This tactic is a great way to get into the habit of saving, and over time the “missing” money will become less and less noticeable. The idea is to set aside a certain amount of money from each paycheck — choosing a set amount that you can comfortably spare — and put it straight into savings on or around payday. One nearly effortless way to do this is to set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to your savings account, and schedule it to recur each time you get paid.

While this tactic may not build a big emergency fund quickly, it’ll definitely add up over time — and as they say, slow and steady often wins the race. When you get spare change after making a cash purchase, or even $1 and $5 bills after breaking a larger bill, drop it into an empty jelly jar or coffee can at home. When the jar or can fills up, take the funds to your bank and deposit them into your savings account.

We all come across unexpected or otherwise extra money on occasion, whether it’s thousands of dollars in a tax return or $20 from Aunt Jean in a birthday card. And while it might be tempting to hit the town, do some splurge spending or take a vacation with the windfall, try to at least put a sizable portion — or even all — of the money away in your emergency fund. This can be a quick way to make big gains in your savings balance.

When you have extra money left in your checking account at the end of a pay period, consider putting some or all of the surplus into your emergency fund. After all, you’ll have the benefit of a full paycheck’s worth of new funds in your checking account, so you will be able to spare some money for savings.