Are your savings enough? Are you saving at all? These are important questions. I know they make some people uncomfortable. They made me uncomfortable for a long time.

If that sounds like you, cheer up. Anyone can get grip on their finances and get on the right track. It’s not about huge sacrifices but it is about making choices — right now, today — that put you on an irreversible course toward savings and security

I ran into a great study by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, part of the independent regulatory group that helps oversee Wall Street. They did a huge national study, calling up 28,000 people all over the country. Here some things they found out:

> More than half of us live paycheck-to-paycheck. Fifty-five percent said their spending was basically equal to their income. Uh-oh.

> Six in 10 Americans did not have money to cover three months of living costs. This is huge, and it’s the reason why medical problems trigger financial problems, even bankruptcy.

> Almost a quarter of us have borrowed money from places other than banks, like taking a payday loan or a loan from a tax preparer in anticipation of a refund from the IRS. Interest rates on those things are just nuts!

Okay, so what can you do about this situation right now? Take it calmly, for one. Then set some simple goals and, crucially, decide how you will achieve them. For me, that meant a careful inventory of where the money was going — spending on food out, clothing, travel, plus my normal gotta-pay-it things like rent and taxes and so on.

Turns out, my wallet was like a sieve! Seriously, I couldn’t even remember spending half the money I spent in a month. Whatever I bought must not have been so important if I couldn’t even remember spending the money, right?

Set simple goals at first

Next step was to set a very short-term savings goal. Could be, like, I will have three month’s rent saved up. Or I will have I one less credit card open in six months. Don’t worry about a grand plan. Just set that goal and knock it out.

Then, get aggressive. You will find that the short-term goals can be met without a lot of tears. A small success will embolden you to set a more challenging test of your personal resolve.

My personal favorite is to always make windfalls disappear. No, not that way! I hide them from myself. If I get a raise, I up my 401(k) to match. If I get a tax refund, I dump it into an IRA. Out of pocket, out of mind. What are your favorite savings tricks?