 You also ought to cut the cord by getting your own insurance, your own car, your own cell phone, your own cell phone plan, your own home, everything. Slightly less obvious. You don't want to resort to getting help from mom and dad, even in a pinch, hence the emergency fund. So there it is, guys. That was the one I said I had a little bit of an argument with because I pulled that cord way, way back right when I first got out of college, put all my stuff in the van and took off.