[MrFoof]

>We commonly say that hackers should save up 3-6 months of floating money

It's not hackers, it's adults. This is called an "emergency fund". 3 to 6 months cash that's easy to access in the event of a genuine emergency, including loss of work. Personal Finance 101.

[shawn-furyan]

Exactly, and if your monetary stream is inconsistent, then 3-6 months should really be considered insufficient. You're shouldn't be regularly be eating into your emergency fund.

[TDL]

Totally agree. I would say closer to a year, but some would disagree. Less than 6 months is not enough, especially for freelance/consulting types.

[marvin]

Hell, make it at least a year. If you can't plan this far ahead, either your expenses are too high or you're doing something that is not sustainable. At least a year should be a long-term goal if you're doing something which is at all exposed to random acts of God.

[msandford]

> At least a year should be a long-term goal if you're doing something which is at all exposed to random acts of God.

You mean like being a human being who is currently alive on the planet Earth?

[theorique]

I tend to forget the number (is it 6 months? 9?) and just say, oh hell, make it 18 months.

It won't kill you to have more dry powder rather than less. But then, I tend to be a bit conservative and paranoid about money. :)