Preparedness in an apartment is a challenge for a few reasons. Space limitations are one of the obvious reasons, but there are also safety aspects to consider. There can be challenges for growing your own produce as well. It’s been years since I lived in an apartment, so please speak up in the comment section if you have anything to add.
Location, Location, Location
Here are some things to keep in mind when looking for an apartment. Housing costs are big and leases are often 6-12 months long. That’s a long time to pay for a place you hate.
If possible find the crime rate in the surrounding area. One tool is Crime Reports.com. It might not list every crime committed, but it can give you a rough idea of the crime rate of the area. You can also call the non-emergency number for the local police department of the area you’re looking at. Ask to speak to the Community Resource Officer. If they don’t have one, explain what you’re looking for to the person who answered the phone.
If you don’t have a washer and dryer in the apartment, find out if there is one available in the building. Even if there is, find the nearest Laundromat. You never know when someone else will be doing laundry at the same time you want to. I think this is related to preparedness because laundry can be expensive. You can make your own laundry soap to save some money, to put toward your preps but the machines can take money. Try to find out who lives in the apartments around the one you’re looking at. Knowing who your prospective neighbors are might give you peace, or warning as to whether you should move in or not.
Security
If you have the perfect location, with a low crime rate, security might be less of a concern, but don’t get complacent. Here are some tips to keep you and your property safe.
Apartments on the ground floor are the easiest to access, for you and for someone trying to break in. My ideal apartment would be one with two or three stories and live on the top floor. Then you don’t have to listen to people walking above you, and you’re not so far up that you can’t get out a window in an emergency.
If you have expensive “toys”, make sure they are in a non-descript box when you move them into the new apartment. For the same reason, be aware of who is outside your door when you go into your apartment. Often people may try to get a peek at what you have inside and it’s none of their business.
Don’t blindly buzz anyone in. Criminals have been known to buzz everyone, hoping someone just lets them in.
Make sure you lock the balcony door. I had a drunken roommate forget his keys once and climb up to our balcony on the second floor to get in. If he could do it in his altered state, someone with bad intentions could easily do it too.
Before you move in, make sure any damage is documented. You could end up paying for it if you don’t. If they say they know about it, get that in writing. I’ve been burned this way. Make sure the locks have been changed since the last person moved out.
I’ve heard of two home-invasions that took place in apartments within 30 miles from where I sit, within the last six months. If you get a firearm for home defense, a shotgun with #4 shot will work just fine and will penetrate walls less than a handgun or rifle. If you are averse to guns or can’t have one, find something you are able to use in self-defense and are comfortable with and make it available.
Space Limitations
Because of space limitations, you need to get creative about how you approach storage and do so with a clear plan. For instance, when I started prepping I bought a few 50 pound bags of rice, repackaged them in Mylar bags and placed the Mylar bags in food grade buckets. I have plenty of storage space in my basement so this was no issue. However, if I lived in an apartment, I would now be taking up half a closet with 150 pounds of rice and have no room for anything else.
As with people in a house, you should store what you eat and eat what you store. You just have less space to do it with. Do a survey of your apartment, looking for areas that could be used for storage. Under the bed is a good option. You can raise a regular bed a few inches and get some extra room. There are also plastic totes made for under the bed storage.
Any closet, no matter the size often has wasted space. Many have one shelf but there is often room for another above it or on the door side, above the door. There is often a lot of wasted space from the floor to the bottoms of clothes. Even if you put shoes in there, you might still be able to squeeze in a small shelf unit. The closet is probably the safest place to make changes and store food, as it’s out of sight.
It’s not realistic to store a 55-gallon barrel of water in an apartment, but it’s not impossible to store enough for a week or two. Keep a case or two of water bottles or the large plastic containers that hold 2.5 gallons in a closet or under a bed.
Another option is to put your LTS (Long Term Storage) food that is in Mylar in a 30 gallon metal garbage can. If you have the food in Mylar, it doesn’t matter if you use food grade buckets, as the food won’t touch anything but the Mylar. I’ve done this and you can fit a HUGE amount of food in one can, versus the same space that four 5 gallon buckets take up.
Food Production
Growing food in an apartment is absolutely more difficult. You have limited space and, depending on the direction of your windows, limited sun. This just means that as with storing food, you need to be creative and intensely manage what you do have. I wasn’t a prepper when I last lived in an apartment, but here are some methods I have read about that others have successfully used.
Container gardening can be done with great success. You have to pick the right size container for what you’re going to grow. Because you have limited space, you may want to plant things that produce heavily, such as tomatoes or something you can do multiple cuttings of, such as broccoli or lettuce. If you plant something like radishes, you can probably do a couple of plantings a season, but the volume that is produced is less.
If you have a balcony, you could use the “Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato or Strawberry Planter
See if there are community garden plots available. If so, you can often rent one for a few dollars for the season.
Another possibility might be to grow on the roof of your apartment. You would have to haul all of the wood and dirt up there, but it might be an option if building management is agreeable.
If you are simply not able to grow any food, you can still visit local farmers markets and buy produce to preserve. Always make sure you have room to store it before you start.
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