Small Space Prepping

Keith Thomas  00:02

Welcome to typical prepping the podcast for those who would like to start their own disaster preparedness plan, or those who have gotten started, but are not quite sure where or how to take the next steps. Each week I'll present a disaster preparedness topic with actionable tips and strategies that you can implement to start or grow your personal disaster preparations. Thanks for stopping by to listen today.

Keith Thomas  00:59

I'm Keith and welcome to typical prepping. In this episode, we'll be talking about small space prepping or prepping in an apartment or condo.

Introduction

Keith Thomas  01:11

 If you live in a condominium or apartment building, your prepping needs are different from preppers who live in a house or homestead. Prepping in an apartment requires the same commodities as large-scale prepping, but you need to make different choices based on your space. You can still prep by making provisions for water food, cooking, heating, lighting, medical provision, safety and plans to evacuate. You just have to be strategic about it.

Analyze Your Needs

Keith Thomas  01:41

 The first step in figuring out a prepping plan in an apartment is to sit down and take a hard look at your lifestyle. You need to analyze your needs, your space, and the nature of possible disasters that can impact you and your family. The type of prepping you need to do and the supplies you need will differ depending on your geographical location, local weather conditions, and whether you will prep to stay in place or prep to bug out to a safer location if the need arises. The first step in analyzing your current situation and developing a plan is to consider the following things; storage space in your apartment, basic water needs, food needs, heating needs, cooking requirements, lighting needs, medical requirements, safety concerns, having an evacuation plan. Take stock of the available space, what your basic survival needs are. Your medical situation and safety concerns will give you a good starting point to base your planning on and the next steps you will take to develop that plan.

Put Together an Apartment Emergency Kit

Keith Thomas  03:00

 It's never too late to start assembling a disaster survival kit for your apartment. A home emergency kit for an apartment starts with getting enough food and water to live to 30 days. If you can last 30 days in your apartment with food and water, then you will be well poised to bug in during a long-term emergency. Food is easier to store than water when you have a tight space. One of the ways to help resolve the water problem is to have a bathtub water reservoir. To create your apartment emergency kit. You'll need some basics in place you'll need a 30-day food supply bucket, indoor emergency cooking method, ration bars and pilot crackers, and other food that requires no cooking, emergency survival radio, first aid kit and respirator, surgical dust mask, or in 95 Mask. 

Finding Space To Stockpile

Keith Thomas  04:07

No matter where the prepper lives. finding places for stockpiling becomes an issue. It's just that apartments and condos are generally smaller and square footage and have limited opportunities for storage. It's nothing that a little creativity can't solve. The first thing you must realize is that something has to go. Prepping is about decluttering to make room for the life-saving things you need. What you keep in the household is all a matter of priority. More is less. If you're new to apartment prepping, toss what you haven't used in a year and donate or sell it. Particularly if it's clothing that's worn out, improperly sized, or stained or if it's books you haven't read and aren't planning to read. We all keep stuff out of guilt. If you live in an apartment, your priority as a prepper is to toss anything that's not a survival tool, a memory, or a necessity of daily living. If it's not one of these things, it has little value in a small prepper's home. 

Keith Thomas  05:20

Add shelving. If you own the property, create extra storage by adding a second shelf in the closets, or ask the landlord if you can install extra shelves. As these are invaluable for increasing your storage space. 

Keith Thomas  05:34

Make do or do without. There are many things that you can do without, do without an ironing board. For example, if you need to iron, use a towel on a washer, dryer, table, or countertop instead of storing an ironing board, and presto, now you have more space.

Keith Thomas  05:55

 Double up and look for multi-use supplies. The most important preps you store in your home are the ones that have multiple uses and functions, for example, an end table can have storage and function for everyday use. Storing bottled water or water in small storage containers and canned foods under the bed. Dedicate the bottom of the closet or the shelf at the top of the cause for prepping supplies. Another example is a Big Berkey Water Filter which can make you healthier today. Minimize your dependency on bottled water and help you filter raw water in an emergency.

Keith Thomas  06:35

 Compress your available space. There are many conventions to help you find places to stash your stuff and help you take advantage of the space you have. Another favorite idea is a vacuum sealer, for example, can help you compress items for storage which gives you more space. Make a list of things you need by priority. In my opinion, these should be your priorities, not necessarily in this order. Water, food, first aid supplies, personal medications, Bug Out Bag, lighting, emergency radio, toilet, and hygiene supplies.

