I’m a California girl through and through. I love blue skies and sunny weather. But in my corner of “Sunny California,” it rains 1 out of every 5 days. Rain isn’t an unexpected crisis; it’s just a fact of life. And so when I go out I bring my rain jacket with me. If it rains, I wear it — no need to scramble or curse the weather. And if not, even better — I get to enjoy the clear skies.

Our budgets have rainy days too. Do you have your financial rain jacket ready?

Plan for a Rainy Day

When I set up my budget in Goodbudget, I had an 11-year-old car, my beloved 2000 Chevy Prizm. I knew the inevitable rainy day would come when my trusty car would fail. So I made an Goal Envelope called “Car Fund” and put my excess money into it every month. Automatic savings plan — check!

Rain Happens

Then the financial rain came — no surprise there. It always comes, just a matter of when. My car was in a minor accident and had enough damage that my insurance cut me a check instead of fixing it. Bummer.

Don’t Panic — Put On Your Jacket

I could’ve panicked, screamed “emergency!” and borrowed money to fix the car or buy a new one. But it wasn’t an emergency — just a rainy day — and I had my Car Fund for a rain jacket. All that monthly sweeping had saved up enough to buy another used car.

What rainy days are you planning ahead for?