T
9

My emergency fund finally hit $5k and it feels weirdly pointless

On one side, it's a huge relief to have that buffer. On the other, it's just sitting there losing value to inflation, which is frustrating. Has anyone else hit a savings goal and felt more conflicted than happy?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
price.tara
price.tara7d agoTop Commenter
What changed your view on the purpose of that money? I used to see my emergency fund as dead cash too, until a busted water heater wiped out my checking account overnight. That five grand sitting there was the only reason I didn't go into debt. It went from feeling pointless to being the most important money I own.
0
charles_green95
Remember it's not really dead cash though. I mean, it's doing a job by just sitting there. That job is keeping you from panic borrowing or selling stuff at a loss when things break. My buddy had to sell his guitar collection way under value to cover a medical bill. The emergency fund is like paying for insurance, you just hope you never have to use it.
4
andrew_palmer99
Totally get that. Watched my sister's car transmission fail last year. She had to put the three thousand dollar fix on a credit card because she had no savings. Seeing her pay interest on that for months made me finally start my own fund. Now I keep a separate savings account just for that peace of mind. It feels boring until you really need it.
3