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How to Build a $1,000 Emergency Fund in 90 Days

July 7 // 28 Comments // 3 Minute Read

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Emergency Funds are crucial to survive life’s unexpected expenses, but where do you find the extra money to start one? Here’s how I turned my medical emergency into a money making challenge, and what I did to build an Emergency Fund FAST!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Emergency Funds are crucial to survive life's unexpected expenses, but where do you find the extra money to start one? This blogger turned her medical emergency into a money making challenge, and explains, in detail, how she earned $1,100 in just 90 days! #emergencyfund #savings #buildsavings #extramoney #budget #slushfund #sinkingfund


The moment I opened up that bill from the hospital, I knew we were in big trouble. Just a few weeks prior, we were dealing with a cancer scare (which turned out to be nothing, thankfully!, but all the tests, mammograms, and then ultimately a biopsy procedure quickly added up into a big chunk of change.

Even though I have insurance, it still requires a $2,500 deductible before any percentage kicks in, so obviously, a major claim would require significant payment up front. On the bright side though, if anything else happens between now and the end of the year, I’m pretty much covered! Not that I’m hoping for another emergency…..ahem.

Thankfully, Joseph and I have always had a $1,000 Emergency Fund in place to cover things like this. We’d love to have more, of course, but it’s certainly better than nothing. This recent medical emergency, however, depleted our fund rather quickly. We needed to find a way to not only cover the rest of our medical bills, but also build an emergency fund back up again….and fast.

I got right to work figuring out all the extra things we could do to pull in more income. My goal was to see how fast I could earn an extra $1,000 from scratch, and kept detailed records so I could show you how to do it too!

Brainstorm and Make a List

My first course of action was to do a major brainstorm. I took out a blank sheet of notebook paper, and wrote down anything and everything I could come up with to put extra money in our pocket.

This included things like:

  • Household items to sell (things we didn’t need or use anymore)
  • Freelance job opportunities
  • Money making apps
  • Reward programs

I was very detailed in my list, and even went through some of my own Income Earning posts to make sure I didn’t miss anything!

Hustle…..a Lot

Next, it was time to get to work. Joseph and I both searched Craigslist every day for random job opportunities, sorted through our stuff so we could sell it later, and kept a running tally of everything we sold or earned.

Here’s what we pulled in during the process:

  • Sold a $50 unused gift card to a restaurant we don’t like through GiftCards.com ($40.25)
  • Went through all our DVD’s and sold a few through SellDVDsOnline.com ($8.11)
  • Sold a couple books through Amazon’s Trade-in Program ($7.46)
  • Sold books, real estate signs, a SodaStream, and a deep freezer that didn’t work through Craigslist ($49.00)
  • Sold a board game on BoardGameGeek.com ($18.00)
  • Experimented with UserTesting.com, which hires individuals to test websites. ($13.00)
  • Received birthday money from grandparents ($45.00)
  • Cashed out pending credit card rewards ($125.00)
  • Cashed out my Ibotta rewards (if you haven’t heard of Ibotta, you just must check out my Ibotta app review!) ($38.00)
  • Took on a dog-sitting client ($150.00)
  • Went back to my Virtual Assistant roots and did some work for a friend ($182.50)
  • Joseph found a professional on Craigslist who needed photos of items they were selling ($239.40)
  • Joseph filmed peewee football for a few Saturdays ($200.00)

All in all, it only took us 90 days to earn everything mentioned above, and our final Emergency Fund amount came in at $1,115.72. This was even more money than we were originally hoping for!

My Biggest Takeaway

Now, I know $1,000 sounds like a lot, and to be honest, there were a few times when I thought we’d never meet it in the timeframe we wanted, but we DID. It reminded me again how important it is to never let a lofty goal scare you into inaction. Just because something sounds hard, doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

So here’s my challenge to you, should you choose to accept it….

Maybe you don’t have an Emergency Fund yet, OR it has unexpectedly dried up over the past few months. It’s time to set a new goal to replenish it as soon as possible. Having any amount that is safe and secure for whenever life’s unexpected emergencies pop up is crucial to not losing the financial progress you’ve made so far.

