Because life is unpredictable and a major expense is one accident away, popular wisdom maintains that all adults should have an emergency fund. Arbiters of such conventional advice claim these emergency funds should be stocked with three to six months worth of expenses. But this threshold can be unattainable and perhaps unrealistic, especially for young people just starting out or for those living on lower incomes. Its just an impossible amount for a lot of people, says Kimberly Palmer, a personal finance expert at NerdWallet, and can just feel so overwhelming that you dont take any steps at all, and you just think, I cant make any sort of emergency fund.Even saving a couple hundred bucks can be a huge burden for many people. Only 41 percent of Americans over 18 say they would pay for an unexpected expense like $1,000 for an emergency room visit or car repair from their savings, according to Bankrates 2025 Emergency Savings Report. (Others said they would borrow money or put the expense on a credit card.) Meanwhile, 27 percent of adults have no emergency savings, as of May 2024.In reality, any amount youre able to save is better than nothing. But what if youve just gotten your first job and are starting from scratch? Or what if youre living paycheck to paycheck? Should you prioritize paying down debt over an emergency fund? Given all the competing demands on our finances, heres how to really kick off your emergency fund, according to the experts.Write a list of your financial prioritiesChances are, an emergency fund isnt your only pressing financial matter. Youve got bills to pay, a retirement account to contribute to, perhaps student loans or other debt to chisel away at. Palmer suggests making a list of all your financial priorities and goals (including fun ones, like saving for a vacation or down payment) and organizing them, starting with the most urgent. Because you cant prioritize all of these goals at once, Palmer recommends choosing one to focus on at a time. First, make sure youre making the minimum payments on your credit cards and student loans. Then, if you dont have any money in an emergency fund, you might want to put focus there, she says. Generally speaking, it can make sense to make your number one priority [to] have at least a minimum amount in your emergency fund, like $500, she says. Next, pay off debt, especially those with high interest (like credit card debt). After that, try to put some money into your retirement account. Finally, squirrel some cash away for longer-term goals, like that vacation. RelatedWhy is money so hard?As for the amount to put into your emergency fund at first (and this goes for all of your other financial priorities too), Palmer suggests starting small but attainable. Again, $500 might be a good place to start. After you hit that threshold, move onto another priority.For longer-term goals like retirement savings, you may want to set smaller benchmarks initially, too, so you can more quickly transition back to stocking your emergency fund, says Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, a personal finance expert and author of Bounce Back: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Resilience. That 401(k) is not going to buy your groceries, she says, and the retirement funds are not going to be able to help you to fix the tires if you get a flat or a short term event happens. The goal isnt to totally ignore these other forms of savings, but to be prudent until you have a solid emergency fund. While saving for retirement is important, we want you financially prepared for emergencies before youre financially prepared for the big stuff, because emergencies can come out of the blue, Tori Dunlap, founder and CEO of the financial platform Her First $100K, said by email. That safety net will help you sleep better at night while you work towards saving for retirement.Where to put your emergency fundRather than squirrel your precious dollars in a checking or savings account, experts have some more strategic suggestions for where to house your emergency fund.High-yield savings account: Your money will earn interest while remaining easily accessible in a high-yield savings account. Choose an institution or bank that wont charge you any fees and make sure youre clear on how to withdraw money, whether from partner ATMs or transfer through an app, Palmer says. NerdWallet ranks UFB Portfolio Savings, Forbright Bank Growth Savings, and Discover Online Savings among its highest-rated high-yield savings accounts.Multiple accounts at different banks: Spreading your emergency savings across several accounts makes it harder to completely wipe out your fund in one go if youre ever tempted, Khalfani-Cox says.Once youve made your way through your priority list, start at the top again. By cycling through each of your goals, youre able to make simultaneous progress throughout the year.Find ways to free up some cash to put toward your emergency fundIf youre wondering where this money is going to come from, youll need to be intentional. To kick-start your savings, Khalfani-Cox suggests purging your home and closet of items you could sell at a consignment shop or at a yard sale. Then, look at your variable expenses money you spend on entertainment, subscriptions, food, personal care, and pets; not utilities, rent, or car payments and see where you can cut back, Palmer says. Food is a really helpful category to zero in on, she says. It can be really expensive if youre ordering takeout or going to a restaurant. Try shopping at a budget grocery store if you can and preparing food at home. You might consider forgoing a few personal grooming appointments, too. Are there any streaming services youre willing to part with? Maybe you limit your concert attendance to one big ticket event a year. You dont need to make these sacrifices forever, but if you can cut back on these kinds of expenses, youll be able to save quicker. It may not be the most glamorous thing ever, but its going to help get you where you need to go, Dunlap says. Start by tracking your monthly income and expenses, finding areas where you can be more strategic with your spending, and using that extra bit to pour into your emergency fund. Even if thats an extra few dollars here and there, were getting somewhere.If you have nothing left to pare back, thats okay, too. Make sure youre focusing on the essentials basic needs like housing, food, and transportation and come back to savings when youre able. Whatever you can set aside is a step in the right direction, experts say. Even $10 a week is more than you had yesterday. Just remember to keep it going. Youre building financial discipline, Khalfani-Cox says. 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