In a world where chaos seems to creep a little closer every day—whether it’s inflation, layoffs, medical emergencies, or just life being life—having a financial buffer is more important than ever. In this episode of the Survival Punk Podcast, I’m diving into one of the most overlooked parts of prepping: the emergency fund.

An emergency fund is simple—it’s money set aside for life’s “oh crap” moments. Your car breaks down. The fridge dies. A storm knocks out power and you need supplies. If you don’t have cash set aside, your only option is debt. And debt is a trap.

I don’t care how good your bug out bag is—if you can’t afford a car repair without going into panic mode, you’re not truly prepared.

A lot of new preppers are fired up about gear, food storage, and bug out plans—but they forget financial readiness. It’s not sexy. It’s not tactical. But it’s critical. You can’t buy your way out of trouble when you’re broke and maxed out.

Maybe you’ve never had an emergency fund. Maybe you had one and spent it. Or maybe you think you can’t afford to start one. I’ve been there. But you can build one. And you should—now.

While cleaning out my aunt’s house, I found a copy of The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. I downloaded the audiobook, listened to it twice, and it hit me hard. We weren’t living on a budget. We weren’t saving. Even with low debt, we were just coasting—and that’s dangerous.

So my wife and I sat down and made a strict budget for August. And you know what? The numbers worked. We weren’t making too little—we were just being sloppy with what we had.

Dave Ramsey’s first step is to build a $1,000 emergency fund as fast as possible. Not in a year. Not in six months. In 30 days.

That may sound impossible—but it’s not. I walked through how I’m doing it, and how you can too:

Cut unnecessary expenses (energy drinks, eating out, random impulse buys)

Track every dollar (use apps like Rocket Money or go old school with pen and paper)

Sell what you don’t need (Facebook Marketplace, yard sales, eBay)

Work side gigs or pick up extra hours

Donate plasma (seriously, payouts are wild right now)

Do DoorDash, temp jobs, odd jobs, or anything else to bring in fast cash

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s momentum. Once that emergency fund is in place, your stress drops and your control over your life increases.

Money stress can wreck relationships. But having a plan? That brings peace. Your spouse might resist at first—mine did. But once the math starts mathing, it’s hard to argue with the results. Just make sure to build in spending money, fun, and flexibility so it’s sustainable.

If you can’t survive a minor financial hiccup, how are you going to handle a major disaster?

Being truly prepared starts with mastering the basics—and that includes money. Building an emergency fund gives you the breathing room to deal with life’s punches without falling into panic or debt.

It’s not optional. It’s not later. It’s now.

Listen to Episode 470 now to hear the full breakdown, real-world examples, and how I’m building my own emergency fund from the ground up. Spoiler: You can too.

Until next time—DIY or die, y’all.

The Total Money Makeover Updated and Expanded: A Proven Plan for Financial Peace

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