Apartment Prepping In A City

No longer living beyond the sidewalks!

What the heck is this blog about? Darned, if I know! It has been a transition period for me, moving in May of 2018 to an apartment in......cough, cough......a city! Downtown, at that! Well, sometimes you have to make those choices. I saw many people over the years who were living in off-the-grid homes that were full sized houses operating completely off solar or wind. Some used hydro. Many, as they got older, due to health reasons or marriages ending or spouses dying, had to move into senior communities or nursing homes. For me, it wasn't exactly that situation. That is water under the bridge now. I am trying to figure out how to do things at my age (in my sixties). The biggest concern I have had is that after so many years of learning how to be a "modern homesteader" where do I go from there? Now? Alone.

My first garden was a success

People who have never lived off-the-grid glorify it. Well believe me, it does take money, unless you are living totally off-the-grid with no alternative energy system. As I got older, I found it harder, as I found myself doing many hard jobs that I could not do any longer. Instead of pouring our money into owning horses, which as much as I loved them and still do, they were a drain on the homestead finances. Putting money into vehicles and setting up an alternative energy system was also another hole in the homestead progress. My belief in setting up that homestead would start first with putting in your garden. When I researched the history of my local area, I found that was always the first thing the settlers did. They slept in the coldest winters in three sided lean-to's with their families because they had spent the spring, summer and fall procuring food first.

kat's Studio

Back to my life now, as a retired modern homesteader living in a small studio apartment in a city. No garden. No forest to forage for wild plants and food. No wood stoves. Living alone with my house rabbit. Sounds like I must be miserable, huh? Absolutely not! I am much more happier than ever before! The most important thing I have here is my freedom and independence. My son lives a block away and we see each other almost daily. I am in a relationship with a wonderful, caring man. So life is good!

Apartment prepping in my building

Back to the new term I have been researching lately, Apartment preppers. Yes, that is a real term that is used for people who live in apartments and are preparing for emergencies. I have thought and thought about that and just today, I started searching online. There is a lot out there about it. After all, look at how many people actually live in apartments. Many! Huge amounts! In the US alone about 26,484,199 according to the National Multi-Family Housing Council.

Outside my building

Heating is a big need in the winter in a cold climate. If the electric goes down here, my whole building is without it. One thing that is in my favor, especially in my apartment, is that I am on the second floor with apartments above and below, and on each side of me. I have windows on only one side of the apartment and they face a courtyard with another building opposite. I am protected from cold winds coming toward my windows. I have warm clothing and many hand crocheted afghans that my mother made for me. They are very warm!  I do not know if my building has a back-up generator or not but will be finding out.

My electric kitchen

Cooking is done with electric here. This apartment complex is all electric. No wood stove here. Nor can any apartment in my city use kerosene heaters for safety reasons. Any cooking appliance has to be smoke free or it would set off the smoke alarms. Every apartment is equipped with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, as well as a sprinkler system that is built into our ceilings, including the closets. There are some options I am researching at the moment on this and will be writing a new post about it as soon as I figure it out. I will post the link here.

Water in bottles

Water is not the best in a city. I wrote about my water supply on this post recently, Using A Bottled Water Dispenser. I could store more downstairs in my storage area if I need to. Not sure I need that much water. They say to store a gallon a day for every person. That may include water for personal hygiene and cooking also. I do not use the water that I bring in for cleaning or hygiene. Just for drinking and cooking. But in a pinch I could use it if I had no other choice. I am not wasteful with my water at all. I only pay for hot water from my tap so it just makes sense to be frugal with it. I got used to being mindful of water use by living in my house that had no running water.

That toilet topic........

