If you’re like me, you’re always surprised at how expensive that car insurance bill is or how much you really owe in taxes.
The expenses that you don’t pay on a monthly basis can often sneak up on you before you have the money to pay them.
These bills could include:
- Insurance (auto, homeowner’s, renter’s)
- Membership fees (yearly dues)
- Charity donations
- Taxes
If you aren’t prepared, these expenses can take a bite out of your monthly budget. To fix that, you need a once-in-a-while fund.
How to Handle Your Once-in-a-While Expenses
The once-in-a-while fund transforms your annual/bi-annual expenses into monthly amounts that you put aside in a specific savings account.
So, instead of having to fork out $1000 every January for your homeowner’s insurance, you’d be transferring $83.33 every month into your once-in-a-while fund.
Chances are, you have more than one once-in-a-while expenses. List your once-in-a-while expenses, over a full calendar year. Don’t miss those that you pay more than once a year. For example, if you pay your auto insurance twice a year, make sure to count it twice.
When you’ve totaled up your once-in-a-while expenses, divide it by 12. This is the amount you need to be setting aside each month for your once-in-a-while fund.
Open Your Once-in-a-While Account
When you’re automating your finances, it’s important to have multiple accounts for your many goals.
The easiest way to set aside your once-in-a-while costs is to open a specific account for them. I recommend ING Direct; I use them for my once-in-a-while fund, my emergency fund, my tax fund, and my vacation fund.
After you’ve opened your ING Direct account, set up an automatic savings plan to pull your once-in-a-while costs each month. Now, when the big expense comes due, you’ve already got the money set aside to pay it!
Not sure the easiest way to get set up with multiple ING Direct accounts? Automatic Finances details the process in Day 9, “Open Your Short-Term Savings Accounts.”
