Nobody enjoys living paycheck to paycheck, but the only solution for it is to consistently set money aside in your savings accountwhich can feel worse than the problem.But until your job gives you a 150% raise or your long-lost Uncle Scrooge kicks the bucket and leaves you everything, learning how to incorporate savings into your budget is the only way to end the constant cycle of too much month at the end of your money.Heres what you need to know to make savings a part of your money management process.Why you need a savings accountParents give us a lot of advice while growing up:Wear clean underwear in case you get into an accident.Learn the piano so youll always be the life of the party.Put money aside for a rainy day.Considering how unhelpful, counterproductive, and downright bizarre some of this parental advice can be, its easy to ignore the good guidance about saving moneyespecially if its couched as a protection against inclement weather. Unless Mom and Dad spelled out what the heck youre saving money for, the entire suggestion can seem a bit pointless.But there are two distinct reasons you should save your money, and a successful budget needs to plan for both of them:To have money available for emergencies and other unexpected expenses.To reach your short-term and longer-term goals, like buying a car or a house.Having specific savings goals makes it easier to set the money aside, since instead of feeling like youre giving up the money going into savings, youre working toward a future you want.How much do you need to save?Newbie budgeters can feel discouraged to learn that experts want them to have enough savings set aside to cover three to six months worth of expenses. That can seem like a nearly impossible amount of money to set aside when youre starting from scratch.Dont let expert advice keep you from getting started. If your savings currently consists of pocket lint and a Canadian penny, aim for an initial goal of $1,000. This is a much more achievable amount that is still useful in case of an emergency.While the $1,000 goal is a great start, youll want to keep setting money aside for emergencies or unexpected expenses even after reaching that goal. This will ensure you are consistently replenishing your emergency fund after you have to use it.Once youve hit the $1,000 mark, you can start diversifying your savings. Continue putting part of your savings contribution into the emergency fund, and put the rest aside for a smaller goal, like saving up to adopt a dog, or a big audacious long-term goal, like buying Taylor Swift tickets.How to start a savings habitTo get into the routine of saving money, youll need to follow these steps:Open a savings accountIts easy to overthink this step if you believe you need to find the highest high-yield savings account with the best annual percentage yield. But the little bit of interest you earn on your savings account is much less important than consistently putting money into the account. Opening a savings account at the same bank where you have a checking account will work just fine.However, if you have any concerns about your ability to keep your hands off your savings, you may want to consider opening an account with another financial institution. Transfers typically arent instantaneous between different banks, which gives you a natural delaying tactic when your I-gotta-have-its are feeling itchy.Set up an automatic transferJust as work expands to the time allotted, monthly expenses expand to the size of your paycheck. Planning to save whatever money is left after your bills are paid is an exercise in futility. Instead, savings needs to be something you plan ahead for.The good news is that savings is something you can set and forget. Determine how much money you will not miss from your paycheck and set up an automatic transfer of that amount to coincide with payday. Even if all you can afford to put aside is $30 per paycheck, the money will grow over time.Schedule increases to your savingsAt the same time you set up your initial automatic transfer, schedule an automatic increase of your savings amount in the future. For example, if you are setting aside $30 per paycheck right now, set it up to automatically increase to $40 per paycheck in three months.If youre not able to schedule an automatic increase in the future (since not all institutions allow this kind of scheduling), set a calendar reminder to bump up your savings. While youre at it, make it a recurring reminder for every quarter.While consistently putting a little money away will always be a winning strategy, increasing your savings by a little bit on a regular basis will help even more.Save yourselfSaving money isnt exactly sexy. But its the best way to make sure you control your finances, rather than the other way around.To create a savings habit, you need to set goals for your emergency fund and for future financial aspirations. While the exact amount of money you need to save will vary, its a good idea to aim for $1,000 in emergency savings to startand dont stop putting money into that fund when you hit the goal since youll need to keep it replenished. But reaching $1,000 in emergency savings is a good time to start saving for fun goals as well.To start saving, open an account and set up an automatic transfer to coincide with your payday, since you wont miss money you dont see. Schedule regular increases to your savings contributions to keep the savings train chugging along.Your future self will thank you.