Emergency Fund

Everyone should have an emergency fund set aside. $1,000 is a good amount, but if you are able more is best. Having sometime of emergency fund which you can keep in your savings account is good to have for any type of emergencies such as a car break down, hospital bills, an appliance breaking down.

Some ideas on how to build up your emergency fund is setting aside your tax refund, setting aside your overtime pay, those extra paychecks you may receive once or twice a year, or having a garage sale are a few ideas.

Once you have the $1,000 set aside, work on eliminating your debt. If you have no debt than all the better. Start working on building up 3-6 months living expenses for those unexpected lay offs at your job.

Financial books to read:

I definitely enjoy reading books and even better I like to read books that will help me in certain areas such in the financial area. I am thankful to say that my husband and I have never been in debt and we are pretty good with our finances, but as I have said before there is always room for learning more.
Dave Ramsey and Crown Financial Ministries are two great resources to help in this area. I have read some financial books this year that I would like to share with you.

"Miserly Moms Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy" by Jonni McCoy.
"Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom" by Stephanie Nelson.
"America's cheapest family gets you right on the money : your guide to living better, spending less and cashing in on your dreams" by Steve and Annette Economides