted soda crackers can be like "silica gel," that it soaks up moisture.

I want to stock up real well on oats since I plan to make it the staple, to give us a break from canned stuffs.


Any other tips you might like to share?


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

*Food Storage for the Space-Challenged.*

Walk around your house (and inspect everywhere), and look for "dead spaces," places that aren't being used.

Decide what best can be stored in these places depending on the temperature, rotation, accessibility. For cumbersome places, I store really long-term things like spam, corned beef, oats/rice etc..,

1. Use the space under the stairwell. Build shelves, or put some buckets along the back wall then placing a board on top. On top of this make-shift shelf you can store #10 tins or canned and packaged foods.

2. Use the back of your clothes closet, or any closets that are deep enough. Build shallow shelves just big enough to store canned stuffs.

3. Use the space behind doors. Use over-the-door shoe organizers. Some doors leave a "dead space" behind it when it's open, which can be big enough for a small shelf.

4. Move the sofa out a few inches, and stack jugs of water behind it. 
Use the space under the sofa, armchairs and beds. If it's too low, maybe it can acommodate flat cans like sardines, and bagged rice/oats/flour etc...

5. At the back, under the sink. Make sure your stash is well protected from moisture.

6. Dead spaces in or on your cupboards (usually at the back, or at the very top).

7. I found spaces along *the sides* of the door of my closets. They're actually hidden from view. They're wide enough. Create something to keep them from toppling over (like something you can string across).

8. Any casserole dishes, or big pots you hardly use?

9. The top of the fridge, at the back.

10. Empty suitcases. Large handbags. Place the food in a single large bag, that way you can just pull them out all at once when you use the suitcase to travel. It serves too as an emergency food stash when you have to evacuate.

11. How about the garage? Look for places you can use.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Some armchairs have their spaces underneath too exposed. Consider using _decorative_ baskets to put under these types of armchairs. You can also use them under the cabinet in the dining room, etc.,

https://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/decorative-bins-baskets/12

I've seen quite a few of these wicker baskets on garage sales/flea market.


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## Urinal Cake (Oct 19, 2013)

All good tips...
Thanks, for sharing!


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

It's amazing how much unused space there is in a home if you really start looking. 

If you use a box spring, there's a lot of open space inside it for storing things. A pro would think to look there right away but for most quick searches, that area would be overlooked.


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## White Shadow (Jun 26, 2017)

If you have children, they take up lots of space. Offload them and you will find you have tons of extra space as well as a lot more money for preps to fill the space!


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

White Shadow said:


> If you have children, they take up lots of space. Offload them and you will find you have tons of extra space as well as a lot more money for preps to fill the space!


And peace. What I wouldn't give for a moment's peace!


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

A paper towel works better than a cracker for soaking up moisture in closed spaces.


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## emmawatson7867 (Aug 1, 2017)

Urinal Cake said:


> All good tips...
> Thanks, for sharing!


Trump arrives for his business only...


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## Urinal Cake (Oct 19, 2013)

emmawatson7867 said:


> Trump arrives for his business only...


Say what!


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

I just checked oats I bought from Bulk Barn in October last year (bagged in ziplock plastic bags), they look as good like they did almost a year ago when they were bought. No bugs. No clumping. They're nice and loosely dry. So I double-bagged them (with heavy duty freezer bags with dried basil and bay leaves in between bags for bug repellant).

I read that it takes time for larvae to develop, that even some commercially packaged oats could have some larvae in them. I guess almost a year is enough time to know if they've got bugs. That's the thing I like about clear plastic bags, it's easy to see and check them out. 


I checked the bagged rice too (and they were the rice that I had opened, and sitting on the kitchen shelf for who knows how long). They're good. No bugs, no clumping. They're nicely loose with no sight of any "strings." So I double-bagged them too like the oats.

I figure, if they're damaged with bugs or molds or moisture......oats and rice are cheap enough to throw out.


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## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

Anyone speaking of unused spaces in their home, hasn't met my wife, nor seen my home.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

charito said:


> I just checked oats I bought from Bulk Barn in October last year (bagged in ziplock plastic bags), they look as good like they did almost a year ago when they were bought. No bugs. No clumping. They're nice and loosely dry. So I double-bagged them (with heavy duty freezer bags with dried basil and bay leaves in between bags for bug repellant).
> 
> I read that it takes time for larvae to develop, that even some commercially packaged oats could have some larvae in them. I guess almost a year is enough time to know if they've got bugs. That's the thing I like about clear plastic bags, it's easy to see and check them out.
> 
> ...


what kind of oats? .... raw oats are just about useless except for animal feed - one of the few grains that need to be stored processed instead of it's natural form ...

if you went to the standard bucket/mylar/02 absorber long term food storage system there wouldn't be any bug concern and you'd have a food insurance policy going ....


