The thought of retirement or an unplanned emergency is enough to overwhelm just about anyone.

According to an America Saves Week survey, only two out of every five U.S. households report good or excellent progress meeting their savings needs and only 43 percent of people surveyed have automatic savings outside of work.

Did you know that savers with a plan are twice as likely to save successfully? It’s important to always remember that any savings are better than none.

Are you ready to start feeling confident about reaching your savings goals? Let’s get started on your plan!

It’s okay to start small

Take a look at your income and your bills. What can you afford to tuck away?

It could be as little as $5 per paycheck, but over a few months or years, you could have a down payment for a car, a nice getaway or emergency fund, or even Christmas shopping money… It’s never too early to think about Christmas!

It’s important to set an attainable goal

Write that goal down and put it on your refrigerator or someplace where you will see it often.

Whatever goal you come up with, get the wheels in motion and stick with it!

You’re not too young to start saving for retirement

Did you know experts across the board suggest beginning to save for retirement in your 20s?

While social security is a means of income for retirement, it was never designed to be an individual’s only source of retirement income. Social security only replaces about 40 percent of an average income.

If Social Security and retirement planning are like foreign languages to you, there are tools to help. The federal government recommends the Ballpark E$timate Online Tool through choosetosave.org.

Out of sight, out of mind

Five dollars could turn into $100 without much effort from you!

Whether you’re participating in Honor’s Biggest Saver Challenge or are just looking for an easy way to build your savings, set your account up to have a certain amount of money automatically transferred into your savings account every month or each pay period.

If you have direct deposit, it’s almost effortless to start saving money!

You can also enroll in It’s Your Change to have your spare change from each debit card purchase rolled over into your savings account… Think piggy bank, just better!

Watch it grow

It can be tough to follow through on this tip. You know you want to go on that dream vacation, but it’s going to take you months to save up enough money.

Then, something happens. One day you finally find the perfect new couch for your house… That just happens to be almost the exact amount you have saved in your vacation fund. Now, you’re back to square one.

BUT! If you put your money into an Honor certificate of deposit, you can take away that temptation of spending your savings on something you don’t really need.

Don’t let unexpected temptations keep you from feeling confident about your savings account. It’s time to write down your plan, take control of your money, and set yourself up for a successful financial future.