If you want all that power, that's fine. But we haven't found the need to supplement the entire house. Heck, most of the time that the power goes out, we don't even bother with the generator, we just enjoy the ambiance of a kerosene lantern and the wood stove

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Most modern homes have abandoned the comfort of 19th century technology. At best they may have a fireplace, which is almost worthless for heat.
My house is well insulated with an old Fisher wood stove. It has a flat top that can be used for cooking. Due to low water in the well during the summer, I have also installed a 2500 gallon cistern, and located it so I get low pressure gravity feed water when there is no power. The toilet refills itself, and you can get water out of all the taps. I have a 15 gallon double boiler that will heat plenty of water for a bath on top of the wood stove. The only need for electricity is 500 watts to run the refrigerator or freezer, and those appliances don't have to run as often as most people think. Wall hung oil lamps, candle sconces, and a couple of Aladdin lamps for bright light make the house very comfortable after dark. My wife has commented that the comfort of our home doesn't change when the power goes out. That's high praise, since during the last power outage she was down with the flu and really sick.
Life is entirely different for my neighbors, who have a modern, all electric triple wide mobile home. A power outage means they lose heat, cooking and water. They have to haul in water just to flush the toilet. Without electricity, their modern home is virtually uninhabitable, without even basic sanitation. They desperately need a good generator, which of course they don't have. During the above mentioned 5 day power outage, their only way of cooking was standing outside using the hot plate of their gas barbecue. They used a bucket of hot water to take sponge baths.
The need for a whole house generator should be evaluated based on what the rest of the physical plant is like. If you're seriously screwed without power, you probably need one. If you have other options, you can skip the hassle and expense. Like you, I don't even bother to get the generator out until the second day of the power outage, and then it only runs for a couple hours a day.