It sometimes seems like an overwhelming task to gather a full year of food storage and other emergency preparedness supplies. The importance of it, though, can’t be overemphasized. The dilemma for some is a lack of space. Those living in a small studio apartment, for example, with no storage space, may find it an impracticality altogether to stockpile much of anything. Their space to move around in and feel comfortable with is limited to begin with. Having the added burden of stacking foodstuffs and emergency supplies in such small square footage may be hazardous and completely counterproductive. In some living quarters in certain parts of the world it may also be against specific local ordinances.
So, what should you do to establish a complete preparedness plan that includes every needful thing—food included, but you fall into this category of not having the capacity wherewith to place it all? Many individuals and families who live in regions where real estate is extremely expensive, space comes at a premium, and there are no storage units (or rates are unreasonable) must creatively deal with this problem. One solution is to strategically locate emergency supplies in special hiding places. No, really! It may seem silly that one would be desperate or odd enough to place something of value off of his or her property boundaries and not behind locked doors to be accessed in case of emergency. After all, an emergency usually comes without warning (part of the definition, right?), and having to play “Treasure Map Game” to get your goods is slightly inconvenient.
Gimmee a break—I’m not suggesting you put things in secret hiding places in the great outdoors that you need ready access to. You should make space for a 72 hour emergency kit somewhere on your premises. I’m talking specifically about supplies that are utilized in a more protracted emergency. Everyone should already have the essential very short-term supplies so they can get by in the first 3 days following an emergency. These items can be obtained and easily put together on your own or purchased as a kit. A 72 hour emergency kit doesn’t require a lot of space.
But say, for example, in a longer-term survival scenario you need a water filter because you no longer have access to tap water or water storage in a barrel. How convenient would it be to have a water filter “stored” within close proximity of a pond, lake, river, or stream? Because you had the forethought and overcame the silliness and odd factor, you now are able to supply dozens of those in need of drinkable water. Besides this, you have what has become an extremely valuable asset. Water is more of a necessity than food, and those with food but no water will line up to trade for your H2O.
How to conceal an emergency supply or foodstuffs (such as MREs) is quite a simple procedure. No “treasure map” is needed, a basic and inexpensive handheld GPS unit works wonderfully, and you can record the coordinates so you won’t have to rely upon faded memories. Your ingenuity will ensure that the spot you’ve selected to secrete your items will not be found by others, but can easily be located and accessed by yourself when needed. Food will be harder to hide from animals, whose keen sense of smell is their own GPS. Supplies will be the preferred cache.
Getting back to bartering—you likely have a set of wheels. Your means of transportation might have either a trunk or space in the back where some few necessities can be placed that will be utilized in the event of an emergency. Think of things you could put there that may be of use and are tradable in an extended survival situation. What about a rope, a saw, an axe, fishing poles, a knife, tools… you name it. Whatever you have space for that you could either loan out or trade for food is a good idea. And only store in outdoor caches what you can’t store in the trunk of your car or other more accessible and closer spaces. The caching idea is useful, though, because you don’t have to have all of your “eggs” in one basket. You can stash in multiple locations, whereas choosing a single location makes your personal property more susceptible to thieves. A wonderful cache could be a survival seed bank. Hide one of these in a location with fertile soil. Record the coordinates from GPS and you’re set. A survival seed bank comes in an airtight PVC capsule, which you can dig a hole to bury, leaving it for years.
Hopefully I have within this post generated enough ideas to stimulate your thought processes and get you to have some ideas of your own. And, please make comments, sharing ideas of what you could trade for what, or what you could hide where. I’d love to hear your input and ideas!
Related Posts:
The Utility of Heirloom Seeds
Using GPS for Survival Geocaching
Self Reliance: Make Sure You Have Some Junk
Food Storage: Enough and More (Plus Earthquake Proofing)
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