No matter how much you try to budget and watch your spending, there are always unexpected emergencies that you have to pay for. Whether it’s a broken tail pipe or a emergency trip to the veterinarian, these financial obligations that come out of left field can wreak havoc on your spending plan. That is, of course, unless you follow the 5 budgeting tips in this article.

Even though it seems counterintuitive, you can plan for emergencies. It’s all about saving in specific ways so that you’ll always have a money cushion to rely on. Your “in case of emergency” funds will be there to cover your expenses, no matter what form they come in.

1. The first step to saving for emergencies is to track your expenses. You can’t develop a saving plan if you don’t know how much you have to save each month. Begin by writing down all of your expenses. Save your receipts and invest in a personal financial program that will help you track what you spend. Once you take a look at how much of your income is available each month you’ll be able to develop a spending plan.
2. If your expenses are very close to, or exceed, your income, then you have some decisions to make. Are there any expenses that you can cut back on in order to make way for savings? Try evaluating your spending so you can cut back on the extras. For example, if you spend $5 at the coffee shop every morning you’ll have $150 by the end of the month for your savings account.
3. The next step is to determine how much you’ll save each month. While it’s definitely beneficial to save as much as possible each month, it’s not always possible. Try to set a goal of saving at least 10% of your income to your general savings account. After a few months, you’ll have a nice cushion to rely on. It’s up to you to decide how much you’ll need to save in the long run. Most financial experts advise that you save up three to six months worth of income.
4. Make sure that your monthly savings plan includes room for out of the ordinary, but somewhat regular expenses like oil changes and clothes shopping trips. If you can work these expenses into your savings plan in a regular way, they won’t impact your budget as much. For example, if you know that you’ll need to spend $300 every six months on a new work wardrobe, you’ll be able to save just $50 per month and be on track. Although clothes or regular car repairs aren’t technically emergencies, they are expenses that can get your budget off kilter.
5. Finally, you need to make sure that your emergency savings is reserved for emergencies only. Avoid the temptation to dip into your savings for non-necessary expenses, like to take advantage of a sale. Saving your money only to blow it all on something you don’t really need is bad money management.

When you follow these five simple steps, you won’t have to worry if you have an emergency. You’ll be able to develop a savings plan from a workable budget and build the cushion that you need when you need it.