Stockpiling in FL?

[sharleone]

I started couponing in OK, but am in the process of moving to FL to live near my parents. Right now, my kids and I are staying with my parents without much of an income, but I hate to make them pay for all of the groceries. I do have a little bit to help, and figured I'd just start trying to catch the deals as I can.

I was talking to my stepdad about stockpiling, but he's not crazy about stockpiling much for food in case of a hurricane.

For those who live in FL, do you stockpile at all? They don't have a lot of cupboard space inside the house, so we'd have to put a shelf in the garage. My parents are worried about stuff going bad, but I think as long as we seal it well, it won't be a problem.

I will probably wait until we get our own place, so I can respect my parents' wishes, but I want to know ahead of time how others handle it in hurricane country.

Thanks for any hints.

~Shar

[nrpeace17]

Hi, I've lived in Fl for around 12 years and have a substantial stockpile kept here. You just have to be aware of heat and insect issues. I stockpile non-perishables, HBA, etc on custom shelving that my DH built for us in our 2 car garage. It is a very inexpensive project for someone who has a little carpentry know how.
Check the link in my signature for pictures, there are plans in that thread for the shelving project, if you are interested.

[sharleone]

Thanks. Your stockpile is exactly the type of food that I had planned to stock up on. I hadn't thought about making my own shelving though, I had planned on doing metal racks like you'd find at Walmart.

Do you do any freezer stockpiling?

Also, do you have any issues with mice or bugs with the stockpile in the garage like that? That's the main objection my stepdad had.

[nrpeace17]

I don't ever have mice, it's the insects that are the problem here. I stopped keeping dry foods such as rice, bread crumbs, pasta in the garage for that reason. Soda goes flat in there due to the heat, and now that it has become hotter in the summer I no longer keep the salad dressing type products in there either. No problems with canned goods, jarred sauces, HBA paper products, cleaning products (except aerosols), etc.