Ever feel guilty dipping into your reserve?

[Giuseppe Cavucci]

Had to pull from my maintenance reserve last month for a repair that was genuinely necessary, not optional, not something I could put off. Still felt a weird pang of guilt watching the number drop, like I was failing at the one job that money had.

Logically I know that's exactly what it's for. The number existing and never being touched isn't a win, it's just money doing nothing useful while it waits. But there's something about a reserve that makes it feel more sacred than regular savings, maybe because the whole point is restraint until the moment you're supposed to actually use it.

Anyone else get a little irrationally attached to their reserve number? Or is spending it exactly as intended and moving on the normal reaction for everyone but me?