Thanks for the info everyone!
I'll look at my electric bill to see what we average, but I saw a nice 6,000W generator, the ad seemed more geared to farmers, but reading the reviews people bought it to run their high energy appliances. I'd like it to just run the refrigerator and freezer, the TV, a lamp, but more importantly we need something strong enough to run the sump pump if the electric goes, and something to run the heater if it's the winter to keep the pipes from freezing.