Yesterday, on her way to pick me up from work, my fiancee noticed we had a flat tire on our car. Immediately, the questions start in my head. Was it just a flat? How long was it there? Has it caused greater damage? While this is a cause for concern, I didn’t have to panic like others may have when faced with an unplanned emergency that comes up.
Here’s why:
- First, there is a Lex Brodie’s a block from my office, so logistically, things were quite easy.
- Second, on the financial front, I have an Emergency Fund for this very sort of thing. So in case major damage was done to the car, we would be prepared financially to cover it.
- Third, by supporting a local business the first time around when I bought the tires, I also got to enjoy my flat tire repair for free. That’s part of Lex Brodie’s commitment to excellent service and can be seen at locally-owned businesses all over the island and throughout Hawaii.
So while this event may have made those less-prepared than yours truly, it was an unexpected opportunity to take some time to plan my upcoming trip to Hilo and my Christmas shopping list.
The best part of all this is that it didn’t take that long, just over a half hour – pretty good considering I just drove up without an appointment. Which meant that with my flexible schedule (mahalo again to my employer!), even with this flat tire incident, I was still home before most people get off from work.
So besides supporting local, the other lesson is that in tough and uncertain times, an emergency fund will help you sleep better at night. It is important to your financial well-being – that’s why people like Suze Orman and David Bach all highly recommend you have one. You can read Hawaii-based blog Uncommon Cents for a couple different takes on this fund. Remember, any amount will be helpful; and even if you start out small, you can grow it to the point where it can make a world of difference in a pinch.
Mahalo!
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