Down payment planning is one of the most concrete milestones: set a target amount, pick a monthly savings plan, and track progress. For example, a common down-payment target for a modest home might be $12,000. If you plan to save a fixed monthly amount, dividing the target by monthly savings yields the months required — simple but revealing. This question uses a practical example to check you can translate a savings plan into a timeline, which helps with scheduling other milestones around saving for a home. (Numbers are illustrative.)