Intentional Spending, Automated: A Simpler Way to Build Wealth
Most of us weren’t raised to feel powerful and proactive with money. We were raised to be careful. To play it safe. To save, find promo codes or clip coupons, and to skip the extra avocado or cancel that Netflix subscription.
No one taught us the most important part of money, how to control it and how to actually grow wealth so that we can have security, flexibility, and eventually, financial independence.
To that end, I appreciate high school and college adding fun electives like Intro to Jazz, but it would have been really nice to learn how to invest without feeling like we needed a finance degree or a second personality that wasn’t allergic to math.
And then we became adults and we told ourselves we’d figure money stuff out later but later never came because how in the world are we supposed to make time for money stuff in addition to everything else we have going on?
If you’ve ever felt like you know you need to pay more attention to your money but there’s just no time in the day, this is for you.
The fantastic news is that you can truly automate the vast majority of your financial life in a few steps. Instead of “trying to save” or “invest” you can set up your life to automatically do this everything single month.
But first, what do you believe about money?
You can have the fanciest budgeting app, the most color-coded spreadsheet, and still feel broke if your beliefs about money are holding you hostage.
Your money mindset is the invisible script running in the background. It’s shaped by what you heard growing up, what you witnessed, and what you absorbed often without realizing it.
Did you grow up hearing “we can’t afford that,” even when things were fine? Or maybe you watched someone spend like money grew on trees... and still end up with nothing to show for it. Or maybe no one talked about money at all. It was a source of tension, guilt, or mystery.
Those stories don’t just live in the past. They show up now in the way you spend, the way you save, and the way you hesitate every time you think about investing.
You can change how you relate to money. You can learn new habits. And yes, you can start now even if life is busy.
Speaking of busy...
One of the biggest things I hear is, “I don’t have time to deal with this right now.”
I’m calling BS on this because if I told you that spending 10 minutes a day on your money for a month building financial literacy and automating your financial life could help you retire 5, 10, or 15 years earlier, would you find the time?
This isn’t about tracking every penny or giving up everything you enjoy. It’s about making a decision that your financial freedom is worth ten minutes. That your future self is worth showing up for, just a little, today.
The time excuse? It's not time. It’s resistance. And it’s 100% valid but also something you can work through. Once you decide that having enough financial flexibility to spend time with your family, take that bucket list trip, or just retire comfortably with people you love, you’ll make time for it.
Now let’s walk through how to take that decision and turn it into a system a step-by-step framework that doesn’t require perfection, just progress. One that builds wealth quietly in the background, while you live your life.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goals and Values
This is the foundation of everything. Before you decide where your