The number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck continues to rise. As of 2021, 64% of households found themselves in this category, presenting a troubling outlook for the economy.

“We are all seeing the cost of everything shooting up,” Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s financial health officer, recently told CNBC.

Breaking out of this cycle has become one of the great challenges of our time, but the odds are in your favor if the steps you take automatically deliver tangible results — like a separate, “untouchable” account.

The first thing to do is update your direct deposit information and split your paycheck between your main account and a different, side account. Alternatively, you can schedule automatic transfers to get the money somewhere other than your checking account. I know some people get queasy, or completely check out mentally, when they hear another financial professional talk about the importance of saving, but many of them aren’t yet familiar with some of the products that have become available in recent years.

The most familiar and user-friendly innovation is the keep-the-change setting offered by most banks. Institutions now offer a feature that rounds every purchase up to the next dollar — and deposits the difference in another account of your choosing.

The most important thing to do is establish a six-month emergency fund. It can help you avoid predatory, short-term loans and potential service interruptions if, God forbid, you are ever disabled.

When done right, an emergency fund can be the foundation of your fortress of financial fortitude. Your emergency fund should be at a different bank from all your other accounts, and be an “untouchable” account. Don’t even activate the debit card and leave it at home so you can’t activate it when you see a great outfit you may want to purchase.

If temptation is your main obstacle to saving, one of my clients has a solution. He is on the autism spectrum and says he is “terrible with money.” His trick is to take out the cash he wants to save and put it in a time-operated safe that can’t be overridden. It’s called Kitchen Safe. I’ve always been an advocate of working with a set amount of cash as a way of staying under budget — especially during the holidays — so I think this is a great method if it works for you.

Another means to building an emergency fund is education. That is, educating yourself about your spending habits and behavior by categorizing your expenses in an accounting app. Credit card companies will often make a valiant effort to categorize your expenses for you, but it’s usually a very loose fit because it is partly based on the name of an establishment. By categorizing transactions yourself, you can run more accurate reports to inform your decision-making.

For some people, post-2020 life has been a harsh reality devoid of surpluses and slush funds. Now everything has to wait until payday. If you’re one of those people, you’re probably sick of hearing talking heads referencing your nonexistent savings, let alone a nest egg that covers six months of your living expenses.

Judy Heft is the CEO/founder of Judith Heft & Associates, a financial and lifestyle concierge celebrating 26 years in business helping people stay financially organized. She is a certified money coach and the author of “How to Be Smart, Successful and Organized with Your Money” and the co-author of “Mastering Your Financial LifeCycles.” She is the host of the podcast “Mastering your Financial Life.” For more information visit www.judithheft.com.