We purchased 55 gal food grade blue water barrels from a manufacturer a few years ago. I put mine on the patio. I put a plastic tablecloth on top and tied it in place with a ribbon. The tablecloth will keep the dirt off the tops of the barrels. They were cute until the cats shredded the ribbon and to long tablecloth. I suggest a small round tablecloth and a nylon string instead. I also thought about making an inverted wood tray to cover them. Then the barrels could be used as a buffet table!

They may have been for the camping season. I did find them in the camping section last week though, they may have been the leftovers. Try camping sections of any discount stores, kmart, walmart, whatever you have near your home. Make sure they say food grade on them (Usually the kind that are milk jug type of plastic aren't food grade).

Hi. I have a question. Do you know if these kinds of water jugs are still available anywhere? I looked at walmart but the closest thing I can find is a 5 gallon collapsible jug. The 5 gallon ones are even more expensive than the ones you talked about. I can't find anything in the price range you did.

I purchase cases of bottled water for drinking, since they come in a cardboard flat I can just stack them wherever in the garage, plus its easier to ration. We have two 55 gal drums filled and bleach treated, but plan on using those for flushing toilets and what not...

If the water you are using to fill those jugs is coming from a regular treated culinary water source, then go ahead and fill them up. Don't wait for the bleach. I would rinse out the jugs and then just fill them up. That way you have your water stored and ready to go in case you need it. Then next time you get to the store, grab some bleach for treating on the back end if you need it. I would also invest in a good water filter system for filtering drinking water when the need arises. Here is an inexpensive, but very effective option, http://shop.monolithic.com/products/just-water-...
Some assembly is required but it's not tough.
We did a bulk purchase on 55 gallon water drums and I'll bet that more than half of them are sitting empty in peoples garages. You can't drink from an empty barrel or jug or whatever. Just get 'em filled. Happy Prepping!

Sheena, I have a paper that my church handed out that says the following: "Studies show that if water is bacteria free and is stored in clean containers it will stay safe for several years. It is a good idea, however, to periodically check your water for purity and taste. And every few years it's a good idea to change it." So technically it would probably be safe for quite a long time, but it depends if you really want to DRINK it after that long. I'm going to plan on changing my water out once per year at the same time I re-vamp my 72 hour kits. Hope that helps!

I have a question for you..... After you bleach your water, how long is it good for? I have heard forever (if properly stored right) and for about 20-30 years.

I listened to a presentation on food storage from someone who works at Welfare Square in Salt Lake and he had some great suggestions for water storage. He told us that we could use 2 liter soda bottles if we had them and if you want to store them and the ground he said just to put a piece of cardboard on top of the floor before you put the bottles down so the water doesn't end up tasting like concrete. I thougth it was a great tip since everyone has cardboard!

I was totally just looking at that blog today and thinking that I really need to buy the eBook. I'm sure it will have a lot of information that we will need as we go through our BabySteps. We never proclaimed to be the experts ;) That water info is great, my jugs ARE on concrete but I am hoping to get some pallets to store them on eventually. Thanks for the tip.

I have learned so much reading blog.TotallyReady.com
If you haven't seen it you should check it out. I just bought an ebook from them and they have a great section on water storage. They mention that you should not store water on a concrete floor. The chemicals in the concrete get into the containers and water. I couldn't tell if yours are on concrete. I noticed the book you have on your site. You should check out Mother Hubbard:What She's doing Now. It has great tips, easy to follow and a really good calculator and inventory sheet, both interactive. I love it.