An emergency fund plan built on your real monthly costs
A broken boiler or a lost job shouldn't mean a credit card balance. This prompt has your todo.is agent work out your essential monthly costs from your numbers or statements, set a realistic emergency fund target, find money to put aside, compare where to keep it and check your progress with you each payday.
The prompt
- Make me an emergency fund plan. My essential monthly costs: [ESSENTIAL COSTS]. Take-home pay: [TAKE-HOME PAY]. My job and household: [JOB AND HOUSEHOLD]. Already saved: [CURRENT SAVINGS]. I can put aside about [MONTHLY AMOUNT]. Set a starter goal and a full target in months of essential costs that fits my situation, and show how long each will take. Find 5 ways to speed it up from my spending. Compare 3 easy-access savings accounts in [COUNTRY] with current rates and links. Send me a one-page PDF and a simple Excel tracker, and message me on WhatsApp on payday, the [PAYDAY], to log the deposit and show progress.
What to change
- [ESSENTIAL COSTS]: Rent or mortgage, bills, food, transport, insurance, minimum debt payments. Or attach 2 months of statements.
- [TAKE-HOME PAY]: Per month after tax, with currency.
- [JOB AND HOUSEHOLD]: E.g. "freelance designer, single, renting" or "two incomes, one child, own home". This sets how big the fund should be.
- [CURRENT SAVINGS]: Cash you could use today, e.g. "800".
- [MONTHLY AMOUNT]: What you can save now, even a small amount, e.g. "250".
- [COUNTRY]: So rates and account types are local, e.g. "UK".
- [PAYDAY]: E.g. "25th of each month" or "every other Friday".
Example result
- Emergency fund plan
- Freelance designer · single · renting in the UK · take-home about 2,600 a month (varies) · 800 saved · can save 250 a month
- All amounts are examples based on your inputs.
- Your essential monthly costs
- • Rent: 1,050
- • Council tax and bills: 260
- • Food: 280
- • Phone and internet: 45
- • Transport: 90
- • Insurance: 35
- • Minimum debt payments: 40
- • Total: about 1,800 a month
- Your targets
- • Starter goal: 1,000. Covers most one-off surprises. Reached next month.
- • Full target: 6 months of essentials = 10,800. Freelance income is irregular, so 6 months instead of 3.
- • At 250 a month plus the extras below (about 150), you reach the full target in about 22 months.
- 5 ways to speed it up
- • Cancel 2 unused subscriptions: about 25 a month
- • Batch-cook lunches 3 days a week: about 60 a month
- • Move 15% of every invoice paid above 2,500 straight to the fund
- • Sell the old laptop and camera lens: about 400 once
- • Put any tax refund straight in
- Where to keep it
- • An easy-access savings account in your name, separate from your current account so you don't spend it
- • Covered by the national deposit protection scheme
- • Your agent lists 3 accounts with today's rates and links in the PDF. Rates change, so check before you open one.
- When to use it
- • Yes: job or income loss, urgent car or home repair, medical or vet bills, emergency travel
- • No: holidays, sales, planned costs like Christmas (save for those separately)
- • After using it, refill it before other savings goals
- Payday check-in example
- "It's the 25th. Did you move 250 to your emergency fund? Reply with the amount. Progress: 2,850 of 10,800 (26%). At this pace you'll reach 3 months of costs in March."
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your costs, pay, situation, savings, monthly amount, country and payday.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is, or attach statements and let your agent add up your costs.
- You get a one-page PDF plan, an Excel tracker and a check-in message every payday.
- Reply to each check-in with the amount you saved, and your agent updates the tracker and the finish date.
Tips for a better result
- Base the target on essential costs, not on your full spending. In a real emergency you cut the extras.
- Automate a transfer on payday so the money moves before you can spend it.
- Aim for 3 months with a stable job and two incomes, and 6 months or more if you're self-employed or the only earner.
- If you have high-interest debt, build a starter fund first, then split extra money between debt and savings.
emergency fund plan: FAQ
- How much should be in an emergency fund? A common guide is 3 to 6 months of essential costs. Go higher if your income is irregular, you're the only earner or you have dependants.
- Where should I keep my emergency fund? In an easy-access, protected savings account separate from your everyday account. Avoid investments that can drop in value right when you need the money.
- Should I pay off debt or build an emergency fund first? Many people build a small starter fund first, then focus on high-interest debt, then finish the full fund. Talk to a financial adviser for your situation.
- Can my agent move the money for me? No. It plans, tracks and reminds you. You set up the transfer in your bank.
JavaScript is required to use the todo.is app.