Last Updated on Apr 8, 2020 by James W
As we get older, we realise that few things help us to relax more than being financially secure. You know you’ve arrived at adulthood when you are thinking about how to build your emergency fund for those rainy days rather than how to spend your cash in the sales. Many people look at their salaries and wonder how they will ever manage to save three to six months of expenses, and others couldn’t imagine not having a chunk of cash sitting in their savings account ready to go at a moment’s notice.
When you are trying to chase a feeling of security and relaxation, building up that emergency fund can get you there fast. Some people cut corners and apply for credit cards online to cover their backs when things go wrong, but doing that means having to pay fees and interest and the idea is to minimise expense and maximise savings. We’ve got some quick ways you can get your emergency fund together, to make sure that when things do go badly you don’t have to worry.
Sell Up
Go around the house and do an inventory of all of your possessions. Anything that you haven’t used in the last six months can be rounded up, photographed and put onto eBay. Exercise equipment, old power tools, tech – it can all be sold, and the cash put into your savings account. Don’t sell everything, though, as you need to consider the fact that you may use your old equipment again at some point.
Second Income
You may already have a pretty full on job, but that doesn’t mean you can’t open a second income stream. Attending focus groups, answering online surveys, pet or babysitting are all good ways to ensure that you have an extra bit of cash that can be purely channelled into your savings account. Keeping your emergency savings account filled is important, and if you can do this with little effort, then you’re in for a win!
Budget Cuts
Go down the list of expenses that you have and work out where you can make cuts. Things as simple as switching brands at the supermarket, turning the thermostat down a little every day and reducing how much you use the washer can all help you reduce costs. You should also check out your current utility costs and work out whether you can switch companies. Sometimes you can cadge a really good deal simply by stating that you are going to change to another provider.
Evening Work
If you drive, why not pick up a couple of hours of delivery work every evening? You can drive around to the houses of those who place their orders and earn yourself some cash while you do it. This extra income can be permanent, and you can get your emergency fund topped up quickly.
Once your emergency fund is topped up, you can relax and be safe in the knowledge that should you be injured or need time off work, your bills are covered.
