I think it's time to move the stockpile into the basement.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 08-23-2008, 06:11 PM

I went shopping today. It was Club Pack sale day and of course, DS starts his first official half day of school Monday. Last week, four of the days were just an hour long to give him time to adjust. Monday he goes in for three hours in the afternoon. He needs at least a snack with him every day consisting of one drink and a food. He chose apples and carrots, but I decided to get him apples and a rice krispie treat instead along with a box of juice.

I go shopping today and my stockpile space was already all sorts of stressed out from the last trip. I've been avoiding having to put things ontop of the kitchen cabinets but now, that's something I can't avoid. I had to put the 80 juice boxes downstairs and they're sitting on my chest freezer right now. I'm at my wits end now because a) I am nowheres near organized enough to put stuff downstairs and b) I like all my food where I can get to it without having to use a stepladder.

My question to those who have their stockpiles in other rooms besides the kitchen: do you get used to having food or other items anywheres else?

I'm sort of hyperventilating a bit because this is a four-month stockpile start. I'm a bit freaked out because I've never had this much stuff around the house and I'm feeling a bit closed in.

**WV_mom_of2** · 08-23-2008, 09:31 PM

Have you thought about other options like maybe storing the juice boxes under a bed? I used to have all my canned goods under our bed until I got a bookshelf in the kitchen cleaned off and organized.

My freezers are in a spare room on the same floor as our kitchen. And as I said I used to keep all my canned foods in our bedroom under the bed. It's a pain sometimes to get to those things, to keep up with what you have and to have to run to another room in the middle of cooking, but if you have a good system it can be done.

I got some good ideas for storage by looking at everyone's stockpile pictures! That is what led me to use the bookshelf!

**MomToTwoBoys** · 08-23-2008, 11:50 PM

I thought of using the bedspace but my oldest DS has been known to find things and then use them up without me knowing. It's why I'm a bit leery of putting things in the shelving unit in the basement besides paper products and canned goods. I'll have to take pictures of the stockpile soon. It's a pretty good one.

My upstairs and chest freezer are completely full. My pasta cabinet = full. I managed to fill four other cabinets with food, plus I had to stack stuff above the kitchen cabinets and also put the juice boxes/toilet paper downstairs in my basement. Two of my four cabinets are used for baking goods.

I think it's gonna take some kitchen reorganization to fit the food up here. I have a microwave stand and that open closet in my kitchen that I can store food in. The microwave stand is filled with boxes of plastic bags, which I save for lining the smaller trash cans and such with. I can shift all those downstairs and put them on the shelves. I totally need to redo my kitchen because it's the most cluttered place in the house and I bet I can fit the rest of the four-month stockpile in the kitchen.

**cheles2kids** · 08-24-2008, 09:30 AM

Do you have a Sam's Club nearby?
They have some AWESOME shelving units, there are two different types:
$80.00-It is a nice sized stainless steel unit with really sturdy plastic bins, you can even label the fronts of them.
Around $120.00-A HUGE stainless steel shelving unit with 6 LARGE shelves to fit LOTS of things on.

For the price, I haven't found a better deal for that quality.

I've been eyeing them the past couple of trips and am going to have to break down and start with one.
I still have a small amount of room in another towel closet, but as for kitchen cabinet space, I'm all out.

I know what you mean about storing your extra items.
Especially for those of us who LOVE organization, it can drive you insane.

I'll be watching your thread to see what other great ideas they give you.

**zakity** · 08-24-2008, 01:11 PM

I keep a small amount of things in the kitchen cabinets, like enough for one meal's worth. I have the rest in cabinets in the garage.

I have a really small kitchen with very limited cabinet space. I am trying to rearrange to where I have a few extra things in the kitchen cabinets and then I stock one shelf with the items I need for that week. It will save time because I won't have to run out to the garage everyday to grab the cans and items I need.

I am also trying to rearrange the freezer in the fridge in the kitchen for one shelf to be flour and sugar and stuff, one shelf to be quickie foods or lunch things for DH, and one to be the freezer items needed for this week.

**missyali** · 08-24-2008, 03:30 PM

I am contemplating, just contemplating, moving kids' bedding from the linen closet to their closets and then using that space for some of the stockpile items we go through quickly. Just a thought.

**JerryG** · 08-24-2008, 03:58 PM

I cannot store food items elsewhere, other than the kitchen. I would TOTALLY space it out.

I DO intermix food cans / boxes with dishes.

**monkeywrangler71** · 08-24-2008, 04:13 PM

I don't actually keep any of our food in the kitchen except spices and open baking supplies. I have trouble reaching beyond the first shelf in our cabinets, so hate keeping stuff in there. I keep food downstairs in the laundry room and just go down when I need something.

I like having stuff out of my sight, plus it's good exercise going up and down those stairs all the time.

**cheles2kids** · 08-25-2008, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by missyali

I am contemplating, just contemplating, moving kids' bedding from the linen closet to their closets and then using that space for some of the stockpile items we go through quickly. Just a thought.

Just a quick tip about storing sheets.
Fold the entire set up and store it into one of the pillowcases. It keeps everything neater and it is altogether in one place.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 08-25-2008, 01:39 PM

I started organizing the kitchen last night and managed to fit some of the stockpile in the bottom of my microwave stand. My biggest problem is trying to organize everything into its place and not displace the rest of my house in doing so. The things I took out, well, they're either sitting in the basement or they're propped up on the side of the microwave stand. I had debated on putting all the H+B products into my linen closet. The problem with that is that one of the doors is busted and I can't close either door.

I need a bigger house.

**alarosalpn** · 08-25-2008, 07:31 PM

I keep all my cleaning and H&B stockpile in my diningroom closet. The food we use is in the kitchen pantry and the rest of the 'overstock' is in our spare room.

**HisDaisy** · 08-29-2008, 01:37 AM

I keep my stock pile on a selving unit in the Basement. I put my rice, flour, and other baking supplies in plastic tubs to keep pests out.
I only keep the food a need that for that month's menu in my kitchen. I would get overwhelmed if all the food was in my kitchen.
Before we moved to this house, I kept my stockpile in the office and in a box in the kitchen.
I think that you need to find a solution that works for you and stick to it.