That $25 automatic transfer is the exact move, seriously. When I was 31 my truck threw a rod and I was staring down $1,400 in repairs with about $200 to my name, so I started doing $20 every friday into a separate savings account at a different bank so I couldn't see it in my normal app. Took me about seven months to get to $1,000 and I finally breathed easy once it was there. I kept it at $1,000 for a while, then bumped it to $2,000 after a burst pipe cost me $600 in one shot. The number that feels right is whatever covers your worst normal month, not the apocalypse, just the stuff that actually tends to happen. Your dad's coffee can was right all along, he just didn't have auto transfer.