It's good to have some cash on hand. That way when the gov turns off the credit and debit cards and limits ATM transaction to under $50. You will still have cash on hand to buy what you need and not have to ration.
When I get pulled over and a police officer asks if I have any weapons in the car. I say yes, I do, are you looking for any specific calibers in mind? The look on their face is priceless.
You are lucky to have an employer do this for you. Also, home standby gens add selling value to your home. You get back more than the cost of the unit and installation.
Excersizining the gen every month or two is a good thing as you will find out things that need to be repaired before you...
I learned a long time ago that the military had plans to take out enemy substations from the air without munitions. And it wasn't by throwing out all their empty beer cans :p
There were hospitals that could not perform any surgeries as they were under generator power. The rule is if you are on the table and the utility goes out, then they can finish under gens. But they cannot start while on gens. Just think if you needed emergency surgery but couldn't due to this.