Toilet flushing is a big deal in a power outage. I remember a time some years ago when my landlord had to borrow my Porta-Pottie during a power outage. He had little kids and a wife that needed that convenience. He was getting sick every time he had to clean it out. I know about living with an outhouse or a sawdust toilet, which is an easy thing to use and maintain. Living in an apartment complex in a city makes those not an option. I think keeping a supply of the smaller garbage bags, the size that fits into your toilet and under the seat would be the best option. You could toss some pine shavings, hay, straw or even potting soil on top during the day. Between uses close the toilet lid. At the end of the day remove the bag and fasten it. I have a dumpster outside for my garbage and I would need to take it down there.

Emergency Essentials' Candles

Lighting at night in an emergency can be flashlights or candles. I have some odorless ones that be burned inside with no smoke or toxic fumes. I also have a solar flashlight that is very bright and works good, as well as a battery operated one. I do also have a USB light that I can charge with a phone charger on my computer. It clips onto a table or a window ledge. I have been using it for lighting on my rolling walker. There are a big variety of those types of lights available online. One is the LED light bulbs that fit in any lamp and if the power goes out they light up automatically. Their battery is kept charged when you are using your lamp and when the power goes out and the lamp is turned on, they go on automatically. Very energy efficient when used as a regular light.

Available from Emergency Essentials

Food is the thing that most people worry the most about. I don't really worry that much about it. Just make sure you have items that are easy to prepare or eat cold. Instant coffee is good as long as you have a way to heat the water. Canned tuna, chicken, ham, turkey, beef, pork and evaporated milk are some of the foods I keep in my cupboard. I also buy from Emergency Essentials the larger cans of freeze dried and dehydrated various foods. I will be writing more about this as I do it and share my information. Just get started a little bit at a time.

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole

Preparing When Living In A City

Forest Path

I have talked many times on my blogs about prepping as part of the homesteading lifestyle. Looking back through them, I pretty much covered my ideas on how to get started. Included was information on how to prepare if living in an urban setting. What about "wanna be" preppers who live in an apartment building with no yards, decks, patios or roof top areas to grow food? Can it be done in that setting? Can your prepare and how? I set out to research that problem this morning.

Wheel Hoe 

Many cities now have those small garden plots that they rent to city dwellers for garden space. It may be inconvenient due to having to drive to it, depending on how far your home is away from it. Though if you are like me, and garden organically, the other plots around your plot may not be and most likely are not organic at all. Using fertilizers and pesticides that contain toxic chemicals would affect your plants and dirt, just by being nearby. In my own garden, I do not even use a rototiller which distributes toxic gasoline fumes onto your garden and lawn.

Saving Seeds

I myself, have never done that. One other problem with gardening this close to other gardens is that if you are a "seed saver" as I am, their plants could cause your plants to not grow true. They may cross pollinate your heirloom plants and your vegetables may come out different than you expect.

Squash Plant in Compost Pile

In 2011, I had a summer squash plant come up in the compost pile. It took over the whole area and was enormous. Kind of reminded me of the play, Little Shop Of Horrors. I believe it was a hybrid zucchini that crossed with my own heirloom yellow squash. These vegetables were huge! Probably a pound or so each. I let it grow and harvested from it for months. My canning cupboard is still stocked from this plant!

A city yard could easily be turned into a garden.

Another idea I had was that you could find a local homeowner who has a back yard and would be willing for you to make a garden plot there. By renting it and paying them in either cash or produce, you both win. Ideally it would be as close to your home as possible. Makes it convenient to go to do your weeding and watering. Time spent gardening will save you big time in the grocery store as well the health benefits of being outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

A window ledge is a good place for your plants.

Everyone knows you can grow in pots and containers inside an apartment if you have sunlight for the whole day. Plants really need a lot of light. All day if possible. But not everyone has bright windows to use for plants. Possibly using grow lights would help. I lived in a small house where I was raising house plants and had shelves with grow lights above each shelf of plants. A window ledge can be used to grow small pots of herbs. Instead of putting the planters on the window ledge, if you even have one, use a couple planter poles. If you are not familiar with planter poles, they were popular in the seventies. I had one in that same small house. I had a lot of house plants back then, no food! A planter pole looks like one of those lamp poles that has a spring on the top so you can adjust it to whatever height your ceiling is. If you need to move it for any reason, it is simple to do. Instead of lamps on it, there are hangers to hang your plants from. Some have little round shelves instead and some have both.

