Didn't hit your 2025 savings goals? Start fresh with these tools in the new year

The new year is upon us and if you're looking to make progress with your money in 2026, why wait until January 1 to start strategizing?

Bankrate's Annual Emergency Savings report found that 8 in 10 Americans did not increase their emergency savings in 2025. In fact, 19% of respondents actually have less emergency savings now than they did at the start of the year.

If you've dipped into your savings this year — or just missed the mark on a big savings goal — here are some tips and tools to help you build up a stash of cash in 2026.

Saving more money generally starts with auditing where how much you're earning versus how much you're spending and cutting out expenses for things that you don't need or don't use anymore. Many times, the culprit is unused or forgotten subscriptions and memberships.

Expense tracking platforms like Monarch Money and Empower help you categorize your expenses and automatically track transactions so you know exactly where your money is going. Monarch offers a 7-day free trial but the Empower app is completely free unless you decide to use the investing services.

Once everything is laid out in front of you, you can decide where you can cut and save, then redirect that money into a savings account.

The cuts you make may not always mean hundreds of dollars in savings but every bit goes a long way.

Not being able to save hundreds of dollars per month doesn't mean you should completely give up on your goals to build your net worth. Micro-savings platforms like Oportun help you contribute small amounts of money to save or invest.

You connect your bank account to the app and create a savings goal, and Oportun automatically withdraws small amounts of money and saves it for you daily. The platform saves small bits of cash for you based on when you have bills due but you can set other savings guidelines so you can avoid overdrafts or running out of cash for your bills.

According to Oportun's website, users save an average of $1,800 per year.

According to Bankrate's report, 44% of households reported decreased emergency savings as a result of decreased earnings. In other words, the less you earn, the less you may be able to save. Lower earnings can be the result of job loss, cuts to your hours, divorce and many other life circumstances.

And sometimes even when you make budget cuts, you only have so much room to save. And if you still won't be on track to hit your savings goals after you've cut everything you possibly could, then you might need to consider creating a new source of income to reach those milestones.

Start with asking for a raise or promotion at your current job and if that isn't possible, look for a part-time job, freelance work or a contract gig. Of course, it isn't always easy to land a new gig even on a part-time basis. But there are still other options for earning more money. Try advertising your own independent freelance services. Creating your own side hustles lets you set your own hours and price, and you get to choose who you want to work with.

Many people use a site like Upwork to advertise their services and set pricing. If online services isn't your cup of tea, try side hustles like pet sitting — the Rover app lets you find opportunities to pet sit in your neighborhood.

High-yield savings accounts pay you more interest than traditional savings accounts do, which means that your balance grows more meaningfully every month even if you don't make new contributions. You may not earn hundreds of dollars in interest yet (unless you deposit thousands into your account) but it's still better than nothing at all.

CNBC Select ranked the Marcus by Goldman Sachs® High-Yield Online Savings Account as one of the best accounts because it doesn't charge monthly fees or overdraft fees. We also chose the American Express^® High Yield Savings Account as one of the best accounts from a big bank if you want to go with a household name you may be more familiar with.

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