I think my strategy diverges somewhat from the norm but this is what I do: instead of trying to perfectly predict annual medical expenses, which is pretty fraug

I think my strategy diverges somewhat from the norm but this is what I do: instead of trying to perfectly predict annual medical expenses, which is pretty fraught especially in my case, i come up with a conservative estimate using a heuristic. Now this figure is typically half of my previous year's expenses. In this way, i essentially ensure that i utilize the full FSA amount without overcommitting. To guardrail the process, i've integrated my FSA with a small app I wrote as a hobby project that automatically flags eligible transactions. This largely automates the reimbursement procedure, significantly reducing the overhead of manual management and making sure I don't miss much heh. And in terms of the risk of forfeiture, this conservative approach coupled with the aforementioned automation has safeguarded me against major losses and kept my exposure low. I think the benefits of FSAs are hard to ignore, but they do necessitate a bit more touch than other expenditure vehicles to be sure.