“More than half of American households have less than one month of income available in readily accessible savings to use in case of an emergency, a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts finds,” according to The New York Times.com.

The following three saving plans are designed to prevent you from becoming a part of this statistic.  They should be used in addition to saving toward retirement. Hopefully you are investing in your 401k plan or IRA on a regular basis, if not look into starting.

Build an emergency fund and make life easier.

Let’s say you want a new car, down payment on a house or fabulous summer vacation.  Your dreams can also manifest into reality by saving short term.

Luckily I was saving up my pennies using the first step when it was time to buy my first house.  Without an automatic savings account I wouldn’t be sitting in my living room writing this post right now.

Worse case scenario you get laid off, require surgery or major car repairs.  You will need money fast.

Don’t plan to fail plan to save to prevent financial pitfalls.

1.  Automatically Have Your Savings Withdrawn from Your Bank Account

Automatically drafting money from your checking to your savings requires very little effort on your part.

Begin by contacting your bank and setting up a certain amount of money to be withdrawn from your checking account and transferred directly into your savings account automatically on a day of your choosing (usually a payday works best).

Take $25 for example.  This may not seem like a lot of money but at the end of the month that equals $100 and in 6 months $600 and before you know it you have $1200 by the end of the year.  A very nice Christmas present if you ask me.

Before you begin your automatic savings take a look at your earnings and decide on an amount that will go unnoticed if taken from your paycheck weekly.  If you don’t already have a savings account then open one and have the amount you decide on transferred from your paycheck every week or pay period –which ever works best for you.\

2.  Set Aside a Percentage of Your Income for Your Savings Account

This is a very popular form of saving that financial advisers always seem to suggest.  They tell you to save 10%of our total income each month.

I say why not more or less?

If you are doing really well on your current job or living that dream career and funds are lucrative turn that percentage up a notch to 15% or 20%.

On the other hand if you are going through some hard times right now raising your children and not working at that dream job yet then, 10% may be too much.  If 10% is taking food out of your child’s mouth or dipping into the rent or mortgage just switch to 5% or 3%.

Now you may ask how much money is that really saving?  Well I say, more then you where saving before.

This seemingly small percentage gets you in the habit of saving.  It sends a message to the universe that says I am a saver so send me more to save.  You get the practice and have the beginnings of a nice money cushion.

3.  After You Payoff a Bill Start Placing that Payment into Your Savings Account

Is there a bill you had paid off or one that has been lowered?  Take that money you used to pay the bill with and put that cash toward your savings.

For example you have finally paid off that credit card bill.  You paid $150 faithfully for the past year.  You’ve made this payment and it has become such a staple in your budget that you adjusted to seeing the money missing.

Now that this bill is paid off take that money and pay yourself.

The Little Book of Big Savings: 351 Practical Ways to Save Money Now has a lot more great saving tips.

Why Save?  Why Not? 

People ask me all the time why do you save so much?  If you get hit by a bus then who will spend it?

So, they suggest just spending it all right now.

These same people go through changes in life.   When a change includes job loss, new baby, new marriage, divorce or economic crisis wouldn’t you rather have some money set aside?

How important is saving to you?