Storage Places

[JustMe]

I agree! We should all have our very own mini grocery stores - wouldn't that be perfect!

I do like the way you think Lady.

 

[Weedygarden]

If you can, maybe make a prototype from cardboard or whatever you have and try a few cans in there to see how much of an offset you'd need to keep the cans rolling. Cause I don't think you'd need a whole inch for a few feet. If I'm understanding you correctly, you want the whole unit to be 8ft high?? I would think if only an inch would work for the whole thing. Maybe even a half inch, IDK

Great idea! A cardboard prototype! Yes, I want to make it 8 feet high to maximize use of space.

 

[LadyLocust]

I so agree with you about the price of that one on Etsy. If I were to buy enough of those to hold 3 months worth of canned goods, I'd be more than $1000, and no thank you! I looked at it a few times and actually wonder if it is made of some thinner higher end plywood of some sort.

Looking just now at Thrive Life, they have instructions online of how to assemble their shelves. It is 8 pages in a pdf. You can buy some of the parts they use, but not cheap. I am going to print out this and see how I can adapt it to a design of my own. The corners are angle metal and that would not be hard for me to find. I also think the tracks for getting the angle to allow cans to roll forward could be some sort of metal. There is a metal place that I drive by frequently that sells all kinds of metal. They also have a fabricating shop. No doubt this could be an expensive investment before I'm done. I'd like to figure out how to spend less on the shelving than the food that is on it.

https://www.thrivelife.com/media/wysiwyg/old_materials/Pantry-Organizer-Instructions.pdf

(My opinion only) I'd rather spend a little more up front and never have to think about it again.
An idea: A simple frame using T-bar members would allow a can to roll down either side and T-bar is strong. Aluminum is light weight and easy to work with from an assembly standpoint (special to weld, but don't think you would need to worry about that.)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/M-D-Bui...n-Mill-Aluminum-Tee-Angle-Bar-59634/300214102

 

[Weedygarden]

(My opinion only) I'd rather spend a little more up front and never have to think about it again.
An idea: A simple frame using T-bar members would allow a can to roll down either side and T-bar is strong. Aluminum is light weight and easy to work with from an assembly standpoint (special to weld, but don't think you would need to worry about that.)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/M-D-Bui...n-Mill-Aluminum-Tee-Angle-Bar-59634/300214102

That looks like a good thing to use. I see that HD does not have any in stock, but maybe this other metal place that I mentioned does.

I agree about spending a little more up front and having something that will last. I want to buy sturdy, and not expensive junk.

 

[Caribou]

How much offset would we need to get the cans to roll forward? An inch per foot would be enough, wouldn't it? What about an inch per 2 feet?

I expect that 1/4" per foot would roll your cans adequately. If you have jars standing up I expect that you will need a steeper incline and a smooth surface.

The top loading unit doesn't hold that many cans. If you made the top bin deeper it could hold a lot of cans and have less wasted space. If you put it on a drawer slide, so it would slide out the width of a couple cans, you wouldn't have to loose much space for the unit above.

 

[Caribou]

There was a store close to me that sold shelving and display items from closed businesses. I bought heavy wire grid security doors, and the angle iron and tee that is used for the legs on heavy shelving. I lag bolted the tee to the ceiling of my garage and hung the angle from the hung ceiling so that I didn't have to worry about hitting my head. I then placed the security screen doors flat. I was able to get three 4'X8' and one 2'X8' doors hung from the ceiling with about 30" height to store stuff on. Now Im not going to fill it up with canned goods but I can use it for empty jars. It is strong enough for much of what I want and I get to use formerly dead space.

 

[Cascadian]

We had these for soda. When we quit stocking soda we found they fit most veggie, soup and chili bean cans. We added 6 or 7 more. I think back then they were only $4. They work well for our small kitchen pantry.

 

[Weedygarden]

We had these for soda. When we quit stocking soda we found they fit most veggie, soup and chili bean cans. We added 6 or 7 more. I think back then they were only $4. They work well for our small kitchen pantry.

There are a few varieties of can dispensers that are marketed for soda. I looked at one in my search, and it was $20. It is nice looking, clear plastic, solid. It holds cans, but doesn't rotate them. I know it could work and would work, but then, it is still not getting me the most ideal dispenser, which is what I am trying to come up with after years of making do.

 

[viking]

I haven't gone over all the posts here but there is one thing I need to warn people about and that's keeping an air space between boxes of stored foods and walls that face outside. We found out the hard way back in 1991 when my wife went looking for something and found that the walls behind the boxes were covered with mildew, we took care of that with bleach water and now we have made sure that all boxes near outside walls have a good air space, we also leave a small fan always on so that there is no stagnant air that will allow the spaces to become cold and condense moisture on the walls leading to mildew as well as keeping rust from forming on the cans inside the boxes.

 

[Amish Heart]

I've got dehumidifiers running for just that reason. Just used to hang those humidity bags, but sometimes it was months and months before we came to visit the farm, and they weren't enough. One time we came back after 5 months and things were rusted and there was mold on the shelving under the cans. A mess to clean.