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Illini Warrior said:


> what kind of oats? .... raw oats are just about useless except for animal feed - one of the few grains that need to be stored processed instead of it's natural form ...
> 
> if you went to the standard bucket/mylar/02 absorber long term food storage system there wouldn't be any bug concern and you'd have a food insurance policy going ....


I have rolled oats. For me, long-term is about 3 - 5 years. If they happen to last longer than that, so much the better.

At least, being able to visibly check them out every now and then, will give me the assurance that they're fine if ever we need them. It's the peace of mind from knowing.


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Hanging shelves that can be bolted into the ceiling. Heavy duty hook screws, rope, and wood planks are an option for hanging shelves. 

The walls could be altered in the same way in areas to store whatever you wanted. Create hollow pillars for example out of bamboo. In my apartment I'm thinking about filling in open air windows to the den with brick, but if I did so I might make it hollow to serve as a hiding place for goods. 

If you had an exposed staircase the underside of the stairs could be turned into a dresser system. Basic carpentry is needed as well...It would not be that difficult or expensive. 

If you have a basement ceiling or any other ceiling with exposed wood planks you can craft shelving that is between the planks/beams. It could open like a attic door.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

charito said:


> I found this in another survival forum on storing oats. Adding one or two salted soda crackers can be like "silica gel," that it soaks up moisture.
> 
> I want to stock up real well on oats since I plan to make it the staple, to give us a break from canned stuffs.
> 
> Any other tips you might like to share?


A paper towel works pretty good too. Costs a lot less than a 20 gallon mail order bucket of dessicant packs. Kindly dont axe me how I figured out all the subtel nuances on this deal. Thanks.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Btw, I've been throwing stale bread in our backyard regularly that I've got "regular customers" in squirrels and birds. So, they're used coming to our backyard. It's not because of prepping (more so because I hate to see waste).....but hubby mentioned if that SHTF time comes, he'll put out traps in the backyard. 

He's even planning to keep, and raise them in the garage when it comes to that dire situation.

He reminded me not to throw out any damaged oats, or grains (just make sure to store them away from the good food), out of the house if possible. We can use them to lure and feed animals.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

For us with nowhere to go, and who'll be bugging in, a lot of our bulk stuffs stored neatly, will be hard to hide when hungry marauders start going door-to-door. Leave some out enough to satisfy them. Your pantry and storage shelves will have to look like any normal pantry.

Try not to have anything that shows you're a prepper. Once they find out you've got prepping stuffs, you bet they'll be combing tooth and nail.

But we have to be quick to hide some, if not most of our stash. Once they start marauding, we have a very limited time. If we can hide some of them now, it's best to do so.

Another thing I like with bagged oats is that they're not too heavy. Bags can easily be taped out of sight, in odd hiding places. You can also quickly take them out of the house (hidden in sheds), and bury them outside* temporarily.*

You might like to walk around your house now to look for these possible hiding places, and keep a plan what you and your family will do when you start scrambling to hide food.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

charito said:


> For us with nowhere to go, and who'll be bugging in, a lot of our bulk stuffs stored neatly, will be hard to hide when hungry marauders start going door-to-door. Leave some out enough to satisfy them. Your pantry and storage shelves will have to look like any normal pantry.
> 
> Try not to have anything that shows you're a prepper. Once they find out you've got prepping stuffs, you bet they'll be combing tooth and nail.
> 
> ...


suggest you look farther afield than your own property (unless you have serious acreage) - if the gooberment starts confiscating - trying to hide a prepper's cache won't be eazy - have the preps ready for weather guarding and camouflaging the stash (poly tarps come in all flavors these days) ...

excellent hiding spot for goods is any heating/ac ductwork you have in a home (don't forget any neighbor's homes that might be vacant) - good chance your central system won't be operational in that serious a SHTF .... access the larger horizontal runs with pre-cut/blocked panel cuts or removing an end cap - smaller runs can be accessed thru the room floor registers (great if you are 2 story) ...


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

charito said:


> Btw, I've been throwing stale bread in our backyard regularly that I've got "regular customers" in squirrels and birds. So, they're used coming to our backyard. It's not because of prepping (more so because I hate to see waste).....but hubby mentioned if that SHTF time comes, he'll put out traps in the backyard.
> 
> He's even planning to keep, and raise them in the garage when it comes to that dire situation.
> 
> He reminded me not to throw out any damaged oats, or grains (just make sure to store them away from the good food), out of the house if possible. We can use them to lure and feed animals.


Be careful about attracting rats. You don't want those around!


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Drinking Water: Evaporating With A Solar Still


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

We can only store so many paper plates especially when space is limited, you can also use wax paper on top of a plate for eating.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Treat all scenarios as long-term. Be prudent with your stocks.


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