Automated email series for expiring members

We want to set up an automated two-part email series for donors whose membership is expiring. One would go out before the membership expires, and the other after. 

For the entry criteria, I’ve tried to use CAL to create a saved search of those whose memberships expire in the following month, but that obviously isn’t an option. Creating a search for those whose memberships expire this month won’t work, and everything Que has suggested isn’t an option. 

Additionally, we would like folks to leave the automation workflow if they make a membership-renewing contribution, but I’m not sure how to do that. I could create a search for those from whom we’ve received contributions, but again, selecting a date range of ‘this month’ won’t work. I could also use the membership dues paid or enrollment type fields, but they don’t provide an option to link these to a specific time frame. 

Any suggestions or guidance to help us achieve our goals and set up this automated series? Thank you.