You’ve given up the daily $2 coffee and mastered the art of brewing it at home. Your grocery bill is cut by a third because you’ve become efficient at weeding out non-essentials. And your budgeting spreadsheet is pristine and up to date. You’re even using those handy “tracking tools” on your credit card account to see what you spend month-over-month. Now it’s time to make sure the money you’re saving is actually added to your savings.

Here are some of the best ways to do that:

1. Automate, Automate, Automate

“Automation is the new discipline,” says Tiffany Aliche, author of “The One Week Budget” and TheBudgetnista.com. “Automating a specific savings amount each pay period is one of the most effective ways to save.”

Aliche says that by setting up automatic weekly or monthly transfers from checking to savings, you can override your emotions and create a system that works even when you’re not paying close attention.

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