Two out of 10 Dutch households do not have enough savings to pay for emergency purchases and a further two out of 10 have no savings at all, according to research by the family spending institute Nibud.

Nibud estimates a couple need at least €4,000 in savings to pay for unexpected items like a new fridge or television, while a family with two children should have €5,000 set aside.
The fact that so many households don’t have enough money reserved for emergencies is ‘worrying’, Nibud says. People on low incomes are least likely to have savings, as are youngsters and people living in rented accommodation.
Savings account
Nevertheless, a quarter of households do save a regular amount every month – averaging 9% of their total income – and a further 40% put money to one side sporadically.
The impact of the crisis has been to stimulate people to save more money, Nibud says. In 2006, at least half of home owners had over €8,500 in their spending accounts. This has now doubled to €17,000.
And the average childless couple in their 30s with €3,500 a month to spend has savings of almost €40,000.
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