Starting an Emergency Fund

from Off Grid Survival - Hiking, Backpacking, Survivalists & Gear by Robert

It really shocks me how many preppers fail to prep financially. In my mind having an emergency fund is just as important as stocking up on life’s other necessities. I think the reason a lot of people fail to start an emergency fund is because they feel overwhelmed.
It’s estimated that 90% of the country lives paycheck to paycheck. No wonder so many people struggle with finding any extra money to put aside.
Do you have an emergency fund? Here are a couple of ideas that might help you find some extra cash for your fund.

1. Have a garage sale – How much junk do you have laying around that could help you build your emergency fund? Why not have a garage sale and sell all that crap?
2. Cheaper Plans – Check your cable, cell phone, and  internet plans to see if there is a cheaper option. You could also cut out the cable all together for a cheaper option like Netflix or a free option like hulu.com
3. Cancel your magazine & newspaper subscription. If you have internet access you probably don’t need them anyways..
4. Stop eating out – Cooking at home saves a ton of money.
5. Rice and beans baby! Is there anything that you could change on your grocery list? Eating healthy & filling foods like brown rice and beans can help you save a huge amount of money.
6. Garage Sales and Thrift Stores. – If you really need something why not check the thrift stores or the garage sales first?
7. Free Activities – Local Parks, camping, hiking, baseball, basketball, etc…. Remember the good old days when you could leave the house without breaking the bank? There are still a number of things that you and your family can do that don’t cost a dime.
8. Barter – What skills do you have that you can use to barter for the products and services that you need?
9. Sell some stuff on Craigslist
10. Get a gig on Craigslist – You can often find odd jobs in the gigs section that can help increase your fund.
11. No More Starbucks – Do you really need to spend 4 bucks a day on coffee?
12. Although this goes against saving money it will help you in the long run…. I recommend buying The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness (you could also check it out from the library to save some money)