My husband and I are looking into getting a generator this year, for when storms take out the power. I've been reading and watching videos online but I'm still confused about some things.

First, we want to use this generator to power a refrigerator (new in 2018), possibly an upright freezer (unknown age, but likely between 2001-2007), and maybe a space heater. It looks like I need something with 2000+ watts just for the fridge? Would I need to get a second one to run the freezer, or maybe just forget about running the freezer at all? We currently have things set up so that the high-value items like meat are all stored in the freezer of the fridge, and the upright freezer has things like bread, veggies, frozen dinners and pizzas, and breakfast items. So if we did lose everything in the freezer it wouldn't be that bad.

Also, in looking at gas and propane powered generators, it says you can't run these indoors, which is understandable, but if I have this thing outdoors I see many problems. Like, they say do not expose the generator to wet conditions, snow, ice, or rain. This means it would have to be sheltered somehow outdoors. We have a shed we could put it in, but it also says not to use it in enclosed garages or sheds. So then, where do we put this thing? I can't let my shed stand open with a generator sitting in it or I won't have one for long. My shed has already been attempted to be broken into 3 times in the last year. So, where do I put this thing where it can run, be sheltered, and not be stolen?

I looked into battery power stations instead, since they can be used indoors and are quiet. But the only batteries I have a fair amount of are Makita, and they don't make a power station. Ego has a decent looking one, but I have no batteries and the cost of the batteries for that are prohibitive. I looked at Jackeries, but I'm not sure they could handle running a fridge for a decent enough time.

So, please, any information on this subject would be appreciated. Ideally we want to spend under $1,000. If we can only run one thing on it we need the fridge. We have a gas furnace but I'm not sure we can run it without electrical power. We live in a mobile home, and the furnace is mounted inside the wall of our laundry room, so we don't have good access to much other than the filter and a switch inside.