Throughout my long working career as an advertising writer, I always earned enough income to provide for my family.
However, no matter how much I brought home on payday, it never seemed to cover unexpected expenses, especially when emergencies occurred.
After one particularly costly roof repair that devastated our bank account, I decided to prepare for future emergencies by creating a special fund by finding another source of income.
I would use my spare time and editorial experience to become an online freelance writer.
If successful, that extra income would help establish and build that emergency fund.
There are many opportunities to earn money by writing for online sites, and soon I was succeeding to build up that emergency fund with extra income. Then, inevitably, Murphy’s Law took over.
It crushed my plans to use the emergency funds for fun family extras, such as dinners out, movies, concerts and ball game tickets.
However, it didn’t happen that way.
For example, whenever I received a check for $300, immediately a new kids’ wardrobe for school season would cost exactly $300.
If I earned $500 for some online articles I’d sold, a repair that suddenly became necessary on the family car would inevitably cost exactly $500.
However, I could always look at the positive side of earning extra money for an emergency fund. Those unexpected bills would have required taking money out of my regular earnings, and that could have meant cutbacks in other areas.
Establishing an emergency fund for unexpected expenses is more than just a convenience. Often it is needed for paying sudden bills or settling obligations that must be met quickly.
For example, we were invited by my employer on a weekend business and pleasure cruise from a nearby port.
My expenses were covered, but if I wanted my spouse to attend, I needed a quick $500 for my spouse’s cruise fee and another $100 for a two-night babysitter.
Can you guess what the total was in my emergency fund at that moment? Tell me in the comments below.