I am really avoiding getting a generator. That is just one more engine that won't start in an emergency and if the outage lasts for more than a few days fuel becomes a problem.
Despite the drawbacks, it's really hard to beat a generator. It doesn't need to be big- a 3500W gen (15A/240V) will power every light, fridge, computer and TV in the house and still have power to spare. You don't need to run it 24/7 during an extended outage, just a few hours a day- a single tank will probably last you a week if you only run it 2 hours a night. A couple 5 gallon cans, and you're up for days. I like to store mine dry to keep the gas from going bad; I keep gas in 5 gallon cans I slowly cycle through our lawnmower over the course of the summer. The deaths are from people doing stupid things, like running their generator in their living room (or in the garage with the door shut) and with no CO detector in the house. If you're smart about it, there's virtually no risk.
The next step down is an inverter. Small inverters are VERY cheap and have enough juice to charge a laptop and your cellphones, but not much else. For about the cost of a generator, you could get a more powerful inverter mounted to your car that would let your car function as the generator; you still have the same gas problem as with a portable gen, though. You could get a 12V inverter and move it from one battery to the next on your golf cart.
