It's probably a good idea, especially if you live in an area with a lot of lightning strikes like FL. OTOH, equipment actually damaged by electrical surges is pretty rare these days, although it is blamed for a lot of problems that are just "normal", "random" failures.

I would pass on the little surge strips, although as extension cords they are cheap enough that they are useful in that role. They can't absorb enough energy to do any real good, although the "insurance" some of them carry might be of some value to you. I am not sure just how you would prove that a damaged piece of equipment was caused by a failure of the surge strip to protect it from an electrical surge though.

The only good place for a whole house surge protector is right at your main panelboard. An appropriate one is not cheap - $200-400 is not uncommon. If you insist on installing it yourself follow the directions very carefully. How it is installed affects how well it can protect your home's electrical equipment.