Lucky 13 emergency savings strategies
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Setting aside 10 percent of your discretionary income for fun is Epperson's rule. That way you know how much money you have to play with. Plan ahead to stretch your dollars because, she warns, "When the money's not there, you don't have the fun."

6. Make things interest-ing
Draw down no-interest checking accounts and move the money into high-interest savings. If you can't figure out where to cut back your expenses, this is a good place to look for extra money, says Epperson. "Most Americans keep too much money in checking accounts that earn zero percent interest. That money's just wasting time."

7. Learn to save short-term splurges
One trick that Bedda D'Angelo, a Certified Financial Planner out of Raleigh, N.C., recommends, is deferring the latte splurge until you've saved up enough for a massage. This way you're retraining yourself away from giving into immediate gratification and into saving for your real desires. "It's still pleasure," she says, "but now you're saving for larger things."

8. Reward yourself
Allow yourself little extra perks for reaching savings goals. Taking a vacation without plastic is one reward-worthy goal, D'Angelo suggests. "Pretty soon you're going to say 'I really like it. I feel so secure with this buffer. I really like having money in the bank,'" she says.

Rewards sweeten the medicine, retraining you to take the smart but tough steps that will ensure your financial future. And the cost of the perks is outweighed by new money-saving habits.

9. Remove the temptation  
Maybe skip a trip to the mall and go to a specialty store to pick up the item that's actually on your shopping list. Or go to the park for diversion instead of window shopping. It's not fun finding yourself on the wrong side of the window shopping experience, and in most cases the old adage "out of sight, out of mind" rings true for impulse buys.