Tip of the Week – Setup a Savings Account for Non-Monthly Bills

Each and every one of us has reoccurring bills that we need to budget for. Some are payable monthly and are fairly uniform. The larger issue at hand is those bills such as oil, insurance, and taxes that sneak up on you quarterly, semi-annually, or even annually. These bills, as fate may have it, tend to be larger and always seem to hit when you can least afford it. To prevent being stung by these large infrequent bills, set up a separate savings account. Take an estimate of the total yearly cost of all you non-monthly bills, add them together, and divide by 12. This is the monthly amount you should be automatically transferring into your savings account (Hint: If you are having a hard time estimating this, take the total of last year’s non-monthly bills and multiply it by 9%). Next time one of these bills comes unexpectedly in the mail, you’ll have the funds to pay the bills, and you might even earn some interest on your savings.