Home canned food

What if there is no way you can grow any plants anywhere? The next best thing is to purchase them from your local farms, produce markets or a CSA (Community Sustained Agriculture). Buy in bulk whatever is in season. Then can it, dehydrate it or freeze it. Freezing is not something I do or even would do if I could, because that is how more people lose large quantities of food. Power outages, and don't even tell me the one about canning all that food if the outage goes on for a length of time!  No way in the aftermath of a storm or other emergency are you going to be setting up to do your canning. In our area there was flooding and many people were not even allowed back into their homes for three weeks and not to stay. So all that food and your hard work is ruined.

Another option of course, if you have been into prepping for any length of time, you already know about this, would be to buy from the preparedness types of stores. Buying foods that are dehydrated or freeze dried. I do not buy the meals, instead I purchase the ingredients to make the meals. I buy these by the case from Emergency Essentials. Since I eat low carbs, I do not buy baking supplies, grains, legumes, sweets or the mixes. I always purchase the dehydrated eggs, cheese, buttermilk, meats, vegetables and berries. It is all part of my prepping plan and if you make one for where you live and what is available to you and what you can afford, then you can be prepared wherever you live.

Copyright © 2018 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2018 Kathleen G. Lupole

Prepare For Loss Of Income As Well

Blizzard of 2011

Preparing for natural disasters such as storms, earthquakes, flooding, etc. is all well and good. One of the biggest reasons to prepare though, should be in case of loss of income. Loss of a job, loss of the wage earner due to illness or death, or divorce. Yes, divorce can happen to anyone when they least expect it. I know, it happened to me. Of course, that was before I was into preparedness or homesteading. I came out of that divorce pretty bad off, considering how I was living before it happened.

Home grown and home canned!

Growing and canning your food, as well as stocking up on supplies, all takes money to do. Learn to save your seeds from one year to the next. Swap with others for plants you want to try. Buy items to stock up little by little each week or month. Once you have done it though, you can look at all those assets you have. If anything happens in your life like a divorce, or having to leave your homestead and move somewhere else, those are the first items to pack. All the material goods in the world will not supply your main needs which is shelter, water, heat and food, and not necessarily in that order.

The key to preparing is in the garden!

This is going to be my year of stocking up even more. I am planning on buying local produce in season before my garden starts producing. Local producers start their plants in greenhouses, then they get a big jump on the gardening season here in our zone five. As you know, I have been busy making the plans for the garden, and those are a part of the whole picture. I start seeds in the house, but it isn't the best place to do that. We don't have a lot of free space, and our house gets cooler at night than seeds like.

An electric garden cart makes my chores easier!

As you age, some of the jobs become harder, but they also give you a sense of accomplishment. The food supply is my accomplishment. I hate to make my husband or son have to help me when I get worn out. They do, and will without complaint. I have been finding easier ways of doing the jobs that are hard for me. Both of my knees have gotten very bad, and I have learned to be patient and rest. After awhile, I can go on and do whatever it was that I was doing. Altogether it is a part of the bigger picture......preparing for everything, life tosses your way! Are you prepared or just getting started?

Copyright © 2012 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2012  Kathleen G. Lupole
Updated 2011

Next Gardening Season Plans

Butternuts Stored!

As I take stock of our pantry for the winter, I see big holes in areas of my prepping. There are many items that need to be stocked up more. My goal is to strive for at least two years worth of food and supplies. Once you have that stocked, your monthly budget would be for just replacing what you have used that month. Or putting that money aside to save for bulk buying in six months or so. But do not use that money for anything else no matter what!

