If the word budgeting makes you roll your eyes, shut your laptop and toss it out the window, you’re not alone. A whopping 47% of Americans said they do not have a written formal financial plan, according to the 2025 Annual Retirement Study from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement (1).

Without a clear roadmap, many adults are left struggling with financial anxiety and worries about falling short of their long-term goals.

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Winnie Sun, co-founder of Sun Group Wealth Partners, sees the same pattern with almost every new client. The moment the word "budget" comes up, people assume they're signing up to suffer, she told CNBC in a 2024 interview. "It's sort of like telling someone they need to diet and eat healthy," said Sun. For most consumers, the concept alone is overwhelming enough to stop them before they start (2).

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and demotivated, you could try some of these simple and low-effort money hacks to improve your finances without a formal written plan for every month or year.

This isn’t just a money hack, but a psychological hack too. The best way to stay disciplined may be to take personal will power out of the equation entirely. Many emerging fintech startups and personal finance apps let you save a portion of your paycheck every month, invest a fixed amount of money in index funds or stocks and round-up purchases to find small savings.

These helpful automations don’t eliminate the need for budgeting, but they can make your personal finances a lot better if you’re operating without a formal plan.

“Your main savings strategy should be to switch from having to remember to save a small amount every month to saving a percentage of your income automatically, any time you receive income,” Wendy De La Rosa, a behavioral scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, told CNBC (3).

The average American spends a whopping $1,080 on subscription services every year and roughly $200 of that is on unused services, according to a CNET survey conducted by YouGov. For many families, this is a sizable and invisible leak on their finances (4).

If setting a clear budget for subscription apps is too much effort, you could routinely conduct an audit of your recurring expenses to eliminate the ones you’re no longer using.

Read More: 5 essential money moves to make once you’ve saved $50,000

One in four American homebuyers admitted to going over their budget while buying their home, according to Zoocassa (5). Similarly, you’re likely to overspend on home appliances, cars or renovations. Each instance of overspending on a big-ticket item can offset months or even years of careful planning and budgeting.

With this in mind, you could implement a cool-down policy for every major purchase. For instance, waiting 24 or 48 hours before completing the purchase of anything over $10,000. This waiting period doesn’t fully eliminate the chances of overspending and buyers’ remorse, but it does minimize the chances and give you enough time to think before a long-term commitment.

The “no-spend” challenge went viral on TikTok in 2024, but it’s just as relevant today. Opting out of non-essential spending for even a single week can make a noticeable difference on your annual spending.

If you go a full month without eating out, shopping or buying clothes every year, that could be a real game-changer.

Having a formal and well-crafted budget is immensely helpful. You can’t get to your financial goals without a roadmap.

But if the thought of budgeting makes you cringe, the next-best thing is creating systems and personal rules that save you from overspending. Find what works best for your spending habits and mindset and implement these changes as soon as possible to make it easier to save and invest over the long-term.

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Allianz (1); CNBC (2, 3); CNET (4); Zoocasa (5)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.