Shoutout to my neighbor for pointing out my dumbest money move

I was bragging about my 'emergency fund' in a high-yield savings account, but he asked me how much I had in there. When I said $500, he just laughed and said that wouldn't even cover a flat tire. I've been putting $20 a month in for years thinking I was so smart. What's a realistic emergency fund goal to start with?

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jake_knight246mo ago

Been there, did the same thing for way too long.

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evan_campbell6mo ago

Yeah, I saw something about that. Was it a podcast or an article? I can't remember where I heard it now.

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victorb746mo ago

Oof, that "wouldn't even cover a flat tire" line hits hard because it's so true. I did the exact same thing, putting a tiny bit in a savings account and calling it good. What finally worked for me was picking one small, real goal first, like saving $1,000 just for car stuff. It felt way more real than a vague "emergency fund." Once I hit that, I slowly built it up to cover a full month of bills. Starting with a specific number for a likely problem made it much less overwhelming.

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