Green Hubbard Squash

I took a look at my garden and saw the space I wasted on too many winter squash type plants. They don't really produce a lot for each plant. It is easier for me to purchase them from local market gardens. Our garden is small and when one plant takes up a lot of space and produces only one or two squash, then it is time to evaluate that plant. I am not talking about all winter squash. The butternuts I grow always produce plenty.

Boothbys Blonde Cucumber

The cucumbers, yellow summer squash and zucchini take up extra space as they spread out. They produce a lot of food, so I don't mind how much space they want. I was very happy with my Boothbys Blonde cucumber and will be planting more of them next year. The squash, I can't say enough good things about that. I managed to can 73 quarts and it will be giving us something to eat in the winter.

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

Preparing Your Family For Disasters

When you get the order that you have to evacuate your home due to fires or floods, what do you do? You don't have time to pack a suitcase in many instances. I know for myself, the items I will certainly grab will be this laptop, that is my lifeline, and there is no way I'd leave it behind. My digital camera is the other thing. I would not want to be without either. And the external hard drive. This is where I keep my pictures, music, videos, my books and articles that I have written. All important stuff I would not want to lose. This is one reason I have been putting everything in digital form and getting rid of physical items. Less to worry about.

The item that you should have for each and every family member, including the littlest infant, to each of your pets, should be a Bug Out Bag, or better known as a BOB. These are available for sale all over the place. In fact, the government sites for emergency preparedness, recommend having what they call a 72 hour kit for each member of your family. I prefer to make my own up and not buy one already made. This way it has what you or each person of your family will need or want in that type of situation.

The very first item to get for your BOB is the bag itself. I picked up a really nice one at my thrift store. The last time I was there, I noticed they had a lot of them available. Make sure it has room for everything you want to carry, and most important, that it is waterproof.

Water - You can buy water in little bottles for this purpose. I don't usually like to use plastic, but in this case it is probably your best option.

Food - Three days of nonperishable food. Food that can be eaten directly from a can with no cooking is good. Even if you normally like it warmed up, but edible, is all that matters. Include a manual can opener. I have bought the kind of cans that are pop tops. Or you can buy MREs from the emergency preparedness sites, Amazon or the Sportsman Guide. They are light weight and campers and hikers use them because they are easy to use. You will need a source of hot water to use them.

Food needs to include some canned milk and juices, not including the water.
Some ready to eat foods, even if they are not the kind of food you usually eat. Like Spam (it IS meat, protein!), Dinty Moore Stew, roast beef hash, tuna, canned soups, etc (you get the idea).
High energy foods like peanut butter, nuts, crackers, granola bars, etc.
Instant coffee, tea bags, powdered creamer, sugar.
Include some hard candies, cookies, cough drops, etc.

First Aid Kit - Assemble or buy one that is not bulky. Keep it in your BOB. You only need one of these in your family.

Clothing - One complete change of clothing for each person in their bag. Warm clothes, especially if in a flood is essential. Here is what you need to include:


Jacket or coat
Long pants, like sweat pants are good.
Long sleeve shirt, like a sweatshirt.
Sturdy, comfortable shoes
Waterproof boots
Hat, gloves and scarf
Rain gear
Change of underwear
Socks, more than one pair of these.
Blanket or sleeping bag


Sanitation Supplies - The worst thing is to go without our basic needs to be clean. Include plenty of these items for each family member. If someone has different needs, include them. You can include the items you share as a family in one larger BOB. Like an Army duffle bag would be good. It would not be something you can carry easily through the woods by foot though.

Toilet paper
Soap
Liquid Detergent
Mini or Maxi pads
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Shampoo, brush, comb, etc.
Deodorant
Disinfectent
Bleach
Plastic garbage bags and ties (can be used in the bucket for toilet)
Plastic bucket with lid (can be used for a toilet)

Wind-up flashlight

Tools - Items needed for various reasons. You can adjust this list to suit you. But remember you may need some items that you don't normal use and this list is from FEMA's site.

