We are expecting our first baby in 7 mon
For reference only. Not investment advice.
Question
We are expecting our first baby in 7 months and live in Columbus, Ohio.
Our household essential living expenses (rent, groceries, utilities, basic insurance, car) are $3,500 per month.
Currently, we only have $2,000 in liquid savings in our checking/savings account.
After paying all essentials each month, we have exactly $700 left over that we can reliably put toward savings.
My spouse wants to target a 3-month emergency fund first ($10,500) so we have a realistic milestone before baby arrives.
I am feeling anxious and feel we should aim for a 6-month cushion ($21,000) for true peace of mind.
- Under a zero-yield cash model, exactly how many months will it take to reach the 3-month runway ($10,500) and the 6-month runway ($21,000) with our $700/month contribution?
- What does each runway tier actually buy our household, and how can we agree on a phased milestone approach without arguing over who is being 'too risky' or 'too paranoid'?
Answer
I'll run the savings math first, then read the family-talk skill for the second half.
Under a zero-yield cash model, with $2,000 already saved and $700 contributed each month, you reach the 3-month runway in 13 months and the 6-month runway in 28 months.
| Target | Months from now | Money still to add | Approx. date (model, not prediction) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-month runway ($10,500) | 13 (last month $100 top-up) | $8,500 | Oct 2027 — about 6 months after baby arrives |
| 6-month runway ($21,000) | 28 (last month $100 top-up) | $19,000 | Jan 2029 — baby ~21 months old |
Source: this turn's `savings_goal.py` ok:true stdout; zero-yield cash, monthly contributions of $700, starting balance $2,000. This is a model, not a prediction — it does not include any interest earned, maternity-leave income changes, or new baby-related expenses.
What each tier actually buys you
3 months of essentials ($10,500):
- One income gone cold (layoff, contract ending, leave unpaid) for the median US unemployment spell.
- The unpaid portion of one parental leave if your state or employer pays only part.
- One mid-size shock (car repair, E copay) without reaching for credit.
- A month of "thinking time" before any panic decision.
6 months of essentials ($21,000):
- A longer job search in a specialized field (often 4–6 months in Ohio's professional sectors).
- A real buffer if both incomes dip at once (a NICU stay, a complicated recovery, a move for family help).
- One large shock (HVAC, out-of-pocket max on insurance) without disrupting the monthly budget.
- Mainstream US personal-finance guidance from CFPB/HUD-style sources typically cites 3–6 months as the recommended range; 3 is on the lean end, 6 on the careful end — neither is fringe.
Both of you are reading the same risk on a different clock. The 3-month target is "we can absorb a normal shock." The 6-month target is "we can absorb a bad year." Neither is paranoid, neither is reckless.
How to agree without the argument
This is a values disagreement, not a resource one — name the difference, don't fake a middle. Splitting at $15,750 means neither of you actually has the cushion that lets you sleep. A better shape is time-phasing, not splitting:
- Lock the 3-month gate as the before-baby target. It is the smallest number that meaningfully changes a layoff or leave-unpaid event, and it is reachable inside the first year of parenthood.
- Keep the 6-month target as the after-baby continuation. Once baby is here and your actual spending pattern is visible (diapers, formula, childcare, medical bills), you keep the same $700/month going — or reset it to whatever the new free cash really is.
- e-check the 6-month number on a fixed date, not after every scare. Once a month, ten minutes, after baby is asleep. That way the higher number doesn't become a thing you litigate every time a bill arrives.
One sentence you can use, if it fits, from you to your spouse (so it doesn't come through me as a referee):
> "Three months before birth is the gate we owe the baby. Six months by year two is what lets us breathe. Both numbers stay — neither of us is wrong, we're just reading risk on a different clock."
That names the difference instead of averaging it, and it gives one concrete next move (a monthly ten-minute re-check) instead of an open-ended "let's keep talking about it."
Limits of this answer
- This assumes $700/month stays reliably free for 28 months. Maternity/parental leave, a job change, a medical bill, or a new baby expense can each reset that number. The script did not see any of those — it only saw your three pasted values.
- It does not include any yield on the savings account itself. A high-yield savings account currently pays a small but non-zero rate; that would shorten the months slightly. I did not include it because I don't have your current APY, and a model with a guessed rate is just a guess with extra steps.
- It does not replace a written budget. Once you can run the actual numbers after baby arrives, re-run `savings_goal.py` with the new free cash and you'll see whether the 6-month target moves.