Protect Your Budget With An Emergency Fund

Doesn't it always seem like when everything is starting to go your way, something breaks down? You start to get your feet back under you and then something knocks you down again. When it happens, it always costs you money.

An emergency fund can save you and your budget from disaster. Think about how the little emergencies affect your monthly budget. That $300 repair bill on your vehicle, a new $600 refrigerator, an unexpected trip out of town -- each one can hurt your ability to pay your bills if you are on a tight leash financially.

Think about what a larger emergency would do to you financially. What if you lost your job, became ill or disabled? What if you couldn't work for several months? What if your child became ill and you had large medical bills to face? What about major home repairs or a new engine in a vehicle?

Without an emergency fund, you could be forced to use a credit card. While this is an option that you may have to fall back on, it will take you years to pay it off and will cost you thousands in interest. Plus, you don't want to purchase daily items, such as groceries and gasoline, on your credit card. If you don't pay it back at the end of the month, you could pay for those groceries for the next three years.

If you have an emergency fund, you are able to survive an emergency with your finances in tact. Yes, you spend what you saved, but that is what it is there for.

Ideally, you should have three to six months worth of living expenses in your savings. Just start and keep working your way up. Personally, I don't believe that you can have too much in your emergency savings account. Or too little. So don't hold off because you don't have a lot to put back right now. Every penny will help in an emergency.

Keep your emergency savings in a separate account from your regular savings or checking. We keep ours in a different bank. This eliminates the temptation to withdraw some money for something we don't need. Keeping it separate makes it easier to forget about it until you need it.