Thanks for watching! You can watch my pantry declutter and organization here: 4 Easy Steps to Declutter and Organize Your Pantry ua-cam.com/video/vzj1T_04DiI/v-deo.html
In your 72 hour backpack put 25 year freeze dried food packs with enough water to hydrate them, unless you have a emergency water filter. By having freeze dried food it is not as heavy as food that expires. The added plus is you do not have to keep changing out the food until you are ready to retire. Helpful hint, pack clothes that are one or two size larger than you currently are so that just incase you or your kids grow in size you have something that you can still get into. Look at the videos for 72 hour backpacks to determine what to put into it.
For you and your kids clothes, put them inside a dry bag before putting it in a backpack. This does 3 main things for you. 1) it waterproofs the clothes. So if you go through flood waters or deluge of rain, the backpack will soak through, but the water wont be able to get into the dry bag, so when you need it, you have dry clothes. 2) Clothes inside a dry bag make a good pillow. 3) Having the dry bag gives you alot of added benefits, like having a spare bag that can hold water like a bucket, or filled with air you get a flotation device, or even adding storage space by taking the dry bag out and using it as a separate reinforced bag.
I listened to you declutter/organize your basement area while I cleared out a corner of my craft room that didn't get done yesterday. Just have a box to send my sister later next week. Thank you for the inspiration (as well as Dawn from Minimal Mom)😊
I was very happy to see that you have your rings on your jars, because that's exactly how I put my jars in my storage also. Thank you for all that you do. May God be with you and your family.
@@reallifewithaliI have read that leaving the rings on can be a problem. The jars can unseal and then reseal with the rings on. You can’t tell this happened with the rings on.
As for emergency kits… We have a weeks worth of supplies under our stairs in the tornado shelter. I just put a six month reminder in my phone to rotate the items with an inventory that includes expiration dates. That way when the six months come up, I know which items I need to pull and replace and which can remain. Makes it super easy and we only replace a couple things each time.
That’s a great plan! I need to do that. So are you rotating everything or just the items that will expire within the 6 month period? Thanks for watching! ❤️
If you keep water, you could fill all or some of those mason jars up that way you don't have to worry about the plastic leaching into water. Just a though.
You are very inspirational. I love listening to how you determine when to get rid of something. That was the hardest part for me. I did just clean out most of my basement and got rid of a truck load of trash and another truck load of donation. It felt amazing! And it is so so nice to have the basement not cluttered and clean. Keep the wide mouth lids/jars! Yes, during the pandemic canning lids were no where to be found. I was really glad i pick up a few extra boxes every time i can. I also had enough sanitizer and wipes, toilet paper, etc because of my supply storage. It really was wonderful and i could help others.
Yes try using a bungee cord. You can buy packs of bungee cords at hardware stores. Make sure you take everything out of their original packaging and put them in totes or hair tight containers. I’ve had bugs in my skin into stuff that wasn’t in airtight containers or totes. It’s sad when you lose food because it cost so much money.
@@reallifewithali I did that for my rack with pots and pans on a rack where I stack . I use bungee cord to hold my canning rings and can string length wise or together . Works great.
Great job! I have a storage area for food too and it can get quite overwhelming with "stuff"! I am jealous that you have a peach tree....I am in the upper Midwest so nothing like that grows around here. I really am enjoying your decluttering and organizing. Thank you for sharing it all! Have an amazing week!
You are my inspiration today as I'm heading to the basement to do the same thing. I hate it but, it's cold outside and it's warm down there with the fireplace going. Maybe I'll get some good music going and bright lights to make it more cheerful. Thanks for sharing your mess. Did a good job!
I think a string or a tight strung elastik band could help you during earthquakes. Depending on how high the jars are, then 2; one near the bottom of shelf and one a bit higher, like middle of jar. It's easy to take the jars and things out, and if you want you can just pull it up to the next shelf for easy access. You can either do one all the way around the shelf or from shelfpost to shelfpost. 😊 Hope it works out 😊
We cut down peg board to the size we needed to fit the various sides of the shelves and the zip tie them on by going through a hole on the peg board and also a punched out hole on the shelves. You could also zip tie around the shelf supports as well.
