A cracked screen costs $180. What does your buffer cover?
Move the slider and watch which real surprises stop being emergencies.
- Phone screen cracked$180
- Bus pass replaced$52
- Bike tire and tube$45
- Missed two shifts while sick$240
- Laptop charger died before exams$95
A $200 buffer covers 4 of these 5 surprises without borrowing, skipping a bill or asking anyone. That is the entire job of a buffer — it is not an investment and it is not a goal.
A buffer is not a savings goal
A goal is money aimed at something you want. A buffer is money aimed at something you cannot predict. It is boring by design: it sits in a savings account, earns a little, and its only job is to be there when something breaks.
- Start with a number you can actually reach — $200 beats a perfect $1,000 you never start.
- Keep it separate from both spending and your goal money.
- Refill it after using it. Using it is not failure; leaving it empty is.
Is this what the buffer is for?
- Phone screen cracked and you need it for work shifts
- Concert tickets went on sale
- Missed two shifts because you were sick
- Saving for a laptop
- Bike tire blew out on the way to work
Quick check
Answering every check in this lesson completes it automatically.
How long to build $300?
Moving $15 out of every weekly paycheque, how long until the buffer reaches $300?
Pick one — guessing first is the point.
Theo's buffer just got used
Theo built a $250 buffer over four months. His laptop charger died before exams and cost $95. The buffer is now $155.
Check your understanding
Answering every check in this lesson completes it automatically.
Set your buffer target
Use the Savings Goal tool with your buffer amount and see how fast a small weekly transfer gets there.
One more
Answering every check in this lesson completes it automatically.
A buffer turns emergencies into inconveniences.
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