That's an even costlier approach on a per protected appliance basis though. Your problem isn't an easy one to diagnose...yet. There are so many places to start.
1) If your lights are flickering constantly it could mean problems with the incoming power (a utility problem) or something to do with your wiring. Spring for about $5 or less for a circuit tester at Home Depot and check all your outlets for proper wiring. Repair or replace as necessary.
2) Your local utility, especially if it's Florida Power and Light, can have issues. Dealing with hurricanes let alone ineptness can have its toll. Check out the following
link for some examples of issues. Walk around your neighborhood and pay attention to the condition of the poles based on some of the pictures. Regretfully, some of the pictures won't show and I had to pull this particular link from the internet archive.
3) You might have problems with your house ground especially if the soil is sandy or drains very rapidly. Maybe you can comment on that.
4) If you've got the above issues under control, then a whole house approach can be a very cost effective way to address overall protection. FWIW,
this is what I did. I'm not saying this is the only way, but it's what I chose. You might also want to contact your local power utility to see what they'll do in the way of protection. Usually, they'll install the stuff for about $10/month. However, if you're going to be there for a while, you can do substantially better both price wise and with beefier, longer lasting devices.
