DayCents

Sinking Fund

A sinking fund is money you set aside a little at a time for a known future expense — holidays, car repairs, insurance premiums, a vacation. By saving ahead in small amounts, you turn irregular big bills into manageable monthly deposits and avoid reaching for a credit card.

It's different from an emergency fund, which is for the unexpected; a sinking fund is for the expected-but-irregular. Keeping several small sinking funds — often as separate savings sub-accounts — is a hallmark of a budget that rarely gets ambushed.