So, I'm slowly working on building up a long-term food storage plan. My question is, I live in an apartment with my wife and daughter. Space isn't our biggest commodity. Does anyone have any advice or reccomendations on what I can do to build up a decent food supply for 3 people with limited space?
I've seen examples of people storing rice, beans, flour, etc... in large 5 gallon tubs however that will not work for us with our limited space.

How about an offsite storage unit? 50 bucks a month will get you a 5x5 unit, 80 will get you a 5x10.

I've considered that. However, money is tight enough as is and to invest another 50 bucks a month into a shed just doesn't seem like a great idea right now. After rent, utilities, and other bills, I'm operating at around 80 bucks a week for gas/food/laundry. Gas and laundry add up to 40 or 45 a week, so I have 35-40 bucks for food. Thats why the stock has been slow growing, mostly adding 2-3 packs of ramen noodles or canned stuff weekly. the problem I began running into was looking through and realizing that the back of the pantry was getting pretty darn full, and I only have enough food there for the 3 of us to live on maybe 4-5 days IF that was all that we were eating.

ironshaolin
First question is how long you will be staying "There' after the problem starts. If, like me,this is what I have to work with. start by deciding how much you et now.
Then look for unused storage in unusual places. if you live on the top floor there is probably an attic or roof access in one of the closets. If you live in the middle there is just what you have.
SOme ideas are how many days a week can you eat the same thing? That leaves Rammen noodles. If mixed with water makes noodles and soup. If mixed with eggs makes gooey, but good, pasta type.
If you have MRE get rid of the air filled balloon sack. Don't throw it a way just get the goods out and put them in a shoebox. Makes shopping easier.
If your kitchen cabnets have a dust cover over the top pull it down (CAREFULLY OR THE RENTAL COMPANY WILL EAT YOUR LUNCH) and make it where it lifts up and store up there. The laundry area has a lot of wasted spaces.
See what I mean. The space to store food is everywhere. Even under the bed.

Thanks Safetalker, you've given me some good things to think about. I'll need to get a frame for my bed to get the mattress up off the floor, then that could become a decent storage area. Also, pardon me if I ask stupid questions, I'm pretty new to all this preparation stuff.
As for how long I will stay, here's my situation I've thought of. I live on Long Island. On any typical day, there are esentially a handful of ways to get off the island-
1.through the tunnel, through the city, and through another tunnel.
2. Across a bridge, around the city, followed by possibly another bridge.
3. A ferry.
4. Swim.
60-70% of the time, all of those avenues of "escape" are extremely congested. In a situation like tsunami or anything where we needed to evacuate, I imagine it only becoming worse. I figure I would need to at LEAST camp out at home for 1-2 weeks, possibly 3 before looking for a way to evac. So, considering space considerations, my goal is to have 3 weeks of food STORED for each member of the family.
Also, what types of food are best to store for emergencies that won't go bad? While I can eat ramen noodles, canned goods, etc...with the acception of rice and beans they are not regular staples of my diet, and I don't intend them to be, simply as emergency foods. I follow a pretty healthy diet primarily on fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, cheese, milk, potatoes, rice and beans, eggs, and meat. Most of that stuff can not be stored longer than 4-5 days. So, in an emergency my normal diet is out and survival diet is in. What foods are best to keep long term if I'm not going to be rotating?

I've asked some of the same questions on here before. Canned stuff lasts "forever". The Spam website states it's shelf life is "indefinate". Some taste and color may deteriorate, and some nutritional value may lessen over time, but the food is still good. Go to Aldi's or Sam's Club. Spend a few hundred bucks on canned stuff and some totes to put it in. I like totes better than shelves because they help block out light, their contents aren't immediately obvious, and they are easy to move.

In an apartment you have at least 14 points to consider.
1: water
2: food
3: sanitation
4: heat
5: ventilation
6: security
7: self-defense
8: fire detection and contingency bugout
9: fuel storage
10: cooking odors
11: fire fighting
12: noise and light discipline
13: exercise
14: sanity

I'll go into more detail if interested.

Get the rubbermaid rough tote containers if you can afford them, the storage tote containers if you are on a budget, and put your supplies in those. Stack the stuff in corner space then put some semi-decorative cloth over the stack.

