If you've got three to six months' salary saved just for emergencies, you can skip this article. If you know you should, but just haven't gotten around to it, here's the kick you need to start your own emergency fund.

First a little inspiration: Imagine your garage door breaks. Or your roof starts to leak. Or your car dies. Or all three in the same month. Your fridge quits, your company announces lay-offs or you need to fly across the country for a funeral.

Pick an emergency, any emergency, and ask yourself if you could handle it financially. When it comes to unexpected problems, it's just a question of when they'll arise and how much they'll cost.

And don't think credit cards will get you through. Credit card debt can hang around a long time and be a much more expensive way to handle a crisis if you can't pay the bill at the end of the month.

So, you know you need an emergency fund - you just don't think you can afford it. Start by saving even a few dollars a month now; it will be much less painful than having to fork over $1,000 all at once for an unexpected furnace repair later.

How much to put away? That depends. Some people say three to six months of your salary is a good goal.

A better gauge than salary is several months of living expenses. That means you'll need to figure out how much you spend every month - mortgage, insurance, food, gas, clothing, haircuts, utilities, dry cleaning, fancy coffee, insurance co-pays, cable TV, cell phone, dinners out - and shoot for that amount times three, at least.

Where to start? If you can't afford to start putting $100 away every month, figure out what you can afford. Something is better than nothing. Look hard at how you spend money each month. Maybe you can give up buying that new pair of shoes or golf clubs. You may find it's easier to give up one thing for a month or two - no lunches out or no soda or no beer, for example - and bank the savings. Start a carpool to work or school and use that money to fill out your fund. Whatever luxury you do without, think of it as temporary pain for long-term gain.

What kind of account? A savings account may be your best bet, but talk with your banker or financial advisor about your options to keep the money accessible in an emergency, but out of reach for impulse spending. Money market accounts can be a good fit, or if you've built up enough, you could put part of your fund in a three- or six-month CD. If you have an ATM card for your emergency account, keep it in the freezer where you won't be tempted to use it.

How to get it there? "Out of sight, out of mind" is a good adage for savers. If you can set up an electronic transfer from your paycheck every month, that may be the most painless way to build your emergency fund. Stuffing your change in a jelly jar may seem appealing, but that money isn't earning any interest unless you actually deposit it into an appropriate account.

Once you've reach your emergency fund goal, keep saving for a new goal. Maybe you want to beef up your IRA or start a 529 college savings account for your kids. Or you want a tropical vacation fund for when winter gets to be too much to take. Once you get into the saving habit, you probably won't miss your impulse purchases, and you'll see how quickly the savings add up.

Scott Kelly is president of Johnson Bank - Racine, a subsidiary of Johnson Financial Group. Johnson Financial Group is a $4.9 billion financial services company providing retail and commercial banking, trust, investment, and insurance services.