Easy Money Saving Tips to Quickly Build An Emergency Fund

Everyone needs an emergency fund.Even though it is not something fun to save for, you will be very happy that you have it when an unexpected cost occurs.It is a necessity for any family budget. Today, I am sharing a few easy money saving tips to help you quickly build an emergency fund.Nobody wants to incur more debt when a car needs to be repaired, or time taken off from work for illness.An emergency fund prevents you from going into debt, and is easy to establish with the right process.This may seem like a foreign concept to you, but trust me, it is important. Think of all the times your car has broken down, or your child broke their glasses, or any other cost came up that you hadn’t planned for.Wouldn't you rather have the money sitting in an account to pay for it rather than going into debt?Check out these easy money saving tips below so that you can begin to put money away into an emergency fundEasy Money Saving Tips To Quickly Build An Emergency FundDownsize drastically. If you need an emergency fund in place fast, this is one of the best ways to make it happen. Downsizing is often a big undertaking, but it can be well worth it in the long run.  For years we have worked toward having more, but sometimes more isn't really what we need to have.An emergency fund is vital for your financial health, and that often means getting rid of the items that just aren't necessary anymore.Sell your car.  This works best if you have more than one vehicle.  Many couples can easily carpool, or swap out work hours, so one car is more than sufficient.  If you live in an area with great public transportation options, you may even be able to sell your car and become a car free family that relies on low cost public transportation to get you around town to needed locations, work, or meetings.There are a lot of families in our area that only have one vehicle. Think about how much money you pay for your car payment and car insurance every single month. The savings could really start to add up.Downsize your expenses.  Looking at your budget and removing unnecessary things is a fast and easy way to free up money to go toward an emergency fund.If you haven't already, evaluate the money you are spending on anything that is not a basic need. You will quickly find money in your existing budget that can be moved directly into savings if not spent on your wants.This may be difficult, but make a list of your needs vs. wants. You may be able to quickly see that you can cut back on your monthly magazine subscription or gym membership.Purge everything you can. If the above downsizing options like getting rid of a car, aren't functional for your family situation, you will need to move on to other ways of downsizing.Look around your home and rid yourself of anything and everything you can spare.Sometimes, this is a tough thing to do when you really worked hard for the larger television or electronics, but I an emergency fund is needed fast, this is the way to go.If those items are too hard to part with then start small. Go through your closet and find any gently used clothing or shoes that you can sell for some extra cash.

• Hold a garage or yard sale
• Sell items on local social media swap shops
• List items on sites like eBay or Craigslist
• List in Yahoo sales groups
• Take items to a local flea market and sell

Here are some items to get you started:

• Sell extra kitchen equipment or small appliances that are rarely used.
• Sell old DVD's or video games that aren't being used
• Sell clothing that is in good condition that no longer fits or isn't your style
• Sell kids toys and games that are no longer needed
• Sell extra bedding, blankets, linens, curtains, and home décor that isn't needed.
• Sell furniture or electronics that are duplicates in your living room or family room (keep one set, but sell the second)
• Sell things like dirt bikes, ATV's, motorcycles, boats, and other recreational items that aren't necessary and can bring in a large sum of money fast

Take on extra jobs.  At the end of the day an emergency fund comes from a surplus of money in your budget.  An extra job is the ideal method to quickly build an emergency fund.It may be tough for some to find that extra job, or make it affordable if childcare is a consideration.  There are tons of ways to work around that when you communicate with your spouse and family to ask for help.

• Wait tables part time for tips
• Offer a service like hairstyling, house cleaning, or cooking for those in your community
• Take on a part time retail job on nights and weekends
• Babysit children in your home during the day or on nights and weekends for friends, family and those in your neighborhood
• Sell your handcrafted items online or at local craft fairs
• Work online doing surveys, online searches, and other tasks to earn gift cards and cash
• Do freelance work like graphic design, copy-writing, proofreading, writing, or even building websites for others
• Become a virtual assistant and help website owners, businesses, and bloggers with various online tasks.

As you work toward building an emergency fund, you'll find the fastest way to make this happen may be to work extra at a side job or home business.Devoting time toward extra work can make great money if you are able to make sure that it doesn't cost more in childcare expenses or wear and tear on your vehicle than it is worth.It is easy to quickly build an emergency fund when you focus on your goals. Depending on the amount of money needed in your fund right away, you may be able to do something small like a short time with a second job.If your need is larger, you may have to consider big changes like downsizing your home.If you are trying to put money away for an emergency fund I recommend that you write down how much money you would like to save. Next, you can make small savings goals.For example, if you want to save $500 in 2 months, then you could set a weekly savings goal of $65.I know $65 is a lot of money to put away on a weekly basis, but if you use some of the easy money savings tips from this post then you could quickly make it happen without having to majorly cutback.