Note the following content is intended to be educational but it does contain promotional material for Kaldi.

Life has a funny way of throwing curveballs when you least expect them. Your car decides it's done. Your boiler packs in mid-winter. Your phone takes a swimming lesson in the toilet. Whatever it is, these surprises always seem to come with a price tag attached.

And who wants to pay for the unexpected? No one; that’s who. Fortunately, when you have an emergency fund in place, those surprises don’t hit quite as hard. They’re still frustrating, just not frightening.

The good news is you can build an emergency fund in just three months without completely sacrificing your social life or that morning coffee that dictates your mood for the rest of the day.

What counts as an emergency fund?

An emergency fund isn't for that "emergency" holiday you fancy or the trainers you absolutely need because they're on sale, as nice as that would be. A real emergency fund is a dedicated pot of money that's only for genuine emergencies – those unexpected circumstances that could derail your finances if you're not prepared.

Think broken boilers, urgent car repairs, sudden job loss or medical expenses. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you briefly consider listing a kidney on eBay (don’t list a kidney on eBay) if you’re not prepared for it.

An emergency fund is your financial cushion that lets you sleep better at night knowing you're covered when life gets messy.

But did you know that 39% of Brits have less than £1,000 saved, let alone any type of emergency fund. Don’t worry if you’re not quite there yet. It can be done, and most financial experts suggest having three to six months of essential living costs saved up. But if that sounds terrifying, don't worry. We're going to start smaller and build from there.

Month 1: Get your numbers in shape

Before you can build your emergency fund, you need to know what you're working with numbers wise. Don’t guess or come up with rough estimates here. You need proper numbers that make sense.

Track your spending

Look back at the last month or two of your spending and work out where your money's going. Split everything into two piles: essentials (that’s rent, bills, food, transport) and non-essentials (eating out, shopping, subscriptions you forgot you had).

Your essential spending is what an emergency fund should cover. If that works out to £1,200 a month, you're aiming for £3,600 to £7,200 eventually. But for now, let's target just one month's worth. If we take the £1,200 figure and aim to get there, in three months, that means saving £400 monthly, or roughly £100 weekly.

Find your starting point

Figure out how much you can realistically put aside each month without making yourself miserable. If £400 feels a stretch too far, aim for £200 and extend your timeline. The goal is to start, not to be perfect.

Make it automatic

Set up a separate savings pot specifically for emergencies. With Kaldi, for example, your cashback from everyday shopping goes straight into your savings automatically. That means you're technically building an emergency fund without even thinking about it, should you wish to direct cashback to an emergency savings pot. Think of it as having a savings habit on autopilot.

Month 2: Boost your contributions

By month two, you should have some momentum. Now it's time to find extra cash to top up your emergency fund and move it along a little faster.

Hunt down forgotten money

No, we don’t mean digging behind the sofa or rifling through that jacket you haven’t worn in six months. Instead, check those unused subscriptions or that gym membership you haven't used since January last year (not even this January; that’s how old it is). If you have subscriptions, cancel them. Gone. Believe it or not, but those small savings add up quickly.

Be creative with cashback

This is where Kaldi shines. Every time you shop at partner brands – and we're talking over 130 of your favourite high street names – you're earning an average of 3% to 4% cashback with Kaldi. That coffee at Caffè Nero gets you 7% or your weekly shop at M&S, another 4% – all of it goes toward building your emergency fund while you're just living your normal life.

Round up your spending

Enable round-ups on your purchases when using Kaldi so that £3.25 coffee becomes £4, with 75p going straight into savings. Again, it sounds small, but the extra pennies add up to pounds sooner than you’d think.

Month 3: Protect and maintain

Look at month three as the home stretch for your emergency fund goals. Saving should feel less like a chore by now and more like a habit you're quite proud of and maybe even a little bit addicted to (in a good way).

Don't touch it (no, really)

The temptation to dip into your emergency fund for non-emergencies will always be there. But the money has one job, and that’s to protect you from genuine financial shocks. Create a separate pot for fun stuff if needs must.

Keep the habit alive

Even after you reach your three-month goal, keep contributing. Your emergency fund isn't a one-and-done thing. Once you've got one month covered, aim for three months. Then six. Then … you get the point.

Share the love

One of Kaldi's coolest features lies in its ability to link accounts and gift cashback rewards to loved ones. Want to help someone start their own emergency fund? You can direct your shopping rewards to them while you build yours.

No need to send out an SOS

Building an emergency fund in three months is absolutely doable. You just need a solid plan and the right tools to make it happen. When you keep an eye on what you spend and let small savings build automatically through cashback, that financial safety net starts to take shape faster than you’d think.

And with Kaldi, you're building an emergency fund while doing what you'd be doing anyway, like a little bit of everyday shopping and generally living your life. There is no major lifestyle overhaul required. Just think of it as adding clever money habits that stick.

See how Kaldi can help you start your emergency fund.