Where should I put money for short-term vs long-term goals?

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

1. 1
   Using a high-yield savings account or cash equivalents for short-term and medium-term goals
2. 2
   Putting money into regular brokerage accounts or ETFs for long-term expenses
3. 3
   Relying on an emergency fund and cash flow for unpredictable appliance replacements instead of dedicated savings
4. 4
   Contributing to traditional 401k accounts instead of overdoing it without an employer match
5. 5
   Switching funds from a high-yield savings account or taxable individual accounts into a Roth IRA
6. 6
   Allocating a monthly portion of the bill into a separate savings account or sub-account
7. 7
   Keeping a running forward-looking balance in a spreadsheet to track liquidity and cash flow
8. 8
   Recording the full payment only in the exact month it occurs

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.