Man, that's a scary spot. So you've got like five years before the big payment hits? What's your actual game plan for that lump sum? Like @cora_carr73 said, auto-saving is key, but you need a beast of an account. Are you putting that cash in a regular savings account getting no interest, or are you using something like a high-yield account or even a CD that matures right before the payment? The difference could be thousands.