Stockpile storage

[chiver78]

two places - the garage or the pantry closet.

my garage has shelves across the entire back end (1-car width). I've got some space reserved on those shelves for bulk paper products and the wine boxes where I keep my funky boozes for the martini bar.

the pantry closet is in my half bathroom. in some units, they have 2 full bathrooms, but for some reason I've got a closet. whatever, it works. in here, I keep my stockpile of cleaning products and non-perishables.

[constanz22]

Most of my "extra" stockpile is in the spare bedroom. I have one closet with shelving, 2 large heavy plastic storage shelves along the wall and an old, large buffet/hutch. I have some stuff in the rooms they are used in, but once those areas are full, they go in the "stockpile room". No attic here. My basement and garage are nasty, they both flood...I wish I could store stuff there! I hate taking up one of the spare bedrooms, but, it's a small house so, I have to use what I have. LOL

[chiver78]

haha, this is the random stuff that would only be used in martinis. while I will mix myself the occasional cosmo if I've had a day that needs unwinding, I'm not about to be playing bartender at home alone every night. I have a much smaller kitchen than I'd like. there really isn't a need to have vermouth and banana schnapps easily accessible.

[leanna]

Right now all my stockpile is in cardboard boxes because we're moving. Eventually it will find its way to my new stockpile room!

[jeep108]

I have a pantry, the bedroom closet and the computer room.

[pbmom]

HBA items are in the bathroom closet. I have a "game room" that is on the back of the house that stretches the whole length of the house. In there is the washer and dryer and one shelving unit with food and cleaning. I'm having go buy a new shelving unit this weekend due to good sales at the grocery store

[mizbear]

Food items go on my pantry shelves, and HBA items go in either the linen or jacket closets- except "bunny rabbits"- I only keep enough in stock usually to fill the under the sink wire storage drawers I installed so they weren't invading an entire shelf of the linen closet and I don't even use them.

At DGMs- Stocking is based on safety. everything is reachable without having to bend over or climb. My DGMs favorite things are within her reach without her having to let go of her walker or go down the steps into the laundry area where the pantry is. 3 shelves have food- the bottom shelves have either cleaning supplies or gadgets on them and the top shelf holds paper products so my mother can get them down with grabbers and not give herself a concussion. The other pantry will hold gadgets (I am try to get DGM to part with some of the gadgets....) The freezer in the kitchen holds everyday items and the deep freeze holds big buys and niece #2s "big fat turkey" that she picks out every year. This kid can sniff out a deal on a 25 lb, Super cheap, name brand turkey every year. And then I have to carry it. Two years before my grandfather died she found a 48lb bird for 49c/lb. It had been mismarked. It should have been something like $1.19 because it was kosher. I had to thaw it in the bathtub because it wouldn't fit in the sink and butcher it and break it between the roaster and several crockpots. I wasn't sure whether to be proud of her for finding a good deal or kill her. I am not a fan of turkey.

[chiver78]

mizbear, that's a pretty sweet turkey story. next time your niece finds a 50-pounder, give me a call. I LOVE turkey. I'll help ya cook, and take some of those leftovers off your hands.

[mizbear]

chiver- Deal!

[reeneejune]

I have no food stockpile to speak of yet (except for the 10 boxes of fiber one granola bars that I got for less than $1 each, they have a dedicated shelf), in fact, I have whole cupboards with nothing in them.

My linen closet has a shelf designated for paper towels, toilet paper, actual linens and towels, school supplies, and one for HBA items. Since it's just me, that's more than enough space for everything.

My spare room is dedicated to my fabric addiction stockpile. It's called my 401F... I'm saving for retirement.

[mizbear]

No one in my family stopped me from stockpiling paper products after the year we ran out of TP on Christmas eve when I was still living at home. I had to go to Wally World to get TP and took my niece #2 with me- she was 3 or 4 at the time. I put her in the cart basket because it was so crowded and started to put 2 of those huge 24=48 packs of Charmin (it's all DGM uses) in the cart. Some woman snatches my TP out of the cart and takes off. Mind you, these are the last 2 things of Charmin on the shelf. My niece, God love her had been in trouble already because she stood up in the cart to do the Charmin cha-cha when she spotted the TP (permitted on the floor, standing in cart- a big no-no)- anyway the kid stands up and hollers at the woman-

"If you need potty paper that bad- go buy Pull-ups!"

Everybody in the aisle nearly died laughing- this little girl calling this woman out. We did get the TP though- there was more way up on top and one of the employees got it down for us.
I now stockpile to make sure- no trips to WM between Black Friday and Jan. 31 if at all possible.

[leanna]

MizBear,

Your story's are the best.

I'm picturing you wrestling with that turkey in the bathtub. Oy vey. It must have been such a nightmare dealing with it that day. But sure makes a good story!

The story of the t.p. at Walmart was hilarious! But I have to wonder what kind of person takes the t.p. out of someone's cart? That's totally creepy!!!

[bring in the new year]

Miz bear, great stories, indeed. I don't shop at Walmart because every time I do I have an off the wall rude encounter. (one Xmas, someone emptied my cart and left the stuff in the floor I guess because they didn't want to walk up front for their own cart, another time... never mind)

I've got a real pantry off the kitchen & a small linen closet. So that's for the food & some of the paper.

There's a big shelf under the basement stairs and that's for the extra cleaning products, laundry products.

[saveinla]

I use the top shelf in the coat closet to store Paper towels. All cleaning supplies and TP is stored in 2 shelves in the laundry area. Personal care items are stored in a small shelf and in the bathroom under the vanity.

I don't have room to stock pile too much food, but canned items and some pasta ,sauce & cereals are stored in the shelves in the kitchen.

