Build an Emergency Fund From Zero

I have no financial safety net and I need to build one.

Monthly take-home: [£AMOUNT]
Current savings: [£AMOUNT or ZERO]
Monthly expenses I can't cut: [£AMOUNT]
Biggest challenge to saving: [e.g. nothing left at month end / always something comes up / no discipline]

Help me build my emergency fund:
1. **How much I actually need** — the right target for my situation, not a generic number
2. **Where to keep it** — best account type for emergency savings
3. **Exactly how much to save each month** — realistic for my income
4. **How to automate it** so it happens before I can spend it
5. **What counts as a real emergency** — rules to stop raiding it
6. **Timeline** — when I'll have 1 month / 3 months / 6 months of cover

I have no financial safety net and I need to build one.

Monthly take-home: [£AMOUNT]
Current savings: [£AMOUNT or ZERO]
Monthly expenses I can't cut: [£AMOUNT]
Biggest challenge to saving: [e.g. nothing left at month end / always something comes up / no discipline]

Help me build my emergency fund:
1. **How much I actually need** — the right target for my situation, not a generic number
2. **Where to keep it** — best account type for emergency savings
3. **Exactly how much to save each month** — realistic for my income
4. **How to automate it** so it happens before I can spend it
5. **What counts as a real emergency** — rules to stop raiding it
6. **Timeline** — when I'll have 1 month / 3 months / 6 months of cover