Forgot to tell you how to keep the items from falling off the shelf during an earthquake. If you can use the green and white cardboard box at 8:26 on your video or some box that fits on the shelf that holds the 3 or 4 deep number of jars on the shelf, this will aid in keeping the jars together and allow you to use a piece of jack chain (available at most hardware stores) to help keep the jars from falling off the shelf. In your video it appears you have the keyhole type slots that let you adjust the shelf heights. By threading the jack chain through the keyhole at the 3/4 height of the jar, this should prevent the jars from spilling out in the event of a mild to moderate earthquake. The jack chain end link can be opened up with a pair of needle nose pliers and then re-attached to the chain to fasten one end. If you have old key rings, you can attach it on the other side vertical front post so that the other loose end of the jack chain can be hooked onto the keyring. Just take the loose end link and open it up like you did on the other end, but make a hook that can hook the keyring. Make sure it is tight enough that the chain runs almost horizontal to the shelf, but easy enough for you to unhook it to get your items. You may need to have a couple jack chains running across depending on how high you stack your jars or other breakable items. 😃
To help protect your food storage on shelves during a earthquake, one achor the shelving to the walls. A hammer drill with a 1/4" masonry bit and plastic anchors and metal screws are good, but 1/4" drive pins anchors are the best. Since your walls are made of poured concrete it will be very difficult to drill the 1/4" holes without a really good hammer drill like a Hilti hammer drill but that is way too expensive for most preppers. Instead of having to drill and install anchors a simple way is to clean the walls with rubbing alcohol, let it dry or use a hair dryer dry the area you want to secure to the wall ( best to secure at the near the top back vertical post) then go to the hardware store and get a tube of liquid nails with a cheap caulking gun and squirt two silver dollar size spots on the wall behind the post and push the shelf back up against the wall. You may need to take everything off the shelf to do this. If the shelf does not stay against the wall you can use duct tape to keep the shelf up against the wall until it dries and hardens. You can put either fender washer under the front vertical post to help push the shelf up against the wall, but if you want to be real cheap, remove the fender washers off after the top rear liquid nails has dried, and squirt some liquid nails under the front vertical post and it will harden and keep your post in the proper position. The reason I know so much is I am a retired electronics engineer and a retired Master electrician as well as a prepper. You are doing very well on your emergency food supply but you will need to think about preventing little critters from getting under the door and into your storage area, not to mention heaven forbid in SHTF looters. I have ideas on that too for you.
Wow! You are very knowledgeable! I’m impressed. I’ll have to discuss these with my husband and see if we are willing to do it! 🤣 so have to ask, what is SHTF looters?? How would you keep the critters out? I haven’t had problems…yet. A few spiderwebs here and there, but hardly any.
@@reallifewithali to keep the bugs and mice potential problem away, seal the ceiling with drywall. Install possibly a door threshold if there is not one and a door sweep with long bristles from Home Depot on the bottom of the door. Before installing the door sweep paint the bristles with a mixture of hot sauce, cayenne pepper and juice from Jalapeño peppers. Let it dry and then install. I help out my friend who owns a restaurant and mice do not like the bristles rubbing up against their body when the try to squeeze under the door, the mice chew the bristles to make it easier to crawl under. When they taste the hot sauce mixture the mice go somewhere else. I came up with this solution with the Orkin exterminator. Knock on wood we have not seen any traces of mice after we caught the ones that got in before the door sweeps were installed. Put the glue boards that are for Rats and mice from Home Depot under the bottom shelf and you will not only catch any mice but also any bugs. These are the big ones that I like. I have caught mice, spiders, roaches, crickets and ants. Check the glue boards weekly. If you see ants or roaches you need to treat for it immediately so that it doesn’t become an infestation.
It's the best! Our trees are looking really sad and I'm having a hard time keeping up on spraying them for diseases and pests. If I have to cut them down, I will definitely plant some again!
I like your idea of canning the fruit that you grow. My parents used to can fruits and had purchased a pallet of different size jars. I think that I will try to learn how to can fruit.
I write the expiration date on the front label with a black sharpie so I can easily see it. On boxes with a waxy surface (markers don't work) I put a piece of painters tape or masking tape and then write the date on it. This has kept my food waste to a minimum. My extra storage is in the basement so when food gets close to expiration I bring it upstairs and meal plan around them.