Mess kits or dishes for each member with utensils
Transistor radio with extra batteries
Flashlight with extra batteries, or wind-up version
Jack knife
Scissors
Duct tape
Pliers
Hammer
Compass
Waterproof matches in waterproof container
Whistle
Pencil, pens, red marker, paper
Signal flare
Portable water filter
Needles and thread
Plastic sheeting
Aluminum foil
Plastic storage containers


This is just a basic guide that I tried to put together. I am back to working on my own BOB right now as I never finished assembling it. As I discover what works for me, I will post here, so you can put together your own too. Hope this will help you get started! No matter where you live, from a fancy apartment building in Hollywood, CA to the wilderness of Minnesota, to Key West, FL............you REALLY do NEED to be prepared!

*All the photographs of the products in this post are from Amazon and contain my affiliate link. I did not have photographs of these types of products to show you, so I used their links. If you have any questions about what that means, than please view my page, FTC Blogging Disclosure.

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

I Am Already Thinking About Winter! Are You?

 Path from the forest.

Spring, summer and fall are the three seasons of the year that we do our hardest work. We need to make our winters easier around here. Winter this year was very stressful for us. Not that it hasn't been before. It is always stressful for my husband and that makes it the same for me. So I am working from a list this year to get many things done that will make our winter much easier.

Outdoor fireplace area and raised beds 

One area that I am working on which I always do anyway, is our food supply. Growing food. Buying food in bulk. Buying locally what I can not grow here for whatever reason. Stocking up the pantry with not only food to eat, but our supplies. Supplies for every day living. Not having to run to a store in winter is one of the ways to make our winter easier.

Outside at last! 

My husband is working on getting our wind turbine set up so that will give us more power in the winter. NY does not have much sun to speak of during the winter months. This project also includes the finishing of our battery room and bringing the water into the house. It will be cold water for now, but just having it inside will make a big difference to me. The hot water heater will only be working when the charge coming in is more than we need. Meaning the batteries are at full charge, and instead of dumping it, the charge controller will divert it to the hot water heater.

 Pump and solar shower!

Having the water coming into the house means that my washing machine will be able to be used. I will not have to wash laundry by hand any longer. That will be a real convenience for me and I look forward to that. I will still hang the laundry, but during the winter I use a wooden drying rack, and dry it in my bath tub. When it is not dripping anymore, I move the clothes to the upstairs line. Dries great that way. I am happy with it.

Snowfall 2011

One thing that my husband has had trouble with is shoveling the driveways and paths during the winter. He shovels it immediately so it is done for the day. But it is a lot of work! I am not sure what we can do about that. Unless we got a plow for our truck. That may be a thought. I plan on buying the Wovel in August when it becomes available. It is a shovel that looks strange but makes shoveling easier.

I will be posting on these topics as I work on them. What summer projects do you have planned? Do you do anything now to prepare for winter? Or doesn't winter affect you that much? I know when I lived in the suburbs it wasn't such a big deal. But things are changing and everyone needs to prepare no matter where you live.......on a homestead in the Cariboo Valley..........or in a penthouse on Fifth Avenue! Everyone!

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

Making Little Increases In Preparing

One of things I have been doing is adding to my preparations by buying extras when I go shopping. Sometimes it is canned evaporated milk, coffee, tuna or things I don't really use that often but might it I was in a bind. Like pasta, dried beans or rice. If you need one of something, add two. Like dish detergent or toothpaste. It is as easy to buy two of something as the one you need. I find that by adding some extras like that into my shopping cart seems to be easier to include it into my budget.

Since most of my vegetables are replenished in the summer and fall when I harvest my garden, you'd think I wouldn't be purchasing any other vegetables at all. But I do. I always buy if I see a good sale. Sometimes farms and farmers' markets will offer such a good deal that I can't turn it down. This year, especially, I will be taking everything I can get a good price for. Food is going up and I am not going to stop eating. So the best way to conquer that problem is to find sales and preserve what you can.

