Cheap and FREE Ways to Prepare for a Hurricane!

Here we go again! Hurricane season is here, and if you’re new to this whole thing, I get it — it can feel overwhelming, and the last thing you want is to blow your budget panic-buying things you may not even need.

As a Florida native who’s been through more storms than I can count, I’ve learned that being prepared doesn’t have to cost a fortune. You just need to know what actually matters and what’s just noise.

Hurricanes are tricky beasts. You think you’re in the clear and then WHAM — it makes a turn and heads straight for you. The small ones are usually just an inconvenience. The big ones you need to be ready for, and sometimes ready to run from. Either way, a little preparation goes a long way — and most of it won’t cost you much at all.

Power Outage Gear: What You Actually Need

I’ve spent years refining my hurricane kit to avoid panic-buying. I’ve put everything I actually use—from the gear that saved us during the last power outage to the tools that keep our food safe—into one list.

You don’t need to buy everything at once — but these are the items that earn their keep every storm season:

• Hand Crank Emergency Radio — no batteries needed, no excuses.
• Solar Charger & Power Bank — keeps your phone alive when the grid doesn’t.
• LED Lanterns — much safer and cheaper to run than candles.
• Camping Stove — hot food is a morale saver during a long outage.
• Portable Coffee Maker – really, do you want to deal with this without coffee?
• Manual Can Opener — cheap, lightweight, and you’ll feel silly without one.

If you camp at all, you probably already have half of this. Check your garage before you buy anything.

Shop My Hurricane Prep Essentials Here

If you think you may need to evacuate, make a hotel reservation NOW.

Seriously — hotels fill up fast and prices spike. Book something cancellable so you’re covered either way without overpaying at the last minute.

In North Florida, the biggest headache usually isn’t the wind damage itself — it’s the power outages. Tallahassee has trees everywhere and they love falling on power lines. Outages can drag on for days, sometimes weeks, which is where most of these tips come in.

Water: The Free Strategy

Skip the expensive cases of bottled water. Instead, fill every container you already own — empty jugs, pitchers, reusable bottles — and freeze them. This does double duty: it gives you drinking water as it melts, and it keeps your freezer cold longer during a power outage, which protects your food.

Fill your bathtubs right before the storm too. That water costs nothing and is great for cooking and flushing toilets when the power is out.

Worth the one-time splurge: An Igloo 5-Gallon Seat Top Beverage Jug is one of the smartest hurricane investments you can make. One jug replaces dozens of plastic bottles you’d buy every single storm season.

The Bug Out Box: One Bin, Total Peace of Mind

This is my single best tip and it costs almost nothing extra. I keep a plastic storage bin stocked with the basics for travel — paper plates, a pan, salt, a noise machine, whatever we’d need in a hotel. Seriously we found a second hand pelican crate that goes every with us when we travel by car.

For a storm, it becomes our bug out box if we need to leave in a hurry. It goes from just the basics to holding everything we need to take. Build yours now while things are calm. You do not want to be scrambling for this stuff with a storm bearing down.

Don’t think it needs to be anything fancy – if you are just a small family any simple water proof box will work probably for the important stuff!

What goes in the box:

• Important papers in zip-lock bags (insurance cards, birth certificates, IDs).
• Important electronics in zip-lock bags.
• Photos of your belongings for insurance claims (a flash drive works, but cloud storage is better).
• All medications. Fill extras before the storm hits. Include birth control — there’s a reason baby booms follow big storms!
• Vet records and pet supplies (most shelters won’t take pets without proof of vaccinations).
• Family mementos you’d hate to lose.
• Food and water for at least a week.

Keep cash accessible (not in the box, just on hand). ATMs go down, card readers go down, and cash is king after a storm.

Larger families will need more than one bin. Pack a week’s worth of clothes for everyone — people and pets alike.

Right Before the Storm Checklist

Most of this costs nothing — it’s just doing the right things at the right time:

• Fill every bathtub with water for cooking and toilet flushing.
• Find your safe zone — an interior closet, a hallway, or the most central room in the house away from windows.
• Get Gas – fill up the cars and propane tanks if you have a grill.
• Update your phone contacts — insurance agents, local hospitals, shelter numbers.
• Bring everything inside — patio furniture, grills, planters, anything the wind can turn into a projectile.
• Get cars in the garage if you have one.
• Tape windows with packing tape or duct tape to reduce shattering.
• Put a bucket of water next to each toilet — they’ll still flush without power, they just need water poured in manually.
• Freeze a glass of water with a coin sitting on top. If the power cuts out and comes back, the coin will have dropped. If it’s at the bottom, the freezer thawed and refroze — and your food needs to go.

Whether you stay or go is a personal decision. If you’re leaving, leave early. Once a storm hits, the roads become dangerous and nearly impossible to navigate. Don’t wait.

I’m not an expert — just someone who’s been through enough of these to know what actually helps. Have a tip I missed? Drop it in the comments!

Also check out: Free Hurricane Tracking Apps & Websites

Need to save money on food? Check out Free Food/Kids Eat Free for after the storm!