People I know who are really hurting right now and on food stamps are committing to a self help food program of buying and filling one tote-bin with common food each month. Once they get to six bins, start eating out of them when the same food is not on sale somewhere, but keeping the net growth of the food stash to one bin roughly every two months. That's filling the bin with regular stuff they always use. Soap, toilet paper, food, that sort of stuff. So in a year, it is a net storage of around eight bins, two stacks of four in the corner of the kitchen. The kids hit on them less for snacks as the more "snacky" stuff gets circulated to the bottom, but in reality, the stuff gets hit on a lot, just replaced with newer stuff when they go to the stores. What seemed to work best is just getting the same stuff they regularly use, and on tight months the bin-filling is done with cheaper stuff, like bottled water and toilet paper. On other months, it can be box cereal, little debbie cakes, and canned chili.

Big bags of beans and rice work, but to be smart, eventually need to get re-packaged into smaller containers. I do that with the glass jars left over from the more premium spaghetti sauces, but I recently figured out that the big plastic jug containers of picante sauce are good for that since they have a wide opening which makes it fairly easy to pour the beans and rice in and out of, I just have to watch out for making sure the containers are really clean and dry inside before putting the new stuff in them.

I tried grinding regular black beans in a coffee grinder in order to make a faster cooking powder but it did not work so well. Fried the motor in one grinder and then when I finally did make a powder, it still had some chunky things in it, and still requires a lot of soaking before it can be cooked and edible. Just not quite as much soaking as regular whole beans.

If you bug-in, then draw supplies from the stuff, but by having it all in totes, you can fairly quickly load it into vehicles for an evacuation to ground that you can control. For those without good connections with some country people, that probably means a camp area of some sort.

So think the tote bin system in the kitchen. Going with stacks of three or four bins. Four stacks of three bins is a dozen, decent amount of supplies for what could happen, and as a module takes up roughly two feet by four feet on the floor, and at a modest height, you can lay a board accross that works as another shelf in the kitchen.

Another option is underbed storage, but that's probably for your guns and stuff like that in an apartment with kids. You put he bed up on some cinder blocks to hold it a little higher than factory stock, not by a whole lot, just enough to get the tote bins under there. Put gear and stuff in the tote bins, use a king size sheet on your queen size box spring, and let it droop down over the sides, although it might require two sheets to cover to the floor.

Another halfway decent apartment option for guns and gear that has some value to thieves is to put a regular keyed house door deadbolt on the master bedroom closet. You should be able to remove the entire closet knob assembly with a common screwdriver, replace it with a deadbolt, then only slightly modify the doorframe to accept the deadbolt. You might need to attach a knob to the closet door, but chances are that when you put a key in it and need to pull the door open, you can just pull the door open by the key when it is partially turned in the lock. There is a way to put some pins in the doorframe on the hinge side so that if the hinge pins are removed, they have to get at the deadbolt anyway because the pins will hold the door into the doorframe unless it is swung open at the hinge point anyway.

harbringer,
i would definately be interested in hearing more about those points.

Ironshaolin, Enter the Dragon my friend!
This is what I've researched and would do I your situation. Your needs may be different. I'll go point by point.

Water even with strict ration 1 gallon a day per adult. For drinking/cooking, Not including washing/waste disposal. If you run out you will be forced to go forage for it at great risk ( this also puts your family at risk.) And then you MUST TREAT WHAT YOU FIND. I suggest chlorine, iodine best is Polar Pure now hard to find or a top quality water filter.

Lap top battery almost dead more later.

Ironshaolin,

I used to live in an apartment and found, the best use of my dollars was to buy what I normally eat, eat out less and simply increase the size of my grocery purchase.

I know you're tight for money. If you really have space concerns, I like coast guard rations. I have been known to crack open a package as a midnight snack.

CK

Ok food I would follow Breacher's advice stack totes ( $5 at Wal-mart ) variety and sufficient caloric intake. Vitamin supplements to make up for fruits and vegetables you lack. Sprouting is a great way to go and aids in digestion. Stay away from dark beans though check out sproutpeople.com
You can lay in a lot of seed compared to canned food.

Sanitation, really depends on water we use water to flush wash etc. Your building's septic stack will backup in short order then your neighbours will begin tossing waste out the windows, hope you don't live on the ground floor. Plan to keep your waste I suggest 5 gallon buckets lime to cut down on stench untill sealed. For washing baby wipes.

heat, it will be impossible to go beyond a few days heating your apartment. I'm sure there are restrictions on storing fuel in your building. If you can get expedition quality sleeping bags for the family. I suggest you construct a room within a room. don't freak out I'm talking under the dining room table or perhaps a camping tent to hoard heat in. Even if the rest of the apartment is 25-30degrees one persons body heat alone will keep your demi room in the 40s. burning just one candle another 5-10 degrees, I don't recommend a candle though because of ventilation, losing heat through vent, and fire hazard. lastly drape your demi room with 2 layers of mylar space blankets.

more later its getting late I got church tomorrow. if you don't already go I pray you start.

