It's an unpleasant reality that at some point, many of us may have need for a source of power separate from our familiar living room wall switch. Rolling power outages, natural disasters, man made disasters, all of these unfortunate eventualities leave us with one universal truth: it's important to be prepared.

In addition to having an 72-hour basic emergency kit on hand for every member of your family (pets, included), you may want to consider getting a generator. Being able to have back up electrical power may mean the difference between being able to stay at home in an emergency situation and needing to find another type of shelter.

If this is a concern for you, you may want to consider a small output, portable generator. Portable Generac generators are popular because they can be used for recreational purposes and back-up home power. Generators like these, which supply over 2000 watts, can be used to power home lighting needs, microwaves, toaster ovens and other 120 volt home appliances.

Generac generators fit the bill for many. Compact and portable, they are considered very affordable. Criticisms include noise levels similar to that of a lawn mower. Since all generators must be operated outside, this may pose a nuisance to neighbors, but in the event of an emergency, this may be overlooked if you're willing to keep their milk refrigerated.