The Emergency Budget

I was reading an article on twocents.lifehacker and as I reached the comments section, I noticed two awesome inputs suggested by commenters:

1. Create an emergency budget
When I set my budget, I made one assumption. Ceteris Paribus. All other things constant. I would still have my job and all needs remain the same. But there are other scenarios that might happen like losing main source of income, a brand new member in the family, and so on. So, a quick way to live in a state of an emergency is to reduce and eliminate those that can be eliminated to prioritize the fulfillment of needs. Iheartbudget have a great article on this.

2. Have an emergency fund consisting of a "My Car Died" and "My Job Died" fund.
The second suggestion is to categorize emergency fund into two. An emergency if something happens to your car or appliances and an emergency because you lost your job from downsizing, quitting, or retiring. They are both straight forward and I feel by categorizing it, you have a clearer idea of why the money is lying around, and what to do with it once the situation calls it to action.

My Car Died fund should be a cash account fund because it's something that should be ready to use. My Job Died fund can be a mixed portfolio because in the long run, it doubles as a retirement fund. One caution is if the fund is not diversified and you happen to lose your job and the fund is affected by a greater force like inflation or stock market crash.

So, with both points in mind, I guess it's time for me to modify my budget into budgets, and my emergency fund into funds.