Took me almost 6 months to get my emergency fund where I wanted it

I kept hearing everyone say you can build a 3 month emergency fund in like 3 months easy, but my part time job at a coffee shop in Portland barely covers gas and rent after the usual bills. Every time I saved $200, something like a car repair or a vet visit for my cat wiped it out again. Did anyone else’s first real budgeting goal take way longer than the online blogs make it sound?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_wells872mo ago

Oh man, nobody talks about how life just punches you in the face right when you think you're making progress! I swear my emergency fund was basically a revolving door for the first year. Got my oil changed, saved $300, cat knocked over a vase and broke my laptop screen. The whole "3 months in 3 months" thing assumes nothing bad happens while you're saving, which is just not how real life works in Portland either.

the_ryan28d ago

Wait, you're telling me the "3 months in 3 months" plan doesn't account for my cat having a vendetta against my laptop? That's crazy, I thought the whole point was to just pretend nothing else exists. Seriously though, my emergency fund got wiped out last month when my car's check engine light came on and it turned out to be a $600 fix. It's like the universe sees you saving money and just goes "oh, you thought you were getting ahead? cute.

the_ray2mo ago

Oh I feel this SO MUCH, my emergency fund was basically a "how fast can life steal from me" experiment.