I can remember one time the water was shut off during a hot summer, and I used rain gutter run-off to take a shower during a summer storm (in my bathing suit).
Let's be honest. Storing water doesn't sound like fun. However, being in a situation without water (like this one) is also not fun. If you are thinking, "I don't have the space, or the money," this is for you. Or, if you move a lot, don't worry, we move a lot too. We'll show you how we store our water.
Even though we are in college and living in tiny apartments, we have always tried to store some water. We don't fill up used soda or juice bottles because we never have that stuff in the house. In really small apartments, storing these types of containers is actually difficult. We also don't buy boxes of water or large 55 gallon drums. The boxes of water are too expensive for us, and the 55 gallon drums, well it just isn't practical when you live in small places and you move a lot. However, we did find a system that works! It's easy, relatively inexpensive, and perfect for us. Now we don't have to worry about being without water in a natural disaster (or the next time public water is contaminated.)
It is recommended to store enough water for one gallon of water a day, for two weeks. This totals 14 gallons of water for one person. (If you are pregnant or have other needs, store more water.) That means for us, we need to store 28 gallons of water. We'll be honest, some apartments we have lived in are so small, we literally can't fit 28 gallons of water in there. (Think, 250 sq. feet.) However we always make sure to at least have a three day supply of water. If we have room, we store more.
2 5 gallon water containers. You can buy them from camping supply stores, or even grocery stores if you live in Utah. (We keep these in the bottom of our closet.) Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to add bleach to your water. We just fill these up and put new water in them every time we move, (about once a year.)
4 cases of 20 oz. water bottles
Water bottles are awesome because they fit under the bed. Under the bed is good because it takes up less space, and is a good climate to keep mold and algae away. You could make your entire supply from water bottles, but we found we don't have enough room under our bed. Also, we don't like to waste plastic if we don't have to. Because we move a lot, mixing up our water storage containers works the best for us. Bottled water is labeled as being good for two years. I personally think bottled water will last longer than that, as long as it is stored in a cool dark location. Use your own judgement. Bottled water in cases can be bought cheaply, especially if you look for sales. I hear places like Costco are also a good deal for water. Also, if you are moving and have to get rid of your water bottles, donate them to a food bank, or host a large BBQ with lots of friends.
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| If you aren't sure how many cases of bottled water to store, I made a little chart to help. So, if you've don't the math, you'll know we're only up to 25 gallons. 
I hope you feel like water storage doesn't have to be hard. We have been able to store water in small places, on a small budget, with frequent moving.
Challenge: Assess you water needs and start storing today. Even if you only have a three day supply, it's a start! Find a water storage solution that works for you, and do it!
Cost: Varies Level of difficult: Level 1
Resources: This awesome PDF came from the mormonchannel.org website ( http://www.mormonchannel.org/blog/post/how-to-begin-a-3-12-month-food-supply) - It is listed as a 3 month food supply for college students, but it also includes water storage needs.)
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