Your friend's birthday is around the corner and everyone decides to go in on concert tickets. You want to submit an essay to an essay contest, and find out that there's a $25 entry fee. There's an alien invasion and you need some moolah for a can of beans and a tent.

Whatever it is, unexpected expenses can throw your entire budget out of whack. Unless…you've read this article and know how to prepare.

You're welcome.

(1) Create an emergency fund.

It sounds like some weird post-apocalyptic safety technique, but an emergency fund is just a pile of cash that you do not touch unless there's…well, an emergency. We suggest writing down what qualifies as an emergency before the emergencies actually happen. That way you don't just start dipping into the fund because OMG TSWIFT IS IN TOWN AND YOU CAN'T MISS IT. If you put TSwift tickets on your emergency fund list, you're good to go. If not…no touching.

How you want to get the dough for your emergency fund is up to you, but check out our tips for saving for some suggestions.

(2) Insurance

Typical Monday morning: you wake up late, dump a bowl of cereal on the cat, and then twist your ankle running to catch the bus. We can't do much about your angry cat, but if you have health insurance, you can at least go to a clinic or doctor to get some medicine to help with the pain of a twisted ankle.

Insurance, which you pay for every month, comes in handy when bad stuff happens. Talk to your parents: you're probably already on their health insurance policy (lucky you). Car insurance will more likely come out of your pocket. It's worth it, though, when you get rear-ended in a hit-and-run and the mechanic says it's going to cost you $4,000 to fix. Plus, it's illegal not to have it.

(3) Budget

A budget tracks the money coming in and heading out of your life. If something unexpected comes up, you can take a look at your budget and see where you might be able to make changes. For example, if you know that you spend $30/month eating out with your friends, but then you lose your buddy's $20 headphones and need to pay him back, you can decide to eat at home a bit more this month to account for the difference.

Crisis averted.

(4) Planning

Sometime unexpected expenses aren't actually all that unexpected. For example, your friend's bday is coming up, so yeah, people will probably want to get her something. You drive a car and you're 16, so yeah, you're probably going to get a speeding ticket (not that we recommend it). You watch Game of Thrones, so yeah, you're probably going to freak out and accidentally buy the new season when it comes out on Amazon.

Taking a good long look at yourself and your habits can make unexpected things become more expected. They won't cost any less, but at least you'll see 'em coming.