Water Storage in Tight Spaces

When I started accumulating food storage, I started with what we use most, which was bottles of water (basically, just disregard this post if you don't drink bottled water, as the bottles are definitely not the way to go for long-term storage). We always keep a tray of 24 in the car anyway (we all drink like fish), and since one tray is 3 gallons and 1 pint, I just decided to start buying those when they were on sale (usually $4.30 or less at Target). Since we only need a two week supply per person instead of a whole year, I felt like I'd really accomplished something. About a third of our water supply is stored in cleaned out juice bottles filled to the very top to minimize gross stuff growing on the cap. I dump those and run them through the dishwasher every six months (at conference time, when we also look through our 72 hour kits, eat the expired candy bars, and try to cut out all the unnecessary stuff--candy bars are necessary for us). I don't stress much over the disinfecting process, since those bottles would just be used for cleaning, not drinking. We're in an apartment, so most of it is packed on the bottom of the linen closet and under the sink of our daughters' bathroom, plus I think two or three trays in an armoire we've dubbed our "pantry." We've stuffed it with all our food storage--mostly pastas, canned soups and vegs, dry milk, and our favorite cake and brownie mixes--you know, the essentials. ;) Also, I've decided that our one year old is not allowed to graduate out of her crib until we live someplace with more storage space, as our boxes of #10 cans of wheat from the cannery fit perfectly on their sides under her crib...and there is nowhere else to stash those puppies!

If you're looking to really learn more quickly, there's another girl in my ward (Aubrey) who was also interested in learning about food storage, and since neither of us knew anything about it, we decided to start a food storage group to try to pool our resources. We meet once a month at a set time, and either recruit a teacher or just research our monthly topic individually and come back and compare notes. There are about ten of us in the group, and an average of four come each month--we usually meet at someone's house. So far, topics have included storage containers, how to cook with wheat, water storage, wheat grinding, a food storage recipe exchange, and this month is canning. Since Aubrey and I are the only ones who come consistently, we have the luxury of just picking whatever topic we want to learn about, without consulting with the group and making it a big process.

Sorry for rambling. Oh! One more thing. If you're really tight on space and just don't want to mess with storing all that water, I just bought a Katadyn Combi filter with faucet attachment (you can get it from Amazon or Katadyn.com or in camping stores). It has an amazing filter that purifies the water, and you can use it camping or just attach it to the faucet if your normal water source is available, but contaminated. I also got a Katadyn Exstream water bottle that you can literally dip into a lake (or puddle, if you're desperate) and drink immediately, with no wait time. (Disclaimer: A guy in our ward works for Katadyn, and he taught our group's water storage meeting. Hence, my decision to buy that brand over whatever else might be there--I'm no expert, but I trust him.) Okay. Now I'm really done. Happy storing! :)