Nico's jar for surprisesNico's flower shop cost twenty coins a month: flowers, ribbon and rent. Most months the coins that came in covered them. On a back shelf sat a jar for surprises. That jar was an emergency fund, coins kept for things nobody planned, and it held sixty coins, three months of costs. One night a big storm blew through Maple Hill. In the morning the shop window had a crack right across it. Sam said the repair would cost fifteen coins, which was a surprise. The storm also kept customers at home, so only twelve coins came in that month. Thirty-five coins went out and twelve came in, so Nico was twenty-three coins short. He opened the jar. Twenty-three coins covered the gap, and thirty-seven stayed in the jar. The window was fixed and the shop stayed open. How big should a fund be? Often it is a few months of costs. A surprise is still a surprise, but a jar makes it a smaller worry. A grown-up can help decide what counts as an emergency.