A little of everything. Especially the stuff that packs a punch. peanut butter, beans and rice. And get used to eating it. Make bean and pea soup once in a while. Learn to make your own tortilas using flour water and yes Lard! If your apartment has a hot water heater that is 40-80 gallons of water stored. Really think you are going to be able to hold up in an apartment for a year? Were talking 3 months at most. What about a place a ways out of town for cheap. Put up a shed. store water there. plan to garden. If SHTF dont think all you need is shit. If someone knows or invades they are gonna take all you got and throw you out in the streets. The hobo is already going to be better off than the man in his apartment waiting for better days.

You can only prepare to stay there till it is safe to move. Where are you gonna move to? Got family somewhere with land where it would be mutually beneficial for you to go there and give and take? Know how to swing an axe or catch a fish? If you can do one or the other I know of a few places that would welcome you and you will be taught the rest. Even if you can fix a car or a tractor.

Be prepared for a week to a month in the apartment...

S

Ventilation, if you use ANY open flame you will need it. CO poisoning or asphyxiation is the alternative. However this poses a HUGE security risk, as a source of light seen outside, escaped food/fuel odors, entry point for robbers,etc.

Security, main entry point probably will be front door. If It's wood see if you can get it replaced with a steel door. Bracing will not suffice. Is there a fire escape, access to a shared balcony? How will you defend/barricade a large expanse of windows? If on ground floor move to third, fourth, or fifth floor apartment of concrete construction, without balconies, steel doors, and with interior fire escape stairwells.

Self defense, New York's a problem but here goes.check legality of large volume pepper sprays, think bear repellent in one pound canisters AT LEAST 12% oleoresincapsicum. If you can get a permit a quality pump 12ga ( I'm partial to mossberg ) with flashlight fore end. However there are exemptions in NYC's firearms laws for muzzle loaders and pre-1894 manufactured antique guns. Winchester model 1876 or model 1886 with sn range distinguishing it as pre-1894 production. Select excellent bores and verify mechanical condition. You will be limited to chamberings like .40-65 and .45-90. Cost of custom loads I don't know. Hand gun S&W double action top break revolver in .44 Russian.

Fire detection and contingency bugout, battery powered smoke detector and extra batteries are a must. Even if you are careful your neighbours may not be. You need bugout bag/s ready at a moments notice. No substitutes for a firemans breathing rig but a egress smoke hood or surplus gas mask may help you escape.

Fuel storage, three issues 1) safety/fire hazard 2) security/odors 3) legality/check fire codes and lease agreement about quantitys of propane and kerosene on the down low. However candles probably not limited. Unscented long burning jar candles high in stearic acid such as devotional candles for the Catholic market. Make a stand of stout wire and you can heat food. Look at discount ant closeout stores.

Finish later.

Ok let's finish.

Cooking odors, cooking Will produce odors, fuel, food seasoning,etc. Store foods with minimal spices. If surrounded by starving people a can of chili con Carne could be a death warrant. If you get my drift?

Firefighting, just acquire at least 2 large multipurpose (ABC) chemical fire extinguishers.

Exercise, you need to maintain muscle tone. Put a pull-up bar in a door frame, large elastic bands. If in budget q stationary bicycle powered generator, to allow exercise and battery charging.

Sanity, You have family so mentality at least you have company otherwise, have lots of reading material. For the family board games, a deck of cards. Just remember noise discipline while playing.

Last and most important. Noise and Light Discipline, if you make noise or have any source of light undesirables will notice you. Lit up apartments will be deemed worth robbing. I suggest NO light except as absolutely nessesary. If you are to have a light source you MUST be prepared to black out ALL windows in your apartment. Sadly this counters your ventilation for heating and cooking. Any vent holes must be covered for night if a light is used.

Iron, I don't know your entire situation I know mine is tight. But if you can get out now. See if friends or family out of city can take you in if need be. Don't showup empty handed and they should be glad to see you on their doorstep.

Also ramen noodles will let you starve with a full stomach they have no nutritious value to speak of.

Also if you use candles you can't plug all the vents. Beginning to see the loop you'r in?

Surviving in the city http://www.awrm.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=27;t=000101

Food storage http://www.awrm.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=27;t=000130