Successful saving has really only one rule: Make a plan and stick to it. The trouble with that is how easy it can be to let yourself get away with small infractions against the plan -- $5 here, $10 there -- so your mighty ambition to save perishes from attrition, suffering the death of a thousand cuts.
Fortunately, you can strengthen your saving skills with the right training program, building discipline like monks on their way to Shaolin mastery. Discipline with money is a lot like martial arts, actually. It's hard at first, but the benefits can last.