15 Quick Tips to Create a Fund for Emergencies

COLLECT CHANGE

Make a change in your budgeting habits and start penny pinching. What might seem like an inconsequential penny here, or insignificant dime there, are actually missed opportunities to build an emergency fund.

SHAVE THE PAYCHECK

Most of us don’t have the luxury of siphoning paycheck funds to an emergency account, but saving for a catastrophe can be cheaper than you might expect. Consider this: if you save $20 a week — the cost of a modest meal out — you would save over $1,000 in a year. For the low, low price of two burritos a week, you could save yourself from potential financial catastrophe.

EAT AT HOME

The average meal out costs around $12, whereas the cost of a meal at home, designed to feed multiple people or one person multiple times, averages around $2. While eating out might be more convenient or fun, you stand to deposit $10 a meal into an emergency account by merely honing your cooking chops.