Generators with a limited budget?
 

My budget for a generator is going to be $500.00 What brands should I look at? I've checked online, the largest in my price range is 3500-4k watts. Could I run my refrigerator and two rooms worth of lights on that? The fridge would not be running all of the time, just enough to keep things cold.

In short--yes--a gennie of that size would do what you want it to do.

In my experience, Honda generators are highly valued, especially by preppers because they run relatively quiet. However, I don't think you can get a Honda in your price range.

You might want to put this question out there to the board in general ... I'm sure you could get a wide range of input from people with experience with different brands and from those with professional-level electrical knowledge.