Many of us resolve to save money, but budget often fail us. Here's a four-step process to succeeding with our finances that doesn't include a budget.

1. How to Save Money Fast, Without a
Budget: A 4-Step Process

2. 1) Automate
Make Some of Your Savings Automatic
One of the best ways to set a
minimum baseline for your
savings is to automate the
process.
This means taking a portion
out of your paycheck and
socking it into a savings plan
before the money ever hits
your bank account.

3. 1) Automate
Choosing how much to save automatically can
be a difficult task.
• If you’re just getting started, make sure to put
whatever you need to into your 401(k) to get
the maximum company match.
• If you have more experience, shooting for
saving at least 15% of your salary is—
generally—a solid goal.

4. 2) Wait
Add a little breathing
space between seeing
something you want and
actually making the
purchase. This will help
cut down on large impulse
buys that can wreck your
finances.

5. 2) Wait
• Obviously, this is a common tactic when making
life’s biggest purchases, like a new car or home.
• But to really help you save money, start using it
when you think of purchasing any single item
over $50.
– This is where the real savings will start to kick in as
you make fewer and fewer impulse buys.
• If, after waiting a week or two, you still want to
purchase the item, go ahead and do it.

6. 3) Regulate
Of course, you can’t wait a
week or two for every
purchase.
When your family needs food
or toiletries—waiting isn’t an
option.
But there are still two ways to
help you save.

7. 3) Regulate
The Cash-Only Option
• Before heading to the store,
take out a specific amount of
money for purchasing what
your family needs, say $100.
• Do not allow yourself to go
above this number.
• This will force you to prioritize
what’s most necessary, and
make you far more conscious
of where your money is going.
The List Option
• Some people want to use their
credit card. While this opens
the possibility for over
spending, there are
alternatives.
• Before going to the store,
make a list of everything you
need, and only buy those
items.
• If you stick to this, reward
yourself with one “treat” item
before leaving the store.

8. 4) Meditate
This might sound like an
odd last step, but it
might be the most
important one.
As you’ll see, anecdotal
and scientific evidence
supports the fact that
meditating can not only
make you spend less,
but it will help you find
contentment as well.

9. 4) Meditate
Mental Health
Dr. Emma Seppala of Stanford University
has assembled a great infograph on the
mental health benefits of meditation.
Among them:
• Increases in positive emotion and life
satisfaction.
• Decreases in pain, inflammation,
depression, anxiety, and stress.
• Improved decision making skills,
regulation of emotions, and
introspection.
The Benefits of Meditation are Two-Fold
Financial Health
In a world where we are bombarded by as
many as 5,000 ads per day telling us what we
need to be happy, meditation helps reclaim
our mental space.
• A 2009 study published in Social
Indicators showed that when people
practice mindfulness meditation, they are
more aware of the decisions they make.
• Most importantly, the study found
meditation, “undercuts the equation
between well-being and material
accumulation.”

10. The Payoff
That’s it:
• Automate
• Wait
• Regulate
• Meditate
You might be surprised at how
quickly these four steps can not only
help you save money fast, but
improve your quality of life as well!

11. The Social Security Bonus That
Could Super-Charge Your
Retirement