You need an emergency fund! Our emergency fund filled in the gaps when life took an unexpected turn!
A little back story…Shae and I spent months dreaming of what we wanted out of life. We were expecting our first child and we wanted more time as a family. She was a elementary teacher and I worked from home. So we made a plan, paid off debt, sold our stuff and remodeled a vintage Airstream. Shae left her teaching career and we planned to live off a new business launch.
Despite our deliberate planning the business didn’t perform how we expected and our vintage trailer needed a TON more repairs than we planned and budgeted for. Luckily we had a back-up plan with our fully funded emergency fund. Our emergency fund helped us ride out these bumps allowing us to pivot and find new income, and continue working on our trailer without going into debt.
WHY YOU NEED AN EMERGENCY FUND
- Buffer Against Minor Emergencies (No more need for that Credit Card) Like vehicle repairs, hospital visits, home repairs ect.
- Cushion In case of a change of income. Your hours get cut, you loose your job, a business fails. You have some time to make a transition.
- It makes your wife happy. Women tend to be more sensitive to risk and having a pile of cash just-in-case will give your wife peace of mind.
HOW MUCH
How much you need in your emergency fund depends on your lifestyle. 3-6 months of expenses is typical. After we paid off our debts our monthly burn-rate was pretty minimal so we saved up 12 months of expenses. So where am I suppose to find this cash to save? Read on!
WAYS TO FIND MORE CASH TO SAVE
Get on a Budget
Getting on a budget is the best solution for making every dollar work for you. A budget is simply an intentional plan. We HIGHLY recommend Financial Peace University if you are struggling with this! (Here is our Monthly Budget Routine)
Cancel Gym Memberships
We love the gym! And while we were paying off debt and savings we needed every dollar! So we cut our gym membership and started running and working out at home. I installed some pull-up rings in our kitchen and we borrowed some P90X videos from a friend. We didn’t have extra trips to the gym and we got a great workout at home!
Adjust Tax Withholdings
Most years we would get a tax refund. Instead of allowing the government to keep my money interest free I did a little research and adjusted our taxes so we took more home each month. After the adjustment we were able to add $136 to the budget every month!
Stop Eating Out
Eating out is a nice treat but you can make and enjoy the same types of food at home for a fraction of the cost.
Meal Plan
With a little planning the food budget may be a good place to squeeze a few dollars. A simple menu and shopping list will go a long way in cutting your food spending and ensuring less waste with the food you do buy.
Sell Unneeded Possessions
Most of us have unused valuables laying around. Electronics, tools, clothes…gather these items you no longer need or use clean them up then list them on: ebay, craigslist or on facebook.
Here are some additional ways to find more cash to save.
Get a Second Job Like Delivering Pizza’s
Get an emergency fund! Begin with a small $1000 fund then consistently build up. Has an emergency fund saved your tail in the past? Have any suggestions on savings not mentioned? Please add to the conversation below!
I roast my own coffee in a frying pan over the Biolite Basecamp or woodstove. Burman’s runs $5.50-7 an lbs. that is $14 a month with shipping for fresh roast. I drink one travel mug a day. Green beans don’t go bad. 15 to 20 minutes each week to roast outside. I sometimes save by mixing one part heavy cream with four parts whole milk. There is no better coffee than fresh roast.