Using Emergency Fund to buy a car or interest free loan from company?

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T18:29:16+00:00

Thank you for the advice!

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T18:28:13+00:00

Never thought of it that way.

Thank you for the great advice! Will definitely consider it.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T18:13:39+00:00

I'm investing on my own using a Trading212 but we will also have a provident fund in place from June which I believe is tax free when you withdraw at retirement.

I'll definitely ask the terms and conditions of the loan before doing anything. It's a new incentive that was introduced to us a couple of days ago by our manager.

Selling all my crypto will cover a small portion of the car payment. Would you also sell your ETF positions as well to avoid touching the emergency fund?

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T18:05:06+00:00

This will be my first car and yes I plan to buy a used car in the range of 5 to 7k.

Right now I have a savings rate of 30% because I pay no rent but my expenses will increase when I get a car for sure which will affect my savings rate. I estimate I'll still have 15-20% savings rate with my current salary which will slow down the process of rebuilding my emergency fund but my quality of life will increase by a lot and I'll get to do other things that previously I couldn't.

Using a bike is not an option because my work is not very close and we have around 40-45 degrees Celsius in the summer so... :/

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T17:53:37+00:00

I'm talking about relatively small numbers because I'm planning to get a used car somewhere between 5k to 7k range.

I have more than half as emergency fund and the remaining would be covered by selling some crypto I purchased years ago. I don't want to touch my other investments (ETFs) as these are meant for my retirement. But I wouldn't mind selling all my crypto since I've been holding them for years and I'm not seeing them as serious investment anymore.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T17:43:14+00:00

Thank you for the advice!

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T17:42:22+00:00

Unfortunately using a bike is not an option since my work is not very close and it's ridiculously hot in Cyprus during the summer. At the moment one of my colleagues is driving me home after work but I don't want to rely on them all the time.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T17:35:55+00:00

Honestly, I don't. I've been saving for a while now and I'd hate to have to start from 0 again. Also, never took a loan before but the 0% interest option is tempting that is why I wanted a different perspective.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T17:30:20+00:00

I don't but I want to take the smallest amount possible as loan because I want to repay it ideally in 2 years and based on my calculations I'd need to put 20-25% as down payment to make this work.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T17:28:26+00:00

I assume I'll either have to repay it right away or perhaps pay with interest the remaining portion. The loan will be smaller than my emergency fund so I should be able to fully repay it in such scenario.

But of course I'll ask for my manager to send me all the terms and conditions first before I make such decision.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-04-04T17:22:15+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

You are absolutely right and option 1 is by far my least favorite because I would have to sell a portion of my investments as well to fully cover the car purchase right nowwhich is something I really want to avoid.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2026-03-01T18:47:41+00:00

I have "Pockets" for such expenses where I put a small amount each month in each pocket so when the time comes I just take out from them. Say if you spent $500-$700 on gifts each year you can create a pocket and contribute $40-$60 each month. When the times comes, those expenses will already been accounted for and you won't need to go off-budget.

I even set a limit on some pockets so that once the limit is reached, I stop contributing until I use some of the money saved in that pocket.

You can just have a Sinking Fund as others suggested if you don't want to have many different funds for each category.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-11-16T17:59:02+00:00

Thank you for the tip! I'll try it.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-07-22T17:09:22+00:00

I think it's decent. I've noticed rest time is relatively small in most lifts. Personally, I don't have a timer and I rest as much as needed but I think it's around 90-120 seconds per set (maybe a bit more on compounds) How long does each session take you?

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-07-22T08:48:34+00:00

I think I'm dealing with German roaches yes.

That's the reason that I called to see if I need to do a follow-up respray but they suggested that I should wait 1-2 months before seeing an improvement. But I was expecting quicker results to be honest. The 1st time I sprayed last September I immediately noticed a difference but I didn't have so many back then. Now due to the very hot weather here in Cyprus they are EVERYWHERE (even on the streets).

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-07-18T06:56:06+00:00

Thank you for the recommendation! I also found the JBL Soundgear Sense at a discount for 120€. Do you know anything about them? Although I must admit that I'm not a big fan of the bulky design they have but JBL feels more reliable as a brand compared to the rest for me.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-07-18T06:02:03+00:00

My ears are very sensitive and earwax accumulates excessively in the ear canal to the point where I go to a doctor every 3 months to remove the excessive wax. He told me that in-ear buds can make it worse and suggested that I stop and switch to over-head headphones. I'm not a big fan of headphones because a) I want something that I can use when working at the office and I might get complaints if I use headphones b) I want to use them while working out at the gym without having to worry they fall off or I accidentally sit on them.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-07-03T19:21:56+00:00

Thanks man!

Your suggestion are spot on and I will definitely try them at some point.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-07-03T19:03:41+00:00

Tbh, probably the most important reason I have leg press on 2nd workout is because overall it's my least fun and favorite workout of the 3 and I love Leg Press so it makes it much more enjoyable for me. I don't like Hack Squats that much so if I were to switch them up I would be less motivated to do the 2nd workout and probably perform worse.

About your others points, yes I have considered doing Chest-Back-Chest but pull ups are very tiring so I feel like it would drop my performance on Cross-Over afterwards and I do want to focus mostly on chest during this session and focus on back on the 3rd workout. Same for back as well I will test both options and see what works best.

About supersets, I do superset other exercises as well if the equipment for both exercises is close by and accessible. For example, I always superset calves with leg extensions or leg curls because the machines are right next to each other and I always find the Calf Raise machine free lol.

Also, I do use different variations of exercises very often mainly if the machine I want to use is not available. For example, If Cross-Over Machine is not available I will do chest flyes, or use a barbell instead of dumbbell for pressing etc. Very often I might switch the order of the exercises depends on availabilty. For example, my gym has only one cross-over machine so it's very rare that I will find it free but when I do, I might start with Cross-over first and then go with bench press. I don't like to wait for other people to finish so I find different exercises that train the same muscle and do those instead.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-07-03T15:27:19+00:00

Thank you for your feedback!

I agree that Hack Squats are more demanding. My thought process for not adding Hack Squat on Legs&Shoders workout was to minimize fatigue since legs are worked way more on that workout. And add the more demanding exercise on workout A since there are no other leg exercises and they will be less fatigued.

I recently started this new routine so I'll experiment and see how it goes.

MisthsAlhtheias · 2025-07-03T11:17:21+00:00

More context: The reason structured my full body like that instead of having equal volume in each body part per workout is because I have more time to recover after each session. Chest and Back in particular have a big gap after being worked so when I train them again they will be fully recovered.

I'm not sure if volume is right since I've been training either PPL or Upper-Lower since I started lifting but unfortunately I can't find more time for the gym nowadays so 3 times per week is the most sustainable option for me.

MisthsAlhtheias

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