I'm relatively young, so I wasn't responsible for expenses when the last crash happened. I had the great fortune of having only 1-2 months of savings early in

I'm relatively young, so I wasn't responsible for expenses when the last crash happened. I had the great fortune of having only 1-2 months of savings early in my career when the startup I was working for went under. I was a software engineer with less than 6 months of experience, and had a hard time finding a job (essentially a first job with that experience level), and learned really early on that I want zero debts and a year of savings. Right now I am down to only ~$150/month in 2% interest school loans (down from $450/month a couple years ago), $500 rent (when I initially lost my job this was up to $1,700!), and I'm about to lose my parents insurance. In all, I pay out roughly $1,000/month, and I make sure to have at least $10,000 on hand at any time. Everyone I know tells me this is probably too much emergency fund and I could get away with 3-6 months expenses and get more earning potential from that extra half a year, but I refuse to ever be caught off guard. The immense stress of trying to figure out how you will pay for rent this month is unlike anything I've experienced. Even if a depression never comes again, I'll always aim to have nearly a year of runway in case I lose my source of income. But I say all of this to say that having a savings is more than just potential future security. I feel confident voicing my opinion at work, I am willing to stand by my principles and leave if I want to, and I'm willing to walk away from an environment that makes me unhappy. In my opinion, having this type of savings gives you a similar feeling as financial independence will feel---I'm working right now because I want to, not because I have no other options. That makes life a lot more pleasant.