I shop often at a local restaurant supply store, Mainesource Food and Party Warehouse. Not only do they offer great deals on meat, but their produce, is more often than not, from local suppliers. So I buy in bulk some of those and can it for our winter supply. You could easily freeze it if that is how you preserve your food.

Remember though, only buy foods and supplies you use. If you buy some that you have never used or that you really don't like then you are not saving anything. Only buy what your family likes. I'll throw something new in every now and then for a treat. But I don't make a practice of that.

You can easily do this by just adding ten dollars to your grocery budget and spend that only on your extra supplies. Then put that away in your pantry and don't use it unless you have to. If you do, then replace it. Once you have your supplies built up, incorporate it into your every day use, then replace it when you shop. It's easy once you get the hang of it. Make use of sales as much as possible. That is the way to get the best prices at a variety of stores.

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

Snow, Snow And More Snow!

Backyard

Winter is definitely hard. Always has been and always will be unless we move to a town or city. Shoveling snow  is not easy work. Sometimes it is light and will just brush away. Other times, as it has been lately, heavy. Sometimes it is even heavier. When it comes down and is very heavy, it is usually almost water. So when you do all that shoveling, and clearing snow off your vehicles and the roof of your buildings, and it keeps snowing,.............you have to keep shoveling over and over. Not fun. Then it begins to get on your nerves.

The Drive Way

My father and my father-in-law both have snowblowers. They always ask why we don't have one. Well, they seem to need a lot of work. Seems like my father is always working on his. My father-in-law usually takes his somewhere to be repaired. My husband has such a huge dislike for gasoline motors that I know he would never even consider buying one. He says they are more trouble than they are worth. I suppose what would be better for us would be a snowplow on the front of the truck. But I don't think I'd feel comfortable driving it with that thing on the front. It's bad enough that I have to drive a truck all the time, let alone having a plow on the front of it. So for now, my husband shovels. He doesn't like it. He complains. But he always does it.

Today at my father's I saw how spoiled I am by having my paths shoveled down to the very bottom. My father had some surgery last week on his leg so he was not able to get to his path. He was also working on a part to his snowblower on the kitchen table when I came in. So that explained why there was no path to his door from the garage. The path to the road was barely scraped out and a little hard to walk on.

Sunshine On The Barn Roof

At my house though, my paths are cleared out and I can follow one out to the mailbox. One to the barn. One to the driveway. One to the satellite to clear the snow off it. Nikita even has little pit stops along the paths that have been cleared so she doesn't have to use the paths! She learned quick!

Looking at those huge snow piles, you will see why our well is replenished year after year. Not only snow, but we get more than our share of rain and have never really been in a drought. We are used to getting lots of snow here in NY, so even though I complain and whine about it a little............don't take it too seriously! It's a way of life here and I expect it. If I didn't prepare enough, well that is my fault.

Front Yard & Drive Way

Not only is shoveling a big job, but there is ice removal. Ice builds up on our roof. Before our barn was finished and the roof on it, we had tarps over the top. That meant that every time it snowed my husband had to clear the tarp before it caved in. Once we got the roof on that job was eliminated. The ice builds up on our house roof though. Since it is not insulated very well at this time, the snow melts off the roof and slides down. But sometimes before it slides off, the early evening temperature changes which causes it to freeze instead of sliding the rest of the way off. Then if it snows more it will keep building up. If it gets too heavy it can cause the roof to collapse.

Driving on the roads is no piece of cake. If I can stay home I do. I have driven though many many storms and had my share of scary moments. One being last week when I drove my son home. So the key is to prepare for winter, prepare some more and then prepare extra for severe storms. In our state, just because a storm is coming doesn't mean everyone runs to the store to stock up. Normally, they already are. We expect snow, ice and cold temperatures here in upstate NY. It is just a way of life in winter.

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole