FREE PRINTABLE
Four boxes and you have your real emergency fund number, in your own handwriting, in about ten minutes. Not three to six months of a salary you have not got.
Free download
Get the emergency fund worksheet
One page. You need last month’s rent and about ten minutes. Nothing else.
One email, one password, and it opens every printable on the site. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
What is on the page
- Your bare month. Not your normal month. The one where you cancel everything and still have a roof
- The three things. Name the first three emergencies that would actually happen to you, not the generic ones
- A starting target. A number small enough that you will begin this week
- Where it goes. Because the account you keep it in decides whether it survives a Tuesday
Why the three to six months rule keeps failing you
It hands you a multiplier and never hands you the thing to multiply. So you nod, you feel vaguely behind, you close the tab, and nothing starts. This page does it the other way round. You end up with one number that is genuinely yours, and it is almost always smaller and closer than the rule made it sound.
How to use it
- Print the sheet and get last month’s bank statement.
- Fill in the bare month box. Rent, utilities, food, transport, minimum debt payments. Nothing else.
- Name your first three. Be specific and be honest.
- Set the starting target. It is allowed to be $500.
- Open the account and move the first amount today, even if it is small.
Read next
- How Much Emergency Fund Do You Need?
- Where to keep it, and why separate is not enough
- How to Save $1,000 in 3 Months
- Savings challenges matched to your paycheck
- What to do first if you also have debt
- Every other printable on the site
Questions
What if I have debt as well?
Build a small cushion first, then attack the debt. A cushion is what stops the next surprise going straight back onto the card. The debt guide covers the order.
Is $500 really enough to start?
It is enough to start. It is not the finish line, and the worksheet gives you both numbers so you can see the distance.
Is it really free?
Yes. One email, one password, and the same password opens every printable on the site.