<prompt> Human: So I was reading the sidebar on emergency funds because I was trying to figure out the best place to hold mine, and I read in the FAQ that an emergency may be something like a car repair. What do PF redditors think about this? Dont we assume owning a vehicle comes with some level of maintenance or required repairs? It got me to thinking, what is a true emergency that would be worth tapping into your fund vs what is just the cost of living? All I could come up with were medical emergencies, major home issues roof got a hole in it during a storm or flooded basement, not dishwasher doesnt work, and job loss. Am I being overly conservative?  <response>: In my opinion, an emergency is a situation where you NEED to spend money to repairreplace something so that you can maintain your desired level of comfort or resume life as normal.For example, you need a new alternator in your car so you can get to work. Or your furnace goes out. You know its probably going to happen, you just dont know when. If its the middle of winter, youre probably going to want to repair that.So, you could also look at it as things that you know are inevitably going to happen, you just dont know when. 