08-02-2013, 10:49 AM
From what I can gather, you guys make a *little bit* more money than me, so I don't really know. All I can say is that with two approx even income earners, I feel like it's super unlikely that we'd both lose our jobs or become sick at the same time. And we can feed ourselves and pay the mortgage for a long while on one salary since that and a student loan is all the debt we have. I'd have to cut back the alcohol budget. 
So $5k to me seems sufficient. Now if I get horribly disfigured tomorrow in a car accident and Jess loses her job, one of our kids falls off the porch, and our parents all find out they have cancer, yeah, we won't last long. In that scenario, I'd be cashing out the retirement funds. Fortunately in a couple more years, my IRA allows for that without penalties, so that seems like a reasonable disaster suplement.
I hope. :dunno: Talk me out of it.
So $5k to me seems sufficient. Now if I get horribly disfigured tomorrow in a car accident and Jess loses her job, one of our kids falls off the porch, and our parents all find out they have cancer, yeah, we won't last long. In that scenario, I'd be cashing out the retirement funds. Fortunately in a couple more years, my IRA allows for that without penalties, so that seems like a reasonable disaster suplement.
I hope. :dunno: Talk me out of it.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a van is a good guy with a van