An emergency fund is meant to help you pay for unexpected and unplanned expenses. This may mean paying for unexpected car repairs, unplanned medical visits, or unforeseen family expenses. When you start your emergency fund you should think through what scenarios you are comfortable dipping into these savings for. Things such as needing a new laptop may feel like an emergency at the moment, but it may not be something that you actually need to use your emergency fund for, it’s good to talk about these things before they happen.