$1,000 is a great number to shoot for, but the final total is ultimately up to you. Be sure to let that goal scare you just a little bit though, because I find that’s what propels you forward to actually meet it!

Do you have an emergency fund?

Looking for more tips for how to manage money better? I’ve got 60+ resources over on this page!

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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Comments

  1. Ramona says

    November 9 at 3:51 pm

    We have an emergency fund that we ‘funded’ from our 2 businesses. I am actually looking into selling some unused stuff, since husband likes to ‘hoard’ all kinds of things we never use.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      November 12 at 3:07 pm

      That’s great, Ramona! It’s smart that you are still looking for ways to increase your emergency fund even though it’s not depleted.

      Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    November 9 at 11:14 pm

    I love this, Kalyn! My husband has always been adamant about having an emergency fund, even when it would have been nice to put the money somewhere else. We’ve trimmed the grocery budget to add to the fund, but I love all of your ideas! I am definitely going to have to try some of them, especially selling books-did you find that to be hard, or fairly easy through Amazon?

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      November 12 at 3:10 pm

      The program itself was very easy. The value you get for your books depends totally on the book. Some books will fetch you a few dollars, others may not even be available. They let you know all that information on each book though before you commit.

      Reply
  3. Jim Wang says

    November 10 at 8:21 am

    It’s always good to have a few side hustle levers you can pull in a pinch. You might not do many of them on a day to day basis but when push comes to shove, it’s good to know you can turn time into cash just to get back to square one. Certainly better than going into credit card debt!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      November 12 at 3:13 pm

      Absolutely! We treat credit card debt as something that is not an option. Whenever something comes along that surprises us it’s all about what we can do to pay it off now rather than pay it and extraordinary interest rates later. Ultimately I’m hoping to get to the place where it takes more and more to deplete that emergency fund.

      Reply
  4. Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says

    November 12 at 3:58 pm

    Well done, Kalyn, and I’m glad you are okay, health wise, as well! We’re so close to fully-funding our emergency fund and I think that might be our big goal come January.It’s just a crazy time right now, but I think it would be a great way to approach and begin the new year, determined treach a big goal! Thanks for sharing all the ways you reached your goal. Very helpful!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      November 21 at 10:54 pm

      You can totally reach that goal next year, Kristen! If you use any creative ways to get there please share them!

      Reply
  5. Sylvia says

    November 12 at 5:15 pm

    Congrats on your successful goal accomplishment and out of the box thinking!I have gotten really serious about decluttering the last year, and until I can walk through my home and smile at everything, I’m going to keep going. I’ve been selling a lot on Craig’s List and have promised not to buy anything new before really giving it a lot of thought and then it has to be purchased out of the selling money. I love a bunch of your ideas and am going to try them out. I have yet to tackle my books, some of which I’ve had since 1968.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      November 21 at 10:56 pm

      That is so inspiring , Sylvia. Clutter is one of those things that creeps up on us without realizing it. Sounds like you are being very pro-active not just in taking care of the clutter, but in keeping it from coming back. Keep up the great work! {Books can be so hard to get rid of can’t they?!}

      Reply
  6. Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom says

    November 15 at 3:57 pm

    This is so inspiring, Kalyn! The way you all are digging in and working hard to make the best of a difficult situation is just admirable. And so glad that the cancer ended up being nothing! What a blessing!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      November 21 at 11:05 pm

      Thank you, Lydia. I am so grateful that it was nothing to worry about. That said, I really look up to those people who have had to, and who are walking that tough road when their news was not as positive.

      Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    January 7 at 12:08 am

    how was your experience with usertesting.com? I’m looking into checking into it and wanted to know everyones opinions.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      January 7 at 12:02 pm

      Usertesting was hit and miss. My husband was the one that tried that out and sometimes he would be able to do more than one in a day, but more often than not he didn’t meet the requirements of whatever the testing company was looking for. When it came to action itself it was very easy to do and probably gives you a really good payout for just a little work. I think it works best for those who can check their accounts several times per day.