 

[Grimm]

Thank you, Joel.
Notice that this is loaded from the top. It means that more space is wasted on the top. This would mean that one of these could be on a shelf, but not a group of them stacked. Imagine if this kind of dispenser could be front loaded, front dispensed.

Maybe I am expecting too much, but if any of you struggle with the same problem I have, you will understand. There could be a can dispenser that is 8 foot tall, maybe 4 foot wide, and perhaps 2 feet deep. These dimensions would use standard lumber and then there would be little to no waste there.

I am going to get out some graph paper and try to draw what I think is best. I do know that in order for the cans to keep moving forward that there has to be something of an angle, and not level, which means a little wasted space. I will design it using standard dimensional lumber, 2 x, 4x, and plywood cut maybe 2 foot wide for shelves and sides, and a full sheet in the back.

Another question: am I the only one who keeps several cans of food such as soups, canned fruits and veggies, evaporated milk, canned chicken, tuna, salmon and other such items? I buy extras every time I go shopping, and especially to Costco. It adds up and then management gets to be too much. Imagine for your short term food storage for 3 months if there is no fresh food available in stores and electricity is out meaning that fridge and freezer are out. Then, add the dehydrated and freeze dried foods in #10 cans which could be at least one other tall shelf set up to dispense.

Happy New Year! I never stay up until midnight. I was in bed before 11:00 and got woke up briefly at midnight by those who were up celerating.

How is this assembled? With this one that I have that kept falling apart, I am now looking for sturdy, sturdy, sturdy, which is why I am talking about wooden dispensers.

Thank you to everyone who is giving input. I really think this is not just for me, although I have been searching for a while. I have looked at these for well over a decade and realize that there are or were some out there that were pricey. They may still be available, but where? Really, these could also be made of metal and assembled by homeowner preppers.

And some engineer out there who is handy could have a great side business designing and making the parts and directions in his or her workshop.

The ones I have use 3 pegs on each row that snap and twist into place. I have had them for a few years and they have yet to fall apart or break.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I like the idea of a FIFO food inventory mechanical solution but I find it hard to visualize on a larger scale. I agree that we all need to have our own grocery stores, here is my lunch soup shelf, there is one like it for cream of's, and condiments.. and the list goes on this is a picture of 1/2 of a 4 foot shelf section.

The wife can't handle the salt in these soups, so they are just for my lunches.... If that were not the case there would be much more of them and a wider variety..... (but I'm a boring kind of guy)....

 

[Amish Heart]

I stack mine pretty similar as yours, Urban. On the heavier gorilla shelves I can leave them in the flats and stack the flats 3 high.

 

[Weedygarden]

I like the idea of a FIFO food inventory mechanical solution but I find it hard to visualize on a larger scale. I agree that we all need to have our own grocery stores, here is my lunch soup shelf, there is one like it for cream of's, and condiments.. and the list goes on this is a picture of 1/2 of a 4 foot shelf section.
View attachment 78023 The wife can't handle the salt in these soups, so they are just for my lunches.... If that were not the case there would be much more of them and a wider variety..... (but I'm a boring kind of guy)....

You have a good stock of food.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I stack mine pretty similar as yours, Urban. On the heavier gorilla shelves I can leave them in the flats and stack the flats 3 high.

Like I said, these are just "my" lunch soups (about 3% of my stock), I store canning jars and other high volume items in flats 3 high just like you.

For example, I like the canned grapefruit and have been trying to get it stocked up, I now have 9 full flats and the wife can't eat that either because it interferes with one of her medications. It might sound like a lot, but I only eat 3-4 cans a week and this would be a 6 month supply.

But with so much food on hand it is very important to do an FIFO type inventory control, the older stuff gets moved from the basement "grocery store" to the pantry.

There are always exceptions, my lunches go from the grocery store to my bowl, that stuff never goes to the pantry.
I have hooks in the overhead floor joists and hang shopping bags full of chips from them, I know I shouldn't eat them but sometimes I just get a craving and I'd rather have them than not.

 

[Amish Heart]

That's a great idea for the chips. I'm not too big on them unless there's french onion dip. We have two storage areas, and one is an area that the kids get their stuff from, so it includes chips, cereal, cookies, canned chili, and ready made stuff like canned ravioli. So chips are on a shelf right now

 

[Grimm]

I have my dry storage in very large metal storage cabinets. I need a stool to reach the top shelf. They are deep and were used for office supply storage in a former life.

 

[Camalot]

I have 20 ft of linear shelves 6 foot tall. Plus the pantry. Lots of freezer space although I like to prep for no electricity. Still running out of shelf space.

 

[Weedygarden]

I stack mine pretty similar as yours, Urban. On the heavier gorilla shelves I can leave them in the flats and stack the flats 3 high.

