TL·Academy
Course · Foundation

Building a rainy-day cushion

A rainy-day cushion is the amount that turns a broken washing machine from a crisis into an inconvenience. This course sets a first target that is actually reachable, shows where to keep the cushion so it is there when needed but not tempting on an ordinary Tuesday, and lists five small ways to start when the month is already tight.

Lessons

Lesson 1 is open to everyone. Lessons 2 to 5 unlock with the course and arrive by email as a PDF pack together with the worksheet.

  1. 01
    What a cushion is for, and what it is notRepairs, a gap between jobs, a trip you did not plan. Not holidays, not the sales.
    Open · read now
  2. 02
    A first target you can actually reachWhy one month of regular costs beats "three to six months" as a first goal, and how to work out your number.
    8 min
  3. 03
    Where to keep itSeparate from everyday spending, reachable within a day or two, and not on the card you carry.
    7 min
  4. 04
    Five ways to start in a tight monthRound-ups, the one subscription, the occasional-cost line, selling one thing, and the first-of-the-month transfer.
    8 min
  5. 05
    Using it and rebuilding itThe cushion is meant to be spent. What to do the month after you use it.
    6 min

Who it is for

Anyone whose cushion is currently zero, or who has started one and spent it. It works best after Budgeting basics, but does not require it.

What it is not

It does not tell you how much to spend on anything. Those are your decisions. It does not cover anything that depends on your personal circumstances; for that, a qualified professional is the right place to go.