Dont get blindsided by quarterly estimated tax payments or semiannual or annual insurance fees. Any expense that doesnt fit neatly into your monthly budget should not come out of your emergency fund or wind up on your credit card. Whether you are self-employed or hold a salaried job, you can avoid a last minute panic by factoring irregular expenses into your regular budget.

Consider setting up a separate back account to handle quarterly, semiannual or annual expenses.

Consider setting up a separate bank account to handle irregular (quarterly, semiannual, or annual) expenses. Each time you get paid, deposit money in this account to cover these expenses when they come due. You can even arrange for these deposits to be made automatically. The amount of each deposit should equal your share of the annual total needed for these expenses, divided by the number of paychecks you receive each year.