<prompt> Human: From the time I was old enough to understand what money was my mom drove two things into my head:1. Always live below your means2. Always have a rainy day fundI took it to heart, but this month was the first time I really learned just how important those lessons were. My husband and I are in the process of buying our first house. We are doing it old school with conventional, 20 down. We have been saving for years and after some search found the perfect place at about half the cost of what the bank told us we could afford. It fits our needs and is well within the budget we set for ourselves. 20 down plus closing and general moving expenses means we had to save a LOT of cash, and we insisted we have that money available ON TOP of our standard 6-month emergency fund. Everything was sunshine and rainbows until 12 days before closing. We file our taxes and due to a change in our financial situation wind up owing the IRS 1800. Great, pay it from the emergency fund and be done with it. 12 hours later, we learn there was an unexpected death in the family. We live 900 miles away, so that means a last second trip. 1000 in suitsdresses, 3 days off work, travel expenses TBD. But that is okay, because we have an emergency fund. All told it adds up to about 4000 we werent planning on having to spend this month. Without our emergency fund, we would have had to skip a funeral for a loved one, setup payment plans with the IRS, or worse, had to delay the purchase of our home. Instead we will buckle down on our spending for the next few months and recoup what spent from our rainy day fund. When it rains, it pours. Do yourself a favor and save yourself some stress, have an emergency fund.EDIT: A lot of people seem to have an issue with spending 1k on clothing. Well, here is a breakdown:100 - A new, quality dress for me that fit off the rack, is appropriate for a funeral and a host of other functions. I love it. It will last for years.800 - Two buy one get one free deal designer suits, two dress shirts BOGO, two ties BOGO, and rush tailoring on one of the suits for my husband. Was it expensive? Yes, but they will fit him a whole lot better than the 150 HM alternative and will also last for years. 100 - a large black umbrella, a new belt, a shoe shine kit, other small necessaries We had been planning to get him a new suit for a while anyway, now he has two. For every wedding, funeral, cocktail party or work event we go to for the next several years we are set. Saving and being frugal matters, I obviously know and care about that. Spending 1000 to not look like a schlub at a funeral and to have our formal clothing needs satisfied for several years was worth it to us. Assistant: Generally, airlines will provide discounted tickets for emergency travel. Call the airline directly. You will have to provide the deceased name, relation, dates of death and funeral, and contact information for the funeral home. The airline will confirm the death then generally offer a discount.Ive had to do this twice different airlines and both times got steep discounts.Human: Thank you for sharing that. Ive tried to get bereavement discounts in the past but never had success. We have our plans taken care of this time around, but the next time it happens Ill try again!  <response>: It didnt work for me but directly calling the airline made sure I got a seat on a flight I knew would be crowded end day of a holiday weekend. They made sure I got the first flight out and I think gave me a luggage voucher too cant remember exactly it was a couple years ago. 