Starting an Emergency Fund

It really shocks me how many preppers fail to prep financially. In my mind, having an emergency fund is just as important as stocking up on life’s other necessities. I think a lot of people fail to start an emergency fund because they feel overwhelmed by the prospect of being tied to a budget.

It’s estimated that 90% of the country lives paycheck to paycheck. No wonder so many people struggle with finding extra money to put aside.

Do you have an emergency fund? Here are a couple of ideas that might help you find some extra cash for your fund.

1. Have a garage sale – How much junk do you have that you can sell to help build your emergency fund? Why not have a garage sale and sell all that useless stuff?
2. Cheaper Plans – Check your cable, cell phone, and internet plans to see if there’s a cheaper option. You could also cut out the cable all together for a cheaper option like Netflix or Hulu.
3. Cancel your magazine & newspaper subscription. If you have internet access you probably don’t need them anyways.
4. Stop eating out – Cooking at home saves a ton of money and is probably a lot healthier anyways.
5. Rice and beans baby! Is there anything that you could change on your grocery list? Eating healthy and cheap foods like brown rice and beans can help you save a huge amount of money.
6. Garage Sales and Thrift Stores. – If you really need something, why not check your local thrift stores or garage sales first?
7. Free Activities – Local Parks, camping, hiking, baseball, basketball, etc…. Remember the good old days when you could leave the house without breaking the bank? There are still a number of things that you and your family can do that don’t cost a dime.
8. Barter – What skills do you have that you can use to barter for the products and services you need?
9. Sell some stuff on Craigslist
10. Get a gig on Craigslist – You can often find odd jobs in the gigs section that can help increase your fund.
11. No More Starbucks – Do you really need to spend 4 bucks a day on coffee?
12. Although this goes against saving money it can help you in the long run…. I recommend buying The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness (you can also check it out from the library to save some money)