# Could you get $20,000 in emergency funds in 30 days? $200,000? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097 "2011-05-25T00:44:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/41 "2011-05-25T05:33:00Z")
I said yes to $20,000 and no to $200K but I was forgetting about the house. I _could_ take out a loan against the equity we have in this house. But I wouldn’t want to. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/42 "2011-05-25T05:36:04Z")
I’m broke now. Penny pinching _broke_. I HATE IT. But that being said, if something awful were to happen, yeah, I could get it. I don’t have health insurance and I could totally use medical care, but I’m a grown up and that’s my problem. If I just wanted it, for, say, a down payment on a house in Colorado, my dad would roflcopter me to shame. I donno. He’s floated me cash before and it’s not really a big deal. I guess because I’m an adult and I don’t depend on him for things, it works in my favor. He’s actually _offered_ money for things he thinks is a good idea (“hey come live with me” or “hey I have this idea…” or “Hey, let’s go to Alaska next week!”) but I prefer to do my own thing. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/43 "2011-05-25T05:45:49Z")
Emergency, yes. I’ll never be hungry or homeless. Things I may actually want to do with my life (like the time he wouldn’t help pay college tuition OR fill out FAFSA for my freshman year): hahaha no. Access to cash with caveat (oh hey, I’ll buy you a house if you come live here…): unfortunately. This is why I have $800 Christian Louboutins and up the $$ in bills right now. edit: sorry for double post - I didn’t realize it went through the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/44 "2011-05-25T05:58:25Z")
I could get $20,000 and I could \*probably \*get the $200,000, but doing that would mean crossing some lines that I’d really rather not cross. Nothing illegal or anything like that, though. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/45 "2011-05-25T06:00:19Z")
I could probably do $20,000 but I’d need to borrow heavily from my family and possibly the bank. I don’t know about $200,000. If my life depended on it, my parents would most likely find some way to come up with the money. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/46 "2011-05-25T07:33:04Z")
$20K I could do right now. $200K would take a little bit of work, but should be doable. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/47 "2011-05-25T08:19:11Z")
I could get (the local equivalent of) $20k from my parents, assuming it was enough of an emergency. I know they have more than that in immediately liquid assets. $200k would be a stretch, though; I’d have to sell my flat, which in this market wouldn’t be a sure thing in 30 days. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/48 "2011-05-25T08:50:36Z")
Not going there, but I have empty credit cards to cover the $20k, no chance of $200K though ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/49 "2011-05-25T13:22:36Z")
I have more than $20,000 in my savings account, so that would be easy. If it was a life and death matter, I could probably come up with $200,000. But I would need help from friends and family. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/50 "2011-05-25T13:22:49Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > Not going there, but I have empty credit cards to cover the $20k, no chance of $200K though Yeah, I could do it on credit cards. $20k is, what, about £12,500. The credit limit on my two Barclaycards adds up to over £20,000. I couldn’t _personally_ get hold of 10 times that amount, but I suspect if it was a real emergency my in-laws would be able to get me out of trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/51 "2011-05-25T13:23:05Z")
I could do $20K, but it would hurt, a lot. I’d need to cash in my 401K, and use nearly all of the money we had. $200K, no way. I suppose I could ask my dad, who does have the money, and if it was a life or death situation, he’d give it to me, but I wouldn’t ask for anything less than that. I’d rather go on the dole, to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/52 "2011-05-25T13:35:01Z")
Yes I could get any sum up to tens of millions of dollars, so long as the numbers come out 2, 13, 14, 26, 27 and the Powerball is 27. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/53 "2011-05-25T14:07:27Z")
20K, no problem. 200K in 30 days? Well, the first 100K wouldn’t be a problem. If my life depended on it I could turn to relatives for the rest (I have a few relatives who literally would not miss the money). This would be an absolute last resort though. If I had 60 days I might be able to get it on my own. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/54 "2011-05-25T14:49:01Z")
I honestly don’t even think I could get $2000! I don’t have family with money, no credit cards, nothing worth selling for more than a few hundred dollars including my car. I think if it was really big emergency my brother might be able to help me, but I’m not even sure about that. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/55 "2011-05-25T15:04:01Z")
I voted for the second option, but could probably scrape $200,000 if it was a true life-or-death (as in, more important than, say, simply losing my house) situation. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/56 "2011-05-25T15:29:37Z")
I can’t fathom what the hell kind of emergency would necessitate me paying 2/3 of my yearly income at one time, much less one requiring more than six and a half times what I make annually. If it were life and death, I’d die. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/57 "2011-05-25T15:33:26Z")
Like I said in the other thread, it would depend on the emergency. Ransom demand for my daughter, life-saving operation in a country where my travel insurance declined to cover the costs (‘acts of God’)? I could definitely get $200k - my mother would sell her house. For $20k I know other friends would step in to help me as well. But those are really unusual life-or-death emergencies where there’d be no fault attached to me (plus there’s a chance of getting all or some of it back). I can’t think of any emergencies I’d suffer that would cost that much and not be that severe. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/58 "2011-05-25T15:33:48Z")
Yes to both. As noted in the other thread, $20,000 I could do out of money on hand. For $200,000, I’d need to either liquidate some long-term investments, or dip into my line of credit. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/59 "2011-05-25T15:37:31Z")
$20k would be painful but doable with a bit of finagling. I haven’t the foggiest what would happen if I needed $200k. Someone in the other thread suggested the ability to earn $1,000 per turned trick. Let’s see: Step 1) Turn approximately 7 tricks a day for 30 days Step 2) “…and boy are my arms, etc., tired!” Step 3) $200,000 profit! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/60 "2011-05-25T15:38:28Z")
20k would be doable enough, probably in a hour or so. We’re pretty dedicated planners though so I can’t say I’ve ever felt the need to try before. 200k is again doable, although it would take a little bit of effort. Our money stays working for us so it’s not like liquidity is at the forefront of the markets and vehicles we distribute it to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097.md?page=4)