I looked at your video and love the fact that three walls are made of concrete. I wish I had a nice storage area like that. I am assuming it is in the basement and that this is underground. To improve on this storage location, sealing and insulating the above exposed beams would help to prevent the cool air from escaping and allowing heat to drop down into the room. This will also stop bugs from entering into the room too. Will comment on how to prepare your shelves for earthquakes on seperate comment.
@@reallifewithali the perfect temperature to store your supplies is 50 degrees F. 50 percent humidity or less. I worked at the Library of Congress and that is the temp and humidity we keep the Gutenberg Bible at.
It is find to store your supplies under 70 degrees F so long as it is dry dark place. It is like with some perishable items like insulin the colder the longer the product will last.
One less chore for an empty nester like me : no big pantry clear out. I keep a few cans of beans and instant noodles for emergencies but that's about it. You did a good job.
That’s a good idea. Thanks! I live in Utah. In my 42 years of living here, I only remember 1! So I guess I’m not too concerned, but want to be prepared. My family goes to Alaska often in the summers (we have family who owns commercial fishing) and in the past 5 years, we had 2 earthquakes while we were there.
Hi Ali! I'm down with a bad migraine today so thanks for keeping me company! I am still waiting for my meds to fully kick in, so I'll have to go back and watch the video again because I kept my eyes closed for some of it. Dumb ol migraines! Girl, I think we are kindred spirits! I totally relate to perfectionism when it comes to organizing! It looks gorgeous though! You've inspired me to create a space in our basement like this since our pantry cupboards won't hold many extras, and I'd love a space to store emergency food/supplies. Do you think you could do a video on canning? My mom canned a lot when I was growing up, and it's so much better than store bought! My mother in law and I enjoyed canning together one year, but I haven't tried on my own. I'd also love it if you could do a video on your emergency kits. I recently had my biannual cpr/first aid training and my instructor mentioned how important it is to be prepared, since there are way fewer emergency responders now. He said we should prepare to handle emergencies on our own, because it could be a while - even days - before help comes if it's a bad natural disaster. In PA we can get tornados, blizzards and power outages. So far I've survived them all, but peace of mind is worth a lot! Thank you again Ali. I think you're amazing ❤️
I’m sorry about your migraine! That’s no fun. I would love to do a video on canning and emergency kits/supplies. That’s a good idea! I’ll definitely put that on my list of ideas. I hope you get feeling better!
Great job!! Maybe you do easier on using up your food, if you put it all in the front shelves (the ones you reach first when coming in here) and suppliances/jars in the back. Btw. I think you run a bit low on jars!! 😂 Could you do a vid on canning? That would be great. 💙
Thank you! And I agree. I should have put all the food on the first shelf and the empty jars in back. 🤦🏻♀️ Yes, I will do a video on canning…when I have something to can.
I ordered lids from Amazon during the pandemic too, and most of them didn’t even have rubber around the edges. The seller wouldn’t take them back. What a waste! We’ve stocked up now. Like you, we do a lot of canning.
@@reallifewithali I like to can peaches, pears, and applesauce; jams like strawberry, apricot pineapple, plum, and blackberry; in the winter we use the empty pint jars and bottle beans and chicken. I used to bottle tomatoes but I’ve decided canned tomatoes are just as good and a lot less work.
The white plastic lids that you are going to throw out are for number 10 cans. They are good for sealing the metal lids after you have opened the number 10 cans. So far as the old canning lids, gaskets in unused lids work well for at least 5 years from date of manufacture. Depending on the temperature that you have been storing the lids in, if the seal is not able to be depressed like the new ones, that are not any good and should be throw away and get new ones. I love the space you are putting your emergency food storage, but I noticed you do not have a dehumidifier in there. Also think about putting some sticky bug traps and mice traps under the shelves. The appliances should be clear bagged to help keep them clean so that you do not have to waste water cleaning them to use. In an emergency like they recently had in Texas where the water supply was affected by no power, it would be great not to waste your water that you have stored cleaning the appliances to use with your generator power. Just food for thought that you may want to consider.
It’s definitely true! I have actually tried to be more thoughtful when buying in bulk at Costco. I think the problem was partly because it was so messy in my food storage room that I didn’t go in there enough to see what to use up! 🤣
FOOD LASTS WAY WAY WAY BEYOND THOSE DATES!! Keep it all anyway. When you are hungry you will be glad you did. Homeless people would also love everything that got thrown away.
