One huge challenge to preparing in an apartment is the storage issue. What if there is absolutely no room left in the apartment for storage; after you have purged stuff and added creative space savers, what else can you do for storage? One possible solution that may work for some is to rent a storage unit.
The storage unit must be:
- Easy to access. You must be able to get to the unit quickly in an emergency.
- Clean. Inspect the units and note any trash and pests. The storage facility must fumigate regularly. Unless you are only storing canned food, your stored food should be properly stored in mylar bags and in sealed five gallon buckets.
- If you live in a hot, humid area, the unit must be temperature controlled. Same reason I do not recommend a garage unless you live in a temperate area, you don’t want to store your precious food and emergency supplies in a hot, humid environment as this will degrade the quality of your supplies. If you live in an area that is cool most of the year then you are in luck, you do not need a temperature controlled facility.
- Reasonably priced. The size of the units vary, so you will need to research what’s available in your area. Once you know the price range, you should also check your budget to make sure you have room for the additional expense.
- Secured area and in a good neighborhood. The area should be well lighted and have adequate security. A coworker of mine rented a storage unit for her excess stuff, that was in a questionable neighborhood but was dirt cheap. The unit was broken into, and it was several days before the management even informed her.
If you have a like minded friend or relative, you might be able to share the space and split the monthly storage cost. You just have to be sure you trust them completely and they won’t run off with your stuff if an emergency happens.
For now I am trying to fit my supplies in every available space in my apartment. But I did research the storage units in my area, so I would consider it if I do run out of room.
© Apartment Prepper 2011
As silly as this sounds, if you go to use a self storage unit, be sure that there is no weird emergency policy in place whereby if something were to happen (natural disaster or other) that the doors do not get locked to keep looters out. This is something that literally just hit me. They may have a responsibility to keep their customers possessions safe from burglary in an emergency.
Good point! Definitely something to pay attention to in the unit leasing agreement. Thanks for bringing this up!
By using one of the portable storage containers, you can pack up your entire household and have the container taken to a secure storage facility that is safely out of the danger zone. Is this enough?
One huge challenge to preparing in an apartment is the storage issue. What if there is absolutely no room left in the apartment for storage; after you have purged stuff and added creative space savers, what else can you do for storage?