      Reply
    • Amy says

      November 24 at 4:58 pm

      You have to be patient with it. As it gets to know you, you get more tests that you qualify for. I have been doing them for 3 years now and it is a huge help! I completely funded spending money for our Disney world trip earning $1800 in 6 weeks. That was extraordinary. I had it open all the time and checked it constantly. My family knew i was saving money for Disney and understood that temporarily I would accept every opportunity that came through. I always do a bunch around Christmas too to help with our travel expenses.

      Reply
  8. Christine says

    January 8 at 6:34 am

    Just found this post and it came at the perfect time for me. My husband had a cancer health scare and had surgery. He. Is better now but the bills have not come in yet and we have a very high deductible. Thank you for this post. I will be applying what you mentioned and this will keep me focused to keep pushing.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      January 11 at 10:16 am

      Hi Christine! I am soo happy to hear that your husband is better!! You’ve got this. You can tackle all those bills. A service that you might want to look into is Copatient.com. I’ve read about them and researched it a little bit but have not used them yet. They might be able to help you lower some of those bills.

      Reply
  9. Pat says

    January 22 at 8:14 am

    Great article. Really great — new thoughts and ideas!

    Reply
  10. Gerald says

    January 28 at 11:31 pm

    I have many challenges 52 week, I have quit drinking and that money goes into a saving account weekly. I also trying to sell stuff that I have but no luck yet. I’m sure I will sell soon.

    Reply
  11. Catrina Murray says

    March 10 at 7:38 pm

    I’m getting married in November 2016 and I was looking for ways to make extra money for our wedding. I do save money but never really thought about doing something like this. Thanks for the idea I accept the challenge.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      March 14 at 9:57 am

      Congratulations, Catrina! With a few months until the big day you should be able to see lots of extra cash! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Amber says

    March 17 at 5:11 pm

    Always handy to have some money on hand that you simply don’t touch outside of emergencies. Love the post – particularly the fact that you took the time to provide links to sites that worked for you. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      March 21 at 1:44 pm

      It truly is, Amber. Although I have to admit, any time I have to spend some of it on an actual emergency….I still get a little anxious to see the balance go down. 🙂

      Reply
  13. Ariana says

    April 6 at 8:55 pm

    What a wonderful post! Too often I read posts that are so vague they aren’t any help. I love the way you’ve actually broken it down here. Real information that is very helpful. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      April 7 at 9:32 am

      You’re welcome, Ariana!

      Reply
  14. Ruth says

    December 19 at 8:27 am

    We’re on baby step 3 of Dave Ramsey’s plan, so we’re working on finishing our 3-6 months of expenses in the bank. We are aiming for $10,000.00 and are almost there. We are so thankful that we made this a priority. On the same day that my husband got laid off from his job, one of our tires also needed to be replaced. Since the emergency fund was there, I simply went and paid for the tire and didn’t have that stress stacked on top of the unemployment stress.

    Having an emergency fund means turning a crisis into an inconvenience! It has made such a difference for us. The biggest thing that we’ve done to turn our finances is to follow a written budget every month. My favorite way to do that is EveryDollar. It has really been a huge blessing to us! I highly recommend it!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      December 28 at 3:34 pm

      “Turning a crisis into an inconvenience.” I like that.

      Great work on building your emergency fund!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

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Minimalism ≠ Deprivation.⁣
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Sadly, I find m

Minimalism ≠ Deprivation.⁣
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Sadly, I find most people resist minimalism because they can't wrap their head around "having less." People tend to equate this movement with blank walls, white IKEA furniture, and decluttering everything in your home down to practically nothing so you can live full-time in an RV. Like me. 😉⁣
⁣
But, while minimalism could be all that, this mindset misses the point. Minimalism is not only about “having less.” 🚫⁣
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It’s so much more than that.⁣
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This week on the blog, I'm sharing the REAL definition of minimalism (that people who love their stuff can totally get behind!) as well as practical ways to incorporate minimalism into your life. 🎉⁣
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Drop a heart emoji in the comments below and I'll send the link to your DM's! 💖

