I left my job about two months ago, and I applied for unemployment immediately. I got a new job today, but I STILL haven’t gotten my unemployment decision. Additionally, my food stamp application was delayed due to personal circumstances. In short, had I not had money saved for an emergency, I would have been mega-screwed.

I know some people are not in a position where they have the luxury of storing away significant amounts of cash but, if you are, I beg of you to do so if you aren’t already. I can’t imagine what position I’d be in right now if not for my budgeting.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

PS. I posted this here instead of in c/finance because the sidebar there specifies that it’s supposed to be for finance-related news.

  • The other benefit of having a proper emergency fund is being able to say no to your boss without any fear. It took me 10 years but I have enough accessible funds to go a year easily without any new income. The freedom at work is so nice. I’ve noticed that my confidence at not needing the job makes them take me way more seriously and offer all kinds of benefits they don’t afford everyone.