Can you cash flow your emergencies?
Some of our emergencies, we can cash flow. Mini emergencies ($400 and under) we can pretty much cash flow, meaning we don’t have to tap the savings account. We can use our paycheck to handle it. The less debt a person have, the more they can cash flow.
So try your best to keep your debts as low as possible.
That’s just my opinion, Experts may say keep 6 months of expenses in your savings. Whatever!
I say keeps your debts low, therefore you have more to cash flow your emergencies.
Money magazine says a true (major) emergency happens to us once every ten years. I believe that.
If you have big emergencies every week, month, or year. It maybe your income or just bad budgeting causing your emergencies seem to bigger than they are.
Let’s say 2 people get a $150 speeding ticket. One makes enough in a 2 week pay period to cash flow (pay) the ticket. The other have to skip a bill or borrow the money.
The next pay period everything is gravy. The first person goes on with their life.
The second person now owes the credit card company or owe double on the bill they had to skip to pay for the speeding ticket. So next month he is in the hole and behind. This can linger for several months.
So 9 times out of 10, This person has an income/budget problem. It was not the speeding ticket that got him in trouble it was lack of budgeting or income.
The speeding ticket just was the symptom of the problem.
Now he is the kicker, most people do not see it that way. They would blame it on the ticket, on the police, on the car, on whatever destination they were rushing to.
Instead of on their lack of financial stability.
Trust me, I know this because I use to be one of those people. I got my act together and starting being wise with money.



January 24th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Not only CAN I cash flow an emergency, but I did just that last month with $509 in car repairs! Being on a budget ROCKS (and so does killing off consumer debt)!
January 24th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Yes, being poor is expensive.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
My girlfriend is living like this now – or, I should say, her boyfriend is. He doesn’t budget at all. So when he has a financial problem, his lady (my friend) who actually does plan and budget has to make up the shortfall, and then it takes several pay periods to get back on track.
It’s difficult to get a savings together when you’re behind on your bills already. More income would help but isn’t always easily obtained. But just like there are bad times, there are good ones too, and folks would do better to plan and save for a rainy day when the sun is out.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:30 am
*eyeroll* @ “omar.” You’re definitely on point with this one. It all goes back to living on less than you earn vs. financing every penny you bring in.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:13 am
no, a speeding ticket is not an emergency:) an emergency for me now would probably be my car breaking down which is why I’m taking 500 to 700 hundred from my tax refund to save for that. that is my e-fund, ha! Let’s see..I have rental insurance…health insurance..if a true emergency occurs every 10 years I don’t think I’ve seen one. Even when I dropped 700 on my car in the past it was still drivable.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:45 am
@ sister ant, you can sell things on ebay to get some quick dollars
@k – I had to delete omar message, it was just spam
@ everything, my point is that most people make little emergencies (i.e speeding tickets) into big ones. Its good if you never had a major emergency in 10 years.
My last major emergency in which I had to tap my funds was when I was pregnant and not working.
February 13th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
This post reminded me of the new reality show Parking Wars.
Then you get a 2nd ticket, don’t pay that either, and next thing you know your car is towed. No car, no getting to your job… See, now that’s what I call a debt snowball!