I love lazy Saturday mornings…as long as I have
I love lazy Saturday mornings...as long as I have a book and a cozy blanket! 😍

I wrote this in my journal the other day: 📓⁣

I wrote this in my journal the other day: 📓⁣
⁣
“I’ve been thinking about what tech boundaries I want to instill, including boundaries related to work and productivity. I’ve become less careful about my media consumption, and it’s having a negative affect on my mental health.” 💞⁣
⁣
Have you ever felt a similar tug? ⁣
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I can’t begin to tell you how many times I pick up my phone because I’m bored or lonely or jealous or unhappy. It almost always makes me feel worse. And yet...I struggle to stop. 😝⁣
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Here are the ideas I’ve been trying this month and I’m already seeing a positive effect:⁣
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➕ No logging into social media after 8pm. I need to wind down for the night, not get lost in my phone! 📲⁣
➕ Open Instagram with a purpose—either to post or to interact. Stop endlessly scrolling.⁣
➕ My only screen time before 9am should be for Bible Study apps or News. 🗞⁣
➕ Turn my phone on Do Not Disturb during Tiger Time (when I need the most focus for work) 💪⁣
➕ Work no more than 4 hours on my business per day. If a task isn’t complete, push it to the next day. This time frame has really helped me prioritize! 💻⁣
➕ Watch one show per day (or two if they are short!) and leave movies for the weekend. 📺⁣
⁣
What tech boundaries have you set up? Are any new as of this year? I’d love to hear your ideas! 😃

What’s one thing you budget for that other peopl
What’s one thing you budget for that other people might not? I always find those interesting. 😃⁣
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You might have a mortgage. I budget for campgrounds. You might want a separate clothing budget, while I’m fine combining it under “Beauty and Style.” Recently, we also added a new line item for our motorcycle—something I NEVER thought would appear in our budget. ⁣
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See, we’re all different! ⁣
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Recently, I rearranged my budget categories and created this “cheat sheet.” Sometimes I forget where things go, like picking up new wall art for the living room. Does this item belong in the categories of Household Items or Home Maintenance? 🤔⁣
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Now I know! And I save time processing receipts each Friday. 🧾⁣
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What budgeting categories do you use? Share one of your random budget line items with me in the comments below! 😃

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
⁣
I

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
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I’m never afraid to stop reading a book if it doesn’t live up to the hype. Why invest more time in a book I’m not all that excited about when I could be exploring new authors and storylines where I can’t wait to turn the page? 🤷⁣
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But in 2020, I let more books go than I normally do. I suppose my patience dwindled when I thought the world was ending. Not that I thought the world was actually ending…but you know what I mean. 😉⁣
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As an Enneagram 1, I hate giving up on a book. I’m prone to the all-or-nothing mentality, even in my reading habits. My eyes could glaze over boring prose and I’d still repeat to myself: “You MUST finish this book!” 😫⁣
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Why? ⁣
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No one is adding a plastic star to your Book-It pin, (Remember those?) This isn’t assigned reading from your high school English class. This is YOUR reading life. ⁣
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And YOU should choose what books deserve your attention. 📚⁣
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There are too many good ones out there anyway.  Like one of my favorite reads from 2020. 😍⁣
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This week’s newest blog post rounds up everything I read last year (43 books total!) including 5-star psychological thrillers, a delightful royal series, a couple self-help books, and of course, historical fiction.⁣
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Click the link in my bio to read it! ☝⁣
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What were your favorite books in 2020? Our literary styles might be a match made in heaven! ✨

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
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T

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
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These small but mighty sidekicks will be my saving grace this year. 📚⁣
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1️⃣ Bullet Journal (Blue) - for everyday planning and goal setting⁣
2️⃣ Regular Journal (Yellow) - to track gratitude (5 things a day!) and to process ALL the feelings⁣
3️⃣ Growth Journal (Sand) - a space for me to brain dump everything I learn from books, podcasts, sermons, etc ⁣
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That last one is new to me as of this year and I can't wait to flip back through all my notes come December! 📆⁣
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What planners/journals are you using for 2021?


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