Sinking funds
Small, regular amounts for specific costs: car insurance, holidays, back-to-school, repairs. Each has a goal and often a due date.
How sinking funds workEmergency funds and sinking funds
Make the next big bill a non-event.
Most "unexpected" bills aren't: car insurance renews, tires wear out, the holidays come every December. Build sinking funds for those and an emergency fund for the truly unexpected, one paycheck at a time.
My funds
Two kinds of savings, two different jobs
Emergency fund
A cushion for job loss, urgent medical bills or essential repairs. Start with $500 to $1,000, then build toward months of essentials.
Find your target16 guides
Emergency fund
- What an emergency fund is (and isn't)4 min read
- How much should your emergency fund be?5 min read
- Build a starter emergency fund fast5 min read
- Is this an emergency? A quick test3 min read
Sinking funds
- What sinking funds are and why they work4 min read
- Choose your first sinking funds5 min read
- Sinking funds for car and home repairs5 min read
- Funds for irregular or seasonal income6 min read
Where to keep it
- Where to keep your funds: high-yield savings basics5 min read
- One account or many?4 min read
- Automate it: save on payday, not at month-end4 min read
- Refilling your fund after you use it3 min read
Finding the money
- Find money to save in a tight budget6 min read
- What to do with a tax refund or windfall4 min read
- Saving when money is really tight5 min read
- Stay motivated: make progress visible3 min read
Free download, no email needed
The Sinking Funds Worksheet
Find last year's non-monthly bills, turn them into sinking funds, work out the amount per paycheck and track your balances for a year. Includes an emergency fund target page and 30 fund ideas.
One small savings step, every two weeks
The Fund Note: one practical step to build your funds, a sinking fund idea with a real example and a reader question answered. Confirm by email, unsubscribe with one click, and we never send offers for loans, cards or bank accounts.