We have two times a year where large bills are due. November is property tax time and February is insurance time. Usually, I would neglect to put anything away during the year to cover this. Those months end up a "fire in my pants" emergency to take it out of our monthly, or withdrawing it from our taxable savings. I really don't like watching balances go down.
I had an epiphany. Why don't I sock away the amounts to cover these expenses, on a monthly basis? I set up budgets on mint for these amounts. No more stress. When the bill comes, I just pay it from my reserved funds.
It is so nice to be really organized. This kind of organization prevents stress and will be best for us in the long run.
This month will be the second month where our savings rate has soared. 73% savings rate this month. I know that this amount may go up and down with emergencies, but still it is epic.