https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 22 May 2026 18:18:48 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2564445 Thu, 09 Jun 2016 12:44:30 +0000 PurplePumps 2564445@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Truth Bombs: Ah, that makes sense. We do have another "emergency" savings fund that I didn't count because we'd been talking about investing it (very conservatively). We're just looking at it as lost potential right now in a savings account rather than invested. Maybe we're just too optimistic with the possible worst case scenarios... I did have a lot invested in 08/09... and you're right, it would have totally sucked to have had to withdrawn at that time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2564192 Thu, 09 Jun 2016 08:08:07 +0000 Truth Bombs 2564192@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PurplePumps: To me having cash is less about the 3 day settlement issue and more about having money that isn't subject to market fluctuations. So I don't want to be in a scenario where the market crashes AND we have a job loss or emergency (possible for us since I work in finance) and now I'm forced to liquidate investments at the worst possible time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2564171 Thu, 09 Jun 2016 06:56:07 +0000 Pollywog 2564171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In liquid savings, at least 6 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2564084 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 20:13:05 +0000 Mae 2564084@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If either my husband or I lost our income we could get by (with effort, but possible) without drawing from savings, so our number is a little lower than it would be otherwise. If we both lost our jobs and were living 100% off of savings it would last us 4-6 months depending on how frugal we became (I assume we'd be exceedingly frugal if we BOTH lost our jobs...) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2564005 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 17:17:08 +0000 sapphire 2564005@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>6 months of expenses. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563981 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 16:18:25 +0000 MrsBrewer 2563981@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have around 5k in our disposable savings, and that seems plenty. Not including investments/401k. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563974 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 15:58:22 +0000 NorCalWayfarer 2563974@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>6 months expenses in savings. We just bought a house so we had to dip into that a little bit but we've replenished pretty much within a month and a half so I feel better about it now :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563957 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 15:19:25 +0000 catomd00 2563957@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We prefer to have our annul salaries in savings at all times whenever possible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563944 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 15:00:24 +0000 PurplePumps 2563944@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't really feel the need to have anything totally liquid. It would day 2-3 business days to get our hands on a lot of cash, but I just can't imagine a scenario where I would need cash *immediately*. However we do like to keep about 20k (totally arbitrary number) for things like vacations, big ticket home items, big med bills and other random large cost. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563822 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 12:49:25 +0000 skipra 2563822@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are a little short right now but I like to have an emergency fund of about 6 months of our regular expenses and spending plus about a $5k cushion in our joint checking account. We also have a separate account for savings for our house expenses. We don't have much in there and live in an old house so I wish we had more. We also have a more general savings account that we will use for a new car and later on things like vacation, Christmas shopping, or other splurges. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563795 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 12:07:10 +0000 catlady 2563795@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have 3 months (a very comfortable 3 months, so probably more like 4-5) earmarked as emergency funds. In a true bind (like the extremely slim chance that both of us lost jobs at the same time), we could take LO out of daycare, and it could last us much longer.</p> <p>We have additional savings that we will use for future known expenses, like vacations, my next maternity leave, and (the big one) a bigger house in a couple years. We try not to touch the emergency fund for that type of stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563787 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 11:52:29 +0000 DesertDreams88 2563787@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our emergency fund has three months of living expenses, and we pretty much only access it in case of several hundred dollars of auto repair work or medical expenses, or job loss.</p> <p>Other savings for particular goals, like new cars, new computers, maternity leave, labor and birth expenses, or travel, is done in a separate savings account. We usually reevaluate those goals every six to nine months and try to save for those things within the year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563778 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 11:42:32 +0000 Ree723 2563778@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have more of a set figure in my head, which equates to 2.5 months of DH's current take home salary (post taxes etc). It would be enough to pay our monthly bills for 4-5 months, give or take a bit.</p> <p>We are a single income family (I SAH) but since we live in the UK, where health care is universally provided, regardless of employment status, I'm not as concerned as I would be if we lived in the US where health benefits are tied into your employment. Also, unless there is a grievous offence, notice of termination is usually minimum of four weeks here, so we'd have plenty of time to prepare/find another job. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563777 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 11:42:26 +0000 Pumpkin Pie 2563777@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My concern is also job loss mostly. We've been there and it was really scary. After that experience I feel like it can never be enough, but I think 12 months of expenses is a reasonable amount. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563764 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 11:14:36 +0000 petitenoisette 2563764@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'll give a specific dollar amount of $5k is the minimum easily accessible savings I am comfortable with. My job is pretty well protected and I would have a lot of advance warning if I were somehow going to lose it so I don't really account for that possibility. My husband could lose his but we can pay our bills using my income. </p> <p>Our emergency fund is greater than that but we're going to have to dip into it soon for dental work I need done but we will still be above the 5k mark so I am ok with that. It would have to be a true emergency for me to be ok going below that number at this point. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563628 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:23:50 +0000 snowjewelz 2563628@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At the moment I have about 5x my monthly salary in our checking/savings account that ca be taken out at anytime. </p> <p>I have about a year's worth of salary invested; I forget how much of that is liquid but I remember it's a good amount b/c I'm very risk adverse! </p> <p>I don't really count DH's money since he currently does not have a steady income (or any at all). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563626 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:16:42 +0000 looch 2563626@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Truth Bombs: Yes, that's it for us as well, protecting against potential job loss. I've seen too much to think it's not going to happen to one of us at some point. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563625 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:15:24 +0000 Truth Bombs 2563625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At the moment we have 3 months of expenses in actual legitimate cash, and lots more in investments that could be liquidated quickly if needed. We are mostly protecting against possible job loss. We don't really worry about emergencies because our monthly savings rate is so high that we rarely have an unexpected expense that we can't just cash flow from that month's earnings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563621 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:12:49 +0000 Synchronicity 2563621@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm also self employed, and I'm working on saving 6 months of expenses before we TTC. I won't be able to take that much time off, but I plan on working very part time for the first 6-9 months so I want to have enough set aside to not have to worry about the loss of income.</p> <p>ETA this money is being saved just for my mat leave; we have savings that we could access fairly easily that could cover probably a year of basic living expenses but that's not money that I'd want to touch unless we absolutely had to. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563619 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:09:14 +0000 catgirl 2563619@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In true liquid savings we keep a minimum of 6 months of expenses. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563618 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:09:00 +0000 looch 2563618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For me, there is never enough. I am a financial pessimist, basically. I always think of the worst case scenarios. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563603 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 07:42:49 +0000 LuLu Mom 2563603@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Overall our goal is 3 months of expenses + an extra 5K on top for emergencies (car problems, house problems, ect.) That's our emergency fund, we also have a small vacation fund set up that we could liquidate as well if a dire situation arose. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563601 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 07:41:23 +0000 mediagirl 2563601@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Feel okay - 3 months bills. Feel comfortable? 6 months. Feel set? 12+ months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-feel-comfortable-having-in-savings#post-2563596 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 07:37:10 +0000 Paddington10 2563596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work primarily for myself, and going out on "maternity leave" doesn't really exist for me! Got me thinking about savings. </p> <p>How much do you feel comfortable having in liquid (ie, money you could take out in an emergency) savings? Is it a percentage of your income, a certain number of months, a certain dollar amount? </p>