Conclusion

Keith Thomas  07:19

 Here are some other tips and suggestions for apartment or condo dwellers; Have a bug-out bag ready. Having a bug-out bag ready to go is arguably the most important thing you can do as an apartment dweller. A bug-out bag is simply a backpack acting as a survival kit that you could evacuate your apartment with to help you stay alive while you're on the go. The idea is to have enough gear to help you survive a minimum of three days in the event you bug out at a moment's notice. Get yourself a five-gallon plastic bucket with a lid. The lid is the essential element here because it means that your bucket could serve as a dry storage container or even an emergency toilet, a bucket is a prepper list essential with hundreds of uses that could save your skin. Stockpile batteries toilet paper and paper towels. batteries go out of date so keep a regular check, store them in your bucket. Rolls of toilet paper can be compressed. To save storage space, press them around and roll flat it won't affect the paper. If you need to evacuate your premises in a hurry, toilet paper could be a lifesaver make sure you have some in your EDC kit as well. Store a backpacking stove. A lightweight stove isn't essential for the preppers list, but it's absolutely no use without fuel. Store propane canisters along with your stove. Although denatured alcohol may be more accessible when the rest of the town is desperate for propane. Backpacking stoves aren't designed for indoor use and will produce carbon monoxide which can be deadly. Always use a camping stove in a well-ventilated space, preferably next to an open window. Collect and store non-perishable food. Store a three-day supply of dehydrated food for each person in your family. Periodically check the dates on the packages, but they're generally good for 10 to 15 years. Fine dried food that only requires water and packets that require minimal Semmering to conserve your precious fuel. Cans can take up much more space than dehydrated foods but have an amazing shelf life. Keep a good supply of canned vegetables to supplement your diet. Hoard alternative power sources. No kit is complete without a crank charger. You can purchase a crank or windup charger inexpensively. If the grid goes down, everybody's going to need to charge their cell phones. A crank flashlight is essential. Your batteries won't last forever. Consider stocking solar-charged lights, panels, and generators. Stockpile candles and alternative lighting. If electricity becomes scarce, you'll need to conserve it, especially during the winter months when it gets dark earlier. Stockpile candles and keep them in your bucket. Glass hurricane lamps can help protect your flame. Consider storing emergency kerosene or oil lamps. And don't forget the fuel. Have a sleeping bag. When it's cold, a sleeping bag can be more effective and easier to store than blankets. You'll most likely have sheets handy anyway, but a sleeping bag is essential for your Bug Out kit. If you need to evacuate in a hurry. Make sure you never run out of duct tape. They always say that if you can't fix it with duct tape, it can't be fixed. keep as many rolls as you can store as well as large plastic waterproof sheets to help you to cover a broken window or partition a room. Grow some herbs. Herbs grow easily on a windowsill and make mealtimes much more palatable. If you're surviving on a diet of dehydrated foodstuffs and canned food. Herbs can also be used to keep away pests. Grow a garden. If you have a patio or deck space available that you can utilize that space to grow many vegetables that can easily be grown in containers. Get yourself a toolkit. All homes should have a toolbox, screwdrivers, hammers, nails, and screws that could save your life. Check your security. In an emergency situation, you should ensure that your property is secure. Get extra locks on windows and doors, making your home as difficult for unwanted guests to enter as possible. Have a fire plan. Have a routine that you know well because, in the case of a fire, panic can blind you. Let everyone in the apartment know about the fire escape plan so that you can help each other when needed. Gather a supply of fire blankets and extinguishers. Don't just have a single fire extinguisher in your apartment. You never know where the fire may occur. Store extinguishers and fire blankets close to entrances and appliances that may accidentally combust. Have an escape plan for windows. You might live high up but that doesn't mean you should discount the Windows as a viable route for escape. A building escape backpack could save your life. And remember loose tongues cost lives. This doesn't sound too charitable. But if you've stocked your supplies for you and your family, don't advertise the fact that you're prepared for disaster. Even if you don't mind sharing, it might still be a good idea to keep it to yourself. You never know to who your friends might mention your supplies too.

Keith Thomas  13:35

 This should help you get started with prepping in an apartment or condo. For more information on making a plan and packing a bug-out bag, check out our links in the show notes.

Keith Thomas  13:48

 Well, folks, that's gonna do it for this week. Thanks for listening and join me next week for another preparedness topic. And until then, stay safe and be prepared!

Keith Thomas  13:58

 If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Leave us a five-star rating and a review on your favorite podcast app. This really helps the show and gets our message out to others looking to start or improve their prepping skills. If you found value in this content, feel free to leave me a donation at buymeacoffee.com/typical prepping your donation helps with the production cost of the show so I can continue to bring you more amazing content. Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you're unable to access these links in the show notes on your favorite podcast platform, you can access them on our website at typicalprepping.com. Until next time, stay safe and be prepared!