If you haven't checked out my post on where to start with prepping, you can do so here.
[Image from publicdomainpictures.net - CC0 Public Domain]When I was growing up I can remember my mom being kind of obsessed with residential architecture. She talked a lot about "wasted space". Houses either had no wasted space (which was good) or they had a ton of wasted space (which was bad). My dad agreed to this way of thinking, being a master HVAC technician and a conservative at that, mostly because he didn't believe in heating and cooling a part of the house that didn't serve you. It just doesn't do to pay for something to have the potential to be useful.
When it comes to "wasted space", people either have a lot of it, or you have none of it. When you're prepping, neither is better than the other, per say, but one will force you to be creative and the other will not. If you are trying to find places to put your preps and you don't have a spare bedroom, basement, or magical underground bunker complete with laser eye-scanner, then wasted space that you walk by every day is your friend. Even if you don't have a ton of wasted space to utilize, I still have plenty of tips and tricks for hiding your preps in plain sight.
If you DO have space that doesn't get used (corners, nooks, false cabinets, awkward closet juts, etc.), CONGRATULATIONS! You already have room to build up a stockpile for yourself and/or your family. The only thing you have to decide is whether or not you will try to hide it and, if you do try to hide it, how you will do that. In my case, the owners of my house thought it would be a good idea to cut out between studs in the walls and finish it with old bead-board to make little cut-out closets. Even if I wasn't putting preps in these, I would have covered them because they're super freaking ugly it's not the best look for my style. I hung tension rods and made a quick curtain for each cut-out closet to give some privacy to its contents. I could also have mounted some doors or something but I don't have many visitors in that part of the house and just covering it was fine for me. Currently, it just houses totes but I could also have put shelves in there to make a prepping pantry.
If you DO NOT have unused space, fear not! Once upon a time, I lived in a single-wide trailer where there was NO wasted space whatsoever. In this instance, I just had to get creative. I bought many hinge-top jars with rubber gaskets from the local thrift store and incorporated them into my home decor. Luckily, they had them in all different shapes, colors, and sizes. There was space inside and on top of the TV stand, so I filled jars with different kinds of beans and/or rice (each with a bouillon cube or two) and placed them strategically with some fake plants and family pictures so that it looked intentional. I did the same thing with the tops of the kitchen, bathroom, and utility room cabinets but also added some decorative boxes from the thrift that housed emergency medical supplies and other things that would not look pretty in interesting glass jars. Decorative boxes are your friend.
[Image from publicdomainpictures.net - CC0 Public Domain]In either situation, I have found that water storage is very easy. A case of bottled water will generally fit right under a bed at standard height but if you find that it doesn't fit, risers for most standard bed frames are an inexpensive solution. Extra food, toiletries, blankets, etc. will also fit easily under a raised bed. With most houses having at least three beds in them, this is a lot of under-appreciated, out-of-sight storage that too many people take for granted.
What about you? Do you have any super-inspired ideas for hiding your preps in plain sight? Or are you an old pro at storage solutions? Give your best example of prepping in public in the comments below!