Meeting your emergency fund goal is a huge accomplishment. So, when it comes time to spend the money for an urgent or unexpected purpose like paying a big tax bill, draining the fund you worked so hard to build can be extremely disheartening. Having to fork over funds you've spent several months saving is a letdown and it's easy to lose momentum. The best way to stay on track is to revise the road to rebuilding your emergency fund; here are simple guidelines for doing just that.

1. Set a two-part goal: how much money you want to save, and a deadline to squirrel away that amount.
2. Play around with my savings calculator [1] to help you determine the specifics.
3. If you'll need to save more money per month than you have been, consider tracking your spending [2] for a month for a clearer picture on where you can cut back.
4. Adjust the amount you have automatically transferred [3] from your checking to savings account each month to reflect your new savings goal.
5. Redefine what is an emergency, and only use your fund for those predetermined purposes.

Source [4]