So I've been thinking about this for a couple of days. I have never thought to use the flats. Duh! A part of this is because I have my first to use cans in a cupboard that won't hold flats, but where the cans will stack 3 high. This is not a good thing, the use of cupboards and rotation. I don't have really good space for working from behind the shelf. Even though I have almost 2000 square feet, my rooms are small. Basement is not easily accessible, so it better for long term foods, like rice, beans and wheat.
I can see that the flats would be so much better for stacking than a vertical stack of cans, at least for me. Another thing about it, would be knowing that everything in one flat has a certain expiration date, while the flat underneath has a later one. I buy canned goods at Costco, such as Ro-tel tomatoes. They come in a suitcase like container, 6 per pak. That is not that hard to use, and I think it would be not so difficult to stack them either, but even empty flats from other things could help stabilize the stacks. The stabilization of the cans on the shelf is part of my struggle.
I see empty flats in the grocery store and I am going to grab some the next time I go to the store.

 

[Amish Heart]

I just rotated canned sliced carrots, and they were stacked in flats, so easy peasy. I usually buy in flats, so it's not that hard to keep the same expiration in a flat. I've not tried to stack the suitcase containers, I put them in a flat, but it'd probably work, too. High humidity storage, though, those flats can get moldy. Ask me how I know. We have a dehumidifier in both basements now.

 

[Weedygarden]

I just rotated canned sliced carrots, and they were stacked in flats, so easy peasy. I usually buy in flats, so it's not that hard to keep the same expiration in a flat. I've not tried to stack the suitcase containers, I put them in a flat, but it'd probably work, too. High humidity storage, though, those flats can get moldy. Ask me how I know. We have a dehumidifier in both basements now.

I don't buy in flats. I could and probably should. I usually buy half a dozen cans at a time. I'm just never trying to draw attention to myself. A number of years ago when I had 4 bags of sugar and a few bags of flour in my cart before Christmas got me lots of attention. I just kept telling people, "Christmas baking." Did I use all that in baking? Not before Christmas!

 

[Amish Heart]

I used to fill a flatbed at Sams every week for the preschool, and also a full shopping cart at our Kroger store for the school, too. I'm so used to saying it is for a school, I don't think twice. I shop Aldi sometimes once a week, and I buy 4 flats of something everytime. Depends what they have. No one bats an eye. I have bumped into a few amish ladies I know while shopping, and they hire a driver with a van to go there (15 miles out) so you can bet they have a cartload, too. They know we raise 3 grandkids, so a cart full is no big deal. Lately canned cat food and dog food is hard to find, and Aldi had 2 and a half flats of canned cat food (34 cents a can) so I bought it all. They are usually out. I don't like to lie, so lately I say Food Pantry, when buying 100 lbs of flour, and that's not untrue, it's just for my pantry. If I'm at a store, I might as well fill up a cart. Husband now knows this, he never paid attention when he was working. He just knew he could pretty much ask for anything to eat and I could make it for him.

 

[Caribou]

Cans of different expiration dates get put on the flat in order, left to right, front to back, whatever system works for you. Newer cases go underneath, or to the left, or to the right, or behind.

On the rare occasion that someone remarks about, or looks at my abundance, I tell them that the ladies at church asked me to do some shopping. Lying, about something that is none of their business. doesn't bother me a bit.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

A lot of busy bodies in your neck of the woods. No one has ever looked interested in what I buy. If they did ask, they would get the same answer the bank teller gets. I don't know you well enough to answer personal questions.

I did get asked last fall as to why I was buying so many leeks. I could understand the curiosity in this case; almost 60 lbs of them. The answer was 'so no one else has to eat them '. The 13 year old cashier said, good, cause they look oniony.

 

[Camalot]

I had shelved my entire basement when I lived in Ohio although the wife wanted a dungeon. LOL.

 

[Weedygarden]

I didn't listen, just watched. Filing cabinets are easy to come by for free. I have some in my garage that I use for storage.

 

[LadyLocust]

I didn't listen, just watched. Filing cabinets are easy to come by for free. I have some in my garage that I use for storage.

That's funny. I like the idea actually, but I have been looking for a 2 drawer filing cabinet. $40 and 2 hours away is the cheapest I've found. The four drawer once must have golden slides inside these days (silly people.)

 

[Weedygarden]

That's funny. I like the idea actually, but I have been looking for a 2 drawer filing cabinet. $40 and 2 hours away is the cheapest I've found. The four drawer once must have golden slides inside these days (silly people.)

I think I have four 4 drawer filing cabinets, set up side by side in my garage. All were free to me, found on Craigslist. I've been thinking of getting locks on them. They often come with locks, but keys rarely come with them.

 

[LadyLocust]

I think I have four 4 drawer filing cabinets, set up side by side in my garage. All were free to me, found on Craigslist. I've been thinking of getting locks on them. They often come with locks, but keys rarely come with them.

I think it's just different areas. Different things seem valuable in different places.

 

[Weedygarden]

I think it's just different areas. Different things seem valuable in different places.

Yes, and different times. Early on during the pandemic, thrift stores were inundated with people cleaning out stuff. I just looked on Craigslist. The last free filing cabinet was posted at the end of March.