@@ginapearson3601 I actually do remove them to wash the jars, but put them back on to store them. I think it’s only because it can cause a false seal, but I check all mine. I’ve done it for years. 🤷🏻♀️
Say an emergancy does happen.... you (being so badly prepared) rush down to your hoard to grab backpacks... your family, waiting for you to grab your stuff dies because nature doesnt wait for you... You shouldn't keep any 'bug out' bags or any supplies you need away from the front door. Keep them around the front door or you're sacrificing your family. as for earthquakes, the last moderately sized one we had was a small 6.4. During earthquakes stuff will just fall off shelves. If you want them to be braced, you shouldnt stack them like that (they can crash together and youlll have wasted food and broken glass all over) and keep a rim of duct tape around the mid size of the jars. My family and i have survived avalanches, snow storms, wild fires, floods, earthquakes, and twisters. We understand what prepared is and your family just wont survive with as poorly executed as you have it. (also, get some metal lock boxes for all your paperwork and just keep copies on hand. most people dont understand how easy those get damaged due to being poorly stored)
Canned items can go past the best by date. I threw away a bunch of canned beans but I didn’t realize that they could last a long time. It’s totally up to you and what you’re comfortable, but look it up. You might be surprised 😉 I love your videos!
Thank you Kimi! I did know that they can go past the “best by” date. I guess I decide whether or not I think we’ll actually eat them. 😬 Thanks for watching! ❤️
I’m not exactly sure what your question is. Can you explain more? Best by date is what it says on the can/box. That doesn’t mean it’s expired. It means that the food will be less nutritious or tasty after that date. Is that your question?
@@reallifewithaliIt hasn’t gone bad. We have been lied to about so many things. Please stop throwing it all away. At least donate or put on a free site online. PLEASE
Thanks for watching! You can watch my pantry declutter and organization here: 4 Easy Steps to Declutter and Organize Your Pantry
ua-cam.com/video/vzj1T_04DiI/v-deo.html
I am so glad I found your channel. I am binge watching. I love the way you organize and declutter.
Aw, thank you! ❤️
In your 72 hour backpack put 25 year freeze dried food packs with enough water to hydrate them, unless you have a emergency water filter. By having freeze dried food it is not as heavy as food that expires. The added plus is you do not have to keep changing out the food until you are ready to retire. Helpful hint, pack clothes that are one or two size larger than you currently are so that just incase you or your kids grow in size you have something that you can still get into. Look at the videos for 72 hour backpacks to determine what to put into it.
For you and your kids clothes, put them inside a dry bag before putting it in a backpack. This does 3 main things for you. 1) it waterproofs the clothes. So if you go through flood waters or deluge of rain, the backpack will soak through, but the water wont be able to get into the dry bag, so when you need it, you have dry clothes. 2) Clothes inside a dry bag make a good pillow. 3) Having the dry bag gives you alot of added benefits, like having a spare bag that can hold water like a bucket, or filled with air you get a flotation device, or even adding storage space by taking the dry bag out and using it as a separate reinforced bag.
Great ideas! Thanks so much!
I listened to you declutter/organize your basement area while I cleared out a corner of my craft room that didn't get done yesterday. Just have a box to send my sister later next week. Thank you for the inspiration (as well as Dawn from Minimal Mom)😊
Thank you! I’m glad I gave you some inspiration! Thanks for watching. ❤️ Dawn definitely does that for sure!
I was very happy to see that you have your rings on your jars, because that's exactly how I put my jars in my storage also. Thank you for all that you do. May God be with you and your family.
Thank you! ❤️
@@reallifewithaliI have read that leaving the rings on can be a problem. The jars can unseal and then reseal with the rings on. You can’t tell this happened with the rings on.
God bless you. Love to see your food saver area. It's shows it's things that are used not just for show. Ty
@@micheledelnigro9259 You’re welcome! Thanks for watching.
@@reallifewithali your very welcome
As for emergency kits… We have a weeks worth of supplies under our stairs in the tornado shelter. I just put a six month reminder in my phone to rotate the items with an inventory that includes expiration dates. That way when the six months come up, I know which items I need to pull and replace and which can remain. Makes it super easy and we only replace a couple things each time.
That’s a great plan! I need to do that. So are you rotating everything or just the items that will expire within the 6 month period?
