Way back in 2009 I ran a disaster preparedness website called PrepperPath. I shut it down in 2017 but after recently reviewing some of my more popular posts, I thought reposting them here made sense. I hope you like the content!
With that said, I feel I should clarify a few things. We stopped referring to ourselves as “preppers” soon after the show Doomsday Preppers gained popularity showcasing a bunch of (mostly) nutjobs spending a ton of time and money preparing for the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI). As much as I LOVE a zombie movie, I don’t believe it’ll happen in reality.
I’m Still a Closet Prepper
Nowadays when people hear the term “prepper” they typically think of a redneck gun nut with rebel flags hanging everywhere in their house and a big ass truck with a Trump 2020 sticker on it. I, however, don’t think that way but many do. When I started getting a lot of misplaced hate on my PrepperPath Facebook group, I knew it was time to distance myself from the term.
Yup, I technically consider myself a prepper. My wife is, too. We just believe in preparing for those little (and sometimes not so little) curveballs life tends to throw at us. I don’t know the right word for us, though. Urban preppers? Responsible citizens? Whatever. The point is, you won’t see any posts related to prepping that pertains to buying guns, ammo, and silver coins. Or at least you won’t see them any longer – they did exist in 2009 on PrepperPath.com but I grew as a man, husband, and father and changed perspectives on certain issues.
Diatribe Over – On With the Post!
In 2017, my wife and I decided to organize our kitchen and pantry. Organizing a kitchen/pantry is no small undertaking. Most times, it will be one of the most difficult spaces a couple can tackle but it’s the perfect place to start. Since you are a prepper, food storage is important to you and your family. You need to know how much food you have in stock, and how long it will sustain you and yours during emergencies. Don’t jump into organizing without a plan. Plans are easier to write when they follow a repetitive format.
The first step in creating your plan is to define your requirements. What is the reason you are organizing your kitchen? What are your goals? When I was organizing my kitchen, my primary goal was to make it easier to find things. I wanted to know exactly what groceries we had. It was important to me because my wife and I spent money re-buying items we already owned but could not find. I would guess we wasted $500-1000 a year on groceries doing this and wanted it to stop. We needed a permanent solution. Defining requirements enabled us to remain motivated to complete our project.
The next step in creating your plan is to inventory what is currently in the kitchen and pantry. By inventorying, you become aware of what you own. You will also determine what size containers, shelves, etc. you will need. Use this opportunity to rid yourself of the unnecessary. For example, check the expiration date on your food. Throw away, recycle, donate, or sell anything you don’t need or want. You don’t need to take a thorough inventory for this step. If you have 2 cans of corn, 1 can of beets, and 3 cans of carrots, jot down ‘can goods’.
Measure Everything
After you complete the inventory, bust out the tape measure and create a diagram of the room. A diagram will aid you in shopping for containers to better organize the room. Measure your cabinets, closets, and open wall space. Draw it out on graph paper, or use my favorite free diagram web app https://www.draw.io. Either way, do it, as the data is important. Calculate the number of storage containers needed. Don’t forget about calculating the amount of contact paper you need (if you so choose).
Once your inventory and diagram are complete, the final step is to write out how you want to organize the room. Take your diagram and create ‘zones’ (use no more than 5 zones). By sectioning off areas of your room into zones, you can concentrate on one area at a time. If zone 1 is your pantry in the kitchen, then create a line item for zone 1, and add bullet points like below.
- Zone 1: Pantry
- Shelf 1: Can goods, oil, vinegar
- Shelf 2: Cereal, snacks
- Shelf 3: Bread, pasta
Continue writing your plan until you covered all the contents of the room. Upon completion, it is time to go shopping.
Take Action
Use your measurements to buy or build shelves, containers, or cabinets. My method for organizing is to place items in containers and layer each by height so you can see behind them. Label each container with its contents. Buy pre-made containers. Don’t be afraid to buy more than you actually need; you can return the unused ones. By purchasing extra containers, you will have more options to configure your storage. Next, it is time to start organizing.
Concentrate on one zone at a time. Completely remove all the contents from the zone you start with. Once this zone is empty, take advantage of this and use some Lysol wipes and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and clean that area. You may not have done this in a while, so it’s is a good time to take care of it.
Once you’re done cleaning, get a staple gun (or tape) and scissors. Place the contact paper on the shelves. Next, start fitting the new containers and shelves in the new area. I prefer to make things symmetrical. If I have a variety of containers, I ensure one shelf has all the same containers. Figure out what containers fit in each place then fill them with the items you previously removed. Grab a label maker (or masking tape and marker) and label the container with a generic name for its new content. This step is time-consuming, and likely frustrating too. Nothing fits perfectly every time, so you’ll have to be a combo Jenga/Tetris master to make all this work.
Once complete, take a step back and admire your handy work. You did it! Brew yourself a delicious cup of coffee or tea and enjoy it. Now take a picture of your organized kitchen/pantry, upload it to our Facebook page, and show us how it looks!
Oh, and here’s a list of links to the exact items my wife and I bought for our project on Amazon:
- IRIS USA Airtight Pet Food Storage Container $32.99 (as of Jan 18, 2022 at 21:27 EST)
- 2-Tier Lazy Susan – Height Adjustable Turntable $21.99 (as of Jan 18, 2022 at 21:27 EST)
- Komax Biokips Flour and Sugar Storage Containers $24.99 (as of Jan 18, 2022 at 21:27 EST)
- Spice Rack Organizer, Refrigerator Magnet Storage Shelf $15.99 (as of Jan 18, 2022 at 21:27 EST)
- Simply Gourmet Food Storage Containers for Kitchen Organization $31.99 (as of Jan 18, 2022 at 21:27 EST)
- Stackable Can Rack Organizer, Storage for 36 cans $22.99 (as of Jan 18, 2022 at 21:27 EST)
- ME.FAN Cereal Storage Containers (Set of 4) Airtight Food Storage Containers $23.99 (as of Jan 18, 2022 at 21:27 EST)