[Tired Tess]

???My stock is all over the place. Basement, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. I need to be more organized to see exactly what I have .

[busymom]

Mizbear, one time a few years back someone stole my 1/2 full loaded cart at Target. I never did figure out who had it, but they probably took it because I had all specials in the cart. I just grabbed another cart & started over again.

When my pantry is full, the overflow goes into some of my kitchen cupboards & my bedroom closet shelf.

[midjd]

Before moving into our house in February, we lived in a 600sf apartment for 3 years and a 700sf house for about 2 years... hard to do much stockpiling in either. Our apartment kitchen was so small that you could only fit about a week's worth of groceries into the cabinets/fridge! It's been an adjustment to go from having to consider where you're going to put something if you buy it, to having a ton of empty space (though I am filling it quickly

Food items and paper towels/TP/trash bags are kept in the pantry (plus about 5 extra rolls of TP in each bathroom); HBAs are kept under the master bathroom sink, extra soap is in the half-bath.

[Martivir]

One of the reasons I wanted to buy this house was because it already had a nice little stockpile area in the basement under the stairs. Once the basement is better organized DH said I could put some shelves in the storage room for the larger stuff since the built in shelves in the pantry don't work too well for larger packages.

[bring in the new year]

I have to say that now having an old fashioned pantry (separate room off to the side, floor to ceiling shelves) it would be really hard to go back to keeping the food in kitchen cabinets.

I know what I have at a glance, I know what I'm short, it's easy to move stuff front to back. The only things I keep now in cabinets are the spices and I'm always forgetting what's there.

But then I'm out of sight, out of mind person. I think if you are better organized mentally, it's not such an issue.

What was your favorite storage solution?

[startsmart]

Food:
I currently have two fridge/freezers and a small chest freezer for food, everything else is stocked in a custom pantry in the garage that my dad built and in the kitchen.

Household item:
In the two bathrooms which are pretty small. I have plenty of space in the cabinet of each room with my stockpiles including candles, toothpaste, towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, shampoo, soap and razors.

I do store gifts and wrapping supplies in my guest room and I have an unhealthy amount of office supplies in my office.

[Becks]

I generally have the extra packaged consumables stored on shelving in my basement. It's one advantage of living in the upper midwest I suppose.

But it does get a bit damp down there in the summer, so other items as far as gifts and such are in a "catch all" wardrobe in the 2nd spare bedroom. Plenty of space for household goods in the bathroom cabinets so that's not a problem either.

Seems it's a good thing I am a household of 1, so my storage needs are rather minimal.

[blackcard]

Mostly under the beds. Either we need more beds, or we need to raise the ones we have.

[mizbear]

My landlady laughs at me because my "pantry" is constructed of heavy duty commercial shelves. They are open wire shelves. I used cardboard flats where I needed to make the shelves more sturdy for canned goods. I have a small one in the bathroom for towels and washclothes to free up extra storage in the linen closet and a small one next to the big pantry shelves so that I can have my kitchen towels and my overflow utensils (they are in plastic tubs.) I only have 2 drawers in my kitchen, so I had to get creative with the utensils- first I gave everything I wasn't using to my ex-SIL when I found out she was getting her own place.

[MittenKitten]

I just cleaned my small linen closet in the master bathroom. I have my feminine hygiene products there, HBAs and medicines. I also have one shelf on a bookcase in the master bedroom but I am trying to clear that one out.

In the kitchen I have a huge pantry so I have a lot of food stuff there.

In the basement I have a bookshelf for my overflow food stuff (plus then the kids can't see the treats and open them all) paper plates, napkins etc.

I keep my toilet paper (I need more! We never have any really great deals here!) and facial tissue in the main linen closet.

I don't keep too much on hand. I try to keep what we need for the next year. If I have more I sell it in my yearly garage sale or put it in gift baskets for my kid's teachers and staff (My DS#2 has autism so between bus drivers, teachers and therapists we have 12 or more for him alone!)

[bluecluessubtlety]

Last year when I lived in a small apt it was in plastic bins under the bed.

This year I moved into a house and a big selling point was built in stockpile area. Cabinets with 6 large shelves each 3 feet deep3 feet wide, two feet tall. Then near the front door I have a coat closet (in Arizona) so that is dog food, cleaning products on shelving I put in, and TP and paper towel. My favorite spot in the house. I wish everything could smell like that closet (bc of all the various air fresheners and candles).

[ohiositter]

We just bought a house and I have a small room where I have a big freezer and 4 shelving units along the wall plus there's also some shelves under the stairs which is part of the room. I store everything extra in this room, since my kitchen don't have alot of cabinets, I just keep what I use alot and the rest I bring up as I need it.
The bathroom has a big closet, so I store alot of shampoo, conditioners and such, TP. My washer and dryer are also in the basement as is my bedroom and a game room ;D.
My boys are older and they keep extra personal stuff stocked up in their bedrooms also, that way when I see we're getting low in the basement, then is time to start looking for sales. It works for us this way., and DH can have the garage all to himself well almost LOL.

[dancinmama]

Kitchen Pantry and Cabinets hold food items.

Laundry room holds laundry/cleaning products.

Master Bedroom Linen Closet holds and health and beauty.

Master Bedroom Walk-In Closet holds paper products and soda.

Garage Cabinet holds pet food.

Office Walk-In Closet holds office supplies.

Hallway cabinet holds donations for the food pantry.

I also have an upright freezer in the garage that holds meat.

[suziq38]

My stockpile takes up 1/2 of our 2-car garage, plus the downstairs bedroom closet, plus a big storage closet adjacent to DS's bedroom.
Our children are adults, and have already moved out. We're empty-nesters.
I just go to one of my stockpiles and get what I need.
I rarely have to go to the store last minute and pay the full-price.