Thanks for watching! ❤️
If you keep water, you could fill all or some of those mason jars up that way you don't have to worry about the plastic leaching into water. Just a though.
@sillylilysallykaye4917 I’ve never thought of that before. Good idea!
You are very inspirational. I love listening to how you determine when to get rid of something. That was the hardest part for me. I did just clean out most of my basement and got rid of a truck load of trash and another truck load of donation. It felt amazing! And it is so so nice to have the basement not cluttered and clean. Keep the wide mouth lids/jars! Yes, during the pandemic canning lids were no where to be found. I was really glad i pick up a few extra boxes every time i can. I also had enough sanitizer and wipes, toilet paper, etc because of my supply storage. It really was wonderful and i could help others.
That’s amazing you had enough supplies when everyone was out of TP! 🤣 And way to go decluttering so much stuff! 👏🏻
Try and remove those rings if the Seal is weak and it pops it could reseal causing the jars to burst and bacteria forming
@@niconorge3529 Thanks. I do remove the rings after canning. I wash the jars and rings and then replace them for storing.
We use a bungee cord across the front and hook on the side bars.
Smart! I need to do that. Thanks for the idea!
Yes try using a bungee cord.
You can buy packs of bungee cords at hardware stores.
Make sure you take everything out of their original packaging and put them in totes or hair tight containers.
I’ve had bugs in my skin into stuff that wasn’t in airtight containers or totes. It’s sad when you lose food because it cost so much money.
@@debbiealtman5373 I did add bungee cords! And thanks for the tip. 😊
@@reallifewithali I did that for my rack with pots and pans on a rack where I stack . I use bungee cord to hold my canning rings and can string length wise or together . Works great.
14:14 You can use det glass jars and the let . The are as new . You can use for appel sauce or juice
That’s true! Good idea.
I was like no! don't get rid of those jars 😂 but I liked how you made a deal with yourself! Great video!
I know! It’s so hard to get rid of them. 😂 Thanks for watching!
Great job! I have a storage area for food too and it can get quite overwhelming with "stuff"! I am jealous that you have a peach tree....I am in the upper Midwest so nothing like that grows around here. I really am enjoying your decluttering and organizing. Thank you for sharing it all! Have an amazing week!
Thanks, Barb! ❤️
Awesome i need to go down in our cellar and organize our prepper pantry this week.
Thanks! Good luck on your organization!
@@reallifewithali Its very organized all ready but just need to fix the remaining 5%
You are my inspiration today as I'm heading to the basement to do the same thing. I hate it but, it's cold outside and it's warm down there with the fireplace going. Maybe I'll get some good music going and bright lights to make it more cheerful. Thanks for sharing your mess. Did a good job!
Thank you! Music always gets me going! Good luck!
I think a string or a tight strung elastik band could help you during earthquakes. Depending on how high the jars are, then 2; one near the bottom of shelf and one a bit higher, like middle of jar.
It's easy to take the jars and things out, and if you want you can just pull it up to the next shelf for easy access. You can either do one all the way around the shelf or from shelfpost to shelfpost. 😊
Hope it works out 😊
Thank you! I’m going to give it a try. ❤️
We cut down peg board to the size we needed to fit the various sides of the shelves and the zip tie them on by going through a hole on the peg board and also a punched out hole on the shelves. You could also zip tie around the shelf supports as well.
@@helgagoff6721 Smart! Thanks for the idea!
Forgot to tell you how to keep the items from falling off the shelf during an earthquake. If you can use the green and white cardboard box at 8:26 on your video or some box that fits on the shelf that holds the 3 or 4 deep number of jars on the shelf, this will aid in keeping the jars together and allow you to use a piece of jack chain (available at most hardware stores) to help keep the jars from falling off the shelf. In your video it appears you have the keyhole type slots that let you adjust the shelf heights. By threading the jack chain through the keyhole at the 3/4 height of the jar, this should prevent the jars from spilling out in the event of a mild to moderate earthquake. The jack chain end link can be opened up with a pair of needle nose pliers and then re-attached to the chain to fasten one end. If you have old key rings, you can attach it on the other side vertical front post so that the other loose end of the jack chain can be hooked onto the keyring. Just take the loose end link and open it up like you did on the other end, but make a hook that can hook the keyring. Make sure it is tight enough that the chain runs almost horizontal to the shelf, but easy enough for you to unhook it to get your items. You may need to have a couple jack chains running across depending on how high you stack your jars or other breakable items. 😃
Thanks!
Loved watching your video! Omg I wish I could can my own food! Such a great tool to know and a way to save money!!!!
Thanks! Canning isn’t as hard as you think. It was suggested that I make some, so I think I will in the summer!
To help protect your food storage on shelves during a earthquake, one achor the shelving to the walls. A hammer drill with a 1/4" masonry bit and plastic anchors and metal screws are good, but 1/4" drive pins anchors are the best. Since your walls are made of poured concrete it will be very difficult to drill the 1/4" holes without a really good hammer drill like a Hilti hammer drill but that is way too expensive for most preppers. Instead of having to drill and install anchors a simple way is to clean the walls with rubbing alcohol, let it dry or use a hair dryer dry the area you want to secure to the wall ( best to secure at the near the top back vertical post) then go to the hardware store and get a tube of liquid nails with a cheap caulking gun and squirt two silver dollar size spots on the wall behind the post and push the shelf back up against the wall. You may need to take everything off the shelf to do this. If the shelf does not stay against the wall you can use duct tape to keep the shelf up against the wall until it dries and hardens. You can put either fender washer under the front vertical post to help push the shelf up against the wall, but if you want to be real cheap, remove the fender washers off after the top rear liquid nails has dried, and squirt some liquid nails under the front vertical post and it will harden and keep your post in the proper position. The reason I know so much is I am a retired electronics engineer and a retired Master electrician as well as a prepper. You are doing very well on your emergency food supply but you will need to think about preventing little critters from getting under the door and into your storage area, not to mention heaven forbid in SHTF looters. I have ideas on that too for you.
Wow! You are very knowledgeable! I’m impressed. I’ll have to discuss these with my husband and see if we are willing to do it! 🤣 so have to ask, what is SHTF looters??
How would you keep the critters out? I haven’t had problems…yet. A few spiderwebs here and there, but hardly any.
@@reallifewithali to keep the bugs and mice potential problem away, seal the ceiling with drywall. Install possibly a door threshold if there is not one and a door sweep with long bristles from Home Depot on the bottom of the door. Before installing the door sweep paint the bristles with a mixture of hot sauce, cayenne pepper and juice from Jalapeño peppers. Let it dry and then install. I help out my friend who owns a restaurant and mice do not like the bristles rubbing up against their body when the try to squeeze under the door, the mice chew the bristles to make it easier to crawl under. When they taste the hot sauce mixture the mice go somewhere else. I came up with this solution with the Orkin exterminator. Knock on wood we have not seen any traces of mice after we caught the ones that got in before the door sweeps were installed. Put the glue boards that are for Rats and mice from Home Depot under the bottom shelf and you will not only catch any mice but also any bugs. These are the big ones that I like. I have caught mice, spiders, roaches, crickets and ants. Check the glue boards weekly. If you see ants or roaches you need to treat for it immediately so that it doesn’t become an infestation.
I love canned peaches. My grandparents also had peach trees. It's the taste of summer to me.
It's the best! Our trees are looking really sad and I'm having a hard time keeping up on spraying them for diseases and pests. If I have to cut them down, I will definitely plant some again!
Great job! I love to go back and look at spaces I’ve cleaned up too😂
I do love walking back into spaces I’ve organized and decluttered. I guess it makes me feel proud. 😬
Dehydrators are great for drying collard greens etc. for making smoothie powders.
Good idea! Thanks!
I like your idea of canning the fruit that you grow. My parents used to can fruits and had purchased a pallet of different size jars. I think that I will try to learn how to can fruit.
It is fun, but definitely a lot of work. My family and I really appreciate it during the year when we get to eat delicious home-canned peaches.
There’s PLENTY of foods that last well past their “exp” or Best Buy date. Even years. No need to throw out.
I do know that and I do keep a lot of that stuff. But things like crackers that go stale, I don’t want to keep.
Fill empty jars with water and “can” it as emergency water. You can always use the water if you need the jars. helps with water storage
@@robbiesmith5169 I actually did that! Thanks.
I write the expiration date on the front label with a black sharpie so I can easily see it. On boxes with a waxy surface (markers don't work) I put a piece of painters tape or masking tape and then write the date on it. This has kept my food waste to a minimum. My extra storage is in the basement so when food gets close to expiration I bring it upstairs and meal plan around them.
Thanks for the great idea!
I love your prepper pantry. This was a motivating video to watch
What brand are those metal black shelves?
Thank you! I bought them at Costco a few years ago.
I looked at your video and love the fact that three walls are made of concrete. I wish I had a nice storage area like that. I am assuming it is in the basement and that this is underground. To improve on this storage location, sealing and insulating the above exposed beams would help to prevent the cool air from escaping and allowing heat to drop down into the room. This will also stop bugs from entering into the room too. Will comment on how to prepare your shelves for earthquakes on seperate comment.
Yes it is in the basement under our front porch. Thanks again for the great tips!
@@reallifewithali the perfect temperature to store your supplies is 50 degrees F. 50 percent humidity or less. I worked at the Library of Congress and that is the temp and humidity we keep the Gutenberg Bible at.
It is find to store your supplies under 70 degrees F so long as it is dry dark place. It is like with some perishable items like insulin the colder the longer the product will last.
Put a small wire around around the shelf to protect the jars by falling down
Good idea! Thanks!
One less chore for an empty nester like me : no big pantry clear out. I keep a few cans of beans and instant noodles for emergencies but that's about it. You did a good job.
I guess that would be nice! Haha. Thanks. 😊
When I had shelves like yours I put bungee cords around them.
Thank you! I think I’m going to do that.
would a bungy cord in front of each shelf work for earthquakes? I live in Oregon and in my area have rarely had mild ones.
That’s a good idea. Thanks! I live in Utah. In my 42 years of living here, I only remember 1! So I guess I’m not too concerned, but want to be prepared. My family goes to Alaska often in the summers (we have family who owns commercial fishing) and in the past 5 years, we had 2 earthquakes while we were there.
Hi Ali! I'm down with a bad migraine today so thanks for keeping me company! I am still waiting for my meds to fully kick in, so I'll have to go back and watch the video again because I kept my eyes closed for some of it. Dumb ol migraines!
Girl, I think we are kindred spirits! I totally relate to perfectionism when it comes to organizing! It looks gorgeous though! You've inspired me to create a space in our basement like this since our pantry cupboards won't hold many extras, and I'd love a space to store emergency food/supplies.
Do you think you could do a video on canning? My mom canned a lot when I was growing up, and it's so much better than store bought! My mother in law and I enjoyed canning together one year, but I haven't tried on my own.
I'd also love it if you could do a video on your emergency kits. I recently had my biannual cpr/first aid training and my instructor mentioned how important it is to be prepared, since there are way fewer emergency responders now. He said we should prepare to handle emergencies on our own, because it could be a while - even days - before help comes if it's a bad natural disaster. In PA we can get tornados, blizzards and power outages. So far I've survived them all, but peace of mind is worth a lot!
Thank you again Ali. I think you're amazing ❤️
I’m sorry about your migraine! That’s no fun. I would love to do a video on canning and emergency kits/supplies. That’s a good idea! I’ll definitely put that on my list of ideas. I hope you get feeling better!
@@reallifewithali Thank you ❤️
Great job!!
Maybe you do easier on using up your food, if you put it all in the front shelves (the ones you reach first when coming in here) and suppliances/jars in the back.
Btw. I think you run a bit low on jars!! 😂
Could you do a vid on canning? That would be great. 💙
Thank you! And I agree. I should have put all the food on the first shelf and the empty jars in back. 🤦🏻♀️ Yes, I will do a video on canning…when I have something to can.
I ordered lids from Amazon during the pandemic too, and most of them didn’t even have rubber around the edges. The seller wouldn’t take them back. What a waste! We’ve stocked up now. Like you, we do a lot of canning.
I couldn’t believe they tried to fake the lids! What do you like to can?
@@reallifewithali I like to can peaches, pears, and applesauce; jams like strawberry, apricot pineapple, plum, and blackberry; in the winter we use the empty pint jars and bottle beans and chicken. I used to bottle tomatoes but I’ve decided canned tomatoes are just as good and a lot less work.
Good job! 👏🏻
I would add bungee cord to the front and back
I did add a bungee cord to the front. The back is up against the wall so I don’t feel too concerned about that. Thanks!
The white plastic lids that you are going to throw out are for number 10 cans. They are good for sealing the metal lids after you have opened the number 10 cans. So far as the old canning lids, gaskets in unused lids work well for at least 5 years from date of manufacture. Depending on the temperature that you have been storing the lids in, if the seal is not able to be depressed like the new ones, that are not any good and should be throw away and get new ones. I love the space you are putting your emergency food storage, but I noticed you do not have a dehumidifier in there. Also think about putting some sticky bug traps and mice traps under the shelves. The appliances should be clear bagged to help keep them clean so that you do not have to waste water cleaning them to use. In an emergency like they recently had in Texas where the water supply was affected by no power, it would be great not to waste your water that you have stored cleaning the appliances to use with your generator power. Just food for thought that you may want to consider.
Great tips! Thank you! And thanks for watching! ❤️
With having a lot of expired food, may mean your buying too much or too big of products. Costco is tempting, but its not for everyone.
It’s definitely true! I have actually tried to be more thoughtful when buying in bulk at Costco. I think the problem was partly because it was so messy in my food storage room that I didn’t go in there enough to see what to use up! 🤣
FOOD LASTS WAY WAY WAY BEYOND THOSE DATES!! Keep it all anyway. When you are hungry you will be glad you did. Homeless people would also love everything that got thrown away.
@@anncolburn3722 Thanks for the tip!
I’m confused. Im very new to canning. I thought we had to remove the rings once the food was canned. Is that not right?
@@ginapearson3601 I actually do remove them to wash the jars, but put them back on to store them. I think it’s only because it can cause a false seal, but I check all mine. I’ve done it for years. 🤷🏻♀️
@@reallifewithali ok, good to know. The whole thing is stressing me out. lol. But I feel we all need to be doing it. I will get there.
@@ginapearson3601 You can do it! Let me know if you need any more guidance. ❤️
Say an emergancy does happen.... you (being so badly prepared) rush down to your hoard to grab backpacks... your family, waiting for you to grab your stuff dies because nature doesnt wait for you...
You shouldn't keep any 'bug out' bags or any supplies you need away from the front door. Keep them around the front door or you're sacrificing your family.
as for earthquakes, the last moderately sized one we had was a small 6.4. During earthquakes stuff will just fall off shelves. If you want them to be braced, you shouldnt stack them like that (they can crash together and youlll have wasted food and broken glass all over) and keep a rim of duct tape around the mid size of the jars.
My family and i have survived avalanches, snow storms, wild fires, floods, earthquakes, and twisters. We understand what prepared is and your family just wont survive with as poorly executed as you have it.
(also, get some metal lock boxes for all your paperwork and just keep copies on hand. most people dont understand how easy those get damaged due to being poorly stored)
Thank you for your feedback. I know I am not that well prepared. But I am working on it. 😊
You could put some piece of wood to hold your jars and cans…
Good idea! Thanks.
Use bungee cords or rope or take some wood and place on the sides and front and screw in, you may need your husband's help.
Thank you! I did an updated video on this room and did add bungee cords!
Canned items can go past the best by date. I threw away a bunch of canned beans but I didn’t realize that they could last a long time. It’s totally up to you and what you’re comfortable, but look it up. You might be surprised 😉 I love your videos!
Thank you Kimi! I did know that they can go past the “best by” date. I guess I decide whether or not I think we’ll actually eat them. 😬 Thanks for watching! ❤️
Expired or Best Buy?
I’m not exactly sure what your question is. Can you explain more? Best by date is what it says on the can/box. That doesn’t mean it’s expired. It means that the food will be less nutritious or tasty after that date. Is that your question?
@reallifewithali you stated in your video you found expired food. I simply replied with Best Buy or expired.
Green giant is GMO
Thanks.
:-)
maybe a couple of bungy cords in front of your jars would help in an earthquake
@@larryblair3473 Thanks!
Such a waste could you not donate any of the food I'm sure someone else who are really in need could use it?
Possibly, but not when the food has gone bad.
@@reallifewithaliIt hasn’t gone bad. We have been lied to about so many things. Please stop throwing it all away. At least donate or put on a free site online. PLEASE
@@anncolburn3722 Thanks. I’ll consider that next time. ❤️
Ridiculous!