Everyone Tells You to Save $1,000. Nobody Tells You How.
Financial advice is brutal when you're broke. "Build a $1,000 emergency fund!" they say. Cool. Except you're living paycheck to paycheck and don't have $50 left at the end of the month.
That's why I'm going to tell you something different: start with $0. Seriously.
Why a $0 Emergency Fund Matters
A $0 emergency fund just means: make a plan for when shit hits the fan, even if you don't have money saved yet. It sounds useless, but it's not.
When an emergency hits and you have no plan and no money, you panic and make bad decisions. You take out a payday loan at 400% interest. You use a credit card. You stress yourself sick.
When an emergency hits and you have a PLAN (even with no money), you're calmer. You know your backup options. You make better choices.
Your $0 Emergency Fund Plan
- Know your low-cost backup options: Gig work (tasks, delivery), church/community aid, family loans, food banks, utility assistance programs, hospital payment plans.
- Keep important numbers handy: Your bank, landlord, employer, local utility assistance, food bank.
- Know one person you could ask for help: Not to beg, but to know where you stand.
- Have a side gig in mind: Something you could do fast if you needed quick cash (gig work, freelance, whatever).
How to Start Building When You Can
Once you have a $0 plan, the pressure goes down. And when you find $5, it goes in a savings account. You find $10? It goes in. You don't need to save $1,000 at once. Small amounts compound faster than you think.
- Every $5 you find—between seat cushions, cashback apps, gig work—goes to savings.
- Your goal isn't $1,000. It's just "more than I have now."
- $50 buys you time in an emergency. Then $100. Then $200.
The Real Emergency Fund Hack
The secret isn't money. It's options. The more options you have (side gigs, community resources, people who can help, assistance programs), the less you need in savings.
A rich person with no plan and $10,000 in savings can still panic in an emergency. A broke person with 5 solid backup plans can handle a lot.
The Bottom Line
Stop feeling guilty that you don't have $1,000 saved. Start with $0—make a plan, know your options, and save what you can when you can. Even $5 counts. Even having a backup plan counts. You're not failing. You're surviving smart.