'Pay-to-Use' Helps You Save Cash

For the pay-to-use system to be successful, you need to pay the cash to your fund as soon as you do whatever it is you have to pay to do. If you simply write down the amount you owe or tell yourself that you will pay it later, the system will fail.

One easy way to make sure that you pay is to set up a central piggy bank or money jar in a well-trafficked area of your house where all payments should be deposited. Once a week or so, you can take the proceeds to the bank and deposit them into your emergency fund account.

Include all your family members when setting up this program. The system works best as a family unit, rather than a single person within the family.