A lot of people want to consider a generator as part of their preparedness plan. And to a lot of those people, it's their only form of preparedness. Generators are expensive to buy, and expensive to run. They're only good in the short term, and that's IF you have enough gas for it. So I'm not condemning you for owning a generator but don't look at it as a big part of your preps.The most important part of prepping is being prepared to get by without a generator. You can't rely on gas stations because they require electricity to pump the gas. So unless you have an unlimited supply of gasoline it will only run so long. If you would like to purchase a generator don't buy one until you are fully prepared to get by long term without one. Only then would it be a good idea to buy one(and only if you have the money).
A generator is only useful in the short term and it will only run as long as you have gas. In any extended outage or disaster your $1,000 generator will be useless. You will be wishing you had spent that money on more food, batteries, or anything you might need in the event of a long term power outage. If you do have a generator, and at least a 3 month supply to get you through independent of the generator then I would suggest you keep at least 25 gallons of gas on hand with your generator. You can rotate the gas in your vehicles to keep it from going bad. We have a generator and it has helped out in short-term, localized emergencies and disasters but just because you own one doesn't mean you're prepared. Prepare to get by without the generator then buy one if you think it might help you. And make sure you have enough gas on hand to run it for at least a couple days. A generator is good to keep your refrigerator and freezer cold to prevent losing a lot of your food. But make sure you have a backup plan, with at least a 3 month food supply that doesn't need to be frozen or refrigerated.
