An emergency fund is good insurance

You may have gone to a lot of trouble to work out a budget so you know just what bills are coming in and how much you'll need to pay them. Then you feel that anything left over is yours to spend how you like. That is true of course; you've earned that money and so you have the right to spend it.

But before you go out and blow the lot on a party or the latest electronic gadget, remember that life has a habit of taking some unexpected turns. And usually money is needed to cover the costs. If you have only enough cash set aside to pay your expected bills, what happens when you get an unexpected one? Your water heater could suddenly develop a serious leak, the car may need unexpected repairs, or illness may keep you from working for some months.

If you've set aside money in an emergency fund such as a savings account or short term deposit, you won't need to worry how you'll cope financially. Sure, you feel that your credit card will get you out of any financial hole, but don't forget you have to pay that back. And if you don't pay it in time, you'll get hit with the highest interest there is. Using a credit card to cope with unexpected bills could well be digging a financial hole that it is very difficult to climb out of. So creating a special fund to cope with emergencies is a sensible thing to do.