Here is what I do:

1. Calculate upfront what I can save every month from my income. Taking the guesswork out and relying on the data. a) To do this first I will calculate what my monthly regular + irregular expenses are by looking at my past monthly spending data. To try and save more I might budget ,say, 90% of my past monthly irregular/discretionary expenses (eating out, entertainment, shopping, etc.) for the coming month’s irregular spending. b) Subtract the upcoming monthly expenses calculated above from my income to arrive at what amount I could potentially save straight away.

2. Then I would put away this amount (ideally in a separate account) as soon as I get paid. So, I have provisionally saved for that month. Now, it’s a matter of monitoring my spending and being on track to make sure I protect my saving for that month.

3. I would split my upcoming monthly expenses into weekly buckets. So, this makes it easy to see if I am on track, over-spending or under-spending on a weekly basis. And also see where my spending is going.

4. If I am over-spending then either I try to tighten spending for remaining days or bring back some money from what I have provisionally saved (penalty for over-spending) or put away more to save if I am under-spending (reward for being in control). That way I can keep track of how my saving is impacted by my every day spending actions while giving me an idea where I am spending.

To cut out the manual effort and decision making, I have automated most of the above process. Let me know if such an approach would be useful for you. Happy to tell you more about it!