If you’re a regular saver, that’s great! You’re already ahead of the game. But even if you’re putting money away each month, you could be running into some common savings mistakes that could slow you down on the way to your toward your savings goals.

You Save What’s Leftover

If you’re paying your bills, spending a little “fun” money, then transferring what’s left into savings, you could definitely run into some trouble. It’s great that you’re saving some money, but the amount you save isn’t likely to be consistent using this method.

When you leave money that should be saved lying around in your checking account, you’re just luring yourself into a false sense of security with the amount of money you have available to spend. So instead, try paying yourself first when you get a paycheck. That way you save a set amount each pay period before you have the chance to spend any money.

All Of Your Savings Go Into the Same Pot

When you’re throwing all of your savings into one account, it can be fun to watch that account grow at, quite possibly, an impressive rate. However, when you have all of your savings in one account, it can be difficult to visualize which chunk of money goes toward which goals.

When you have specific savings accounts for specific goals, it’s easy to tell how much you have saved for emergencies, travel, your future home, etc.

You Save Big Chunks of Money When You Can

When put a big tax refund or other sort of windfall into savings, you can get quite a high from seeing a large chunk of money go into savings. However, if you only use this “all-or-nothing” tactic, you may end up in trouble since windfalls don’t usually come along often.

Instead, try figuring out how much you can put into savings each month. Then when a windfall comes along, you can divide that up smartly too. Maybe you can put some towards your savings goals, but some toward any debt that needs to be paid off.

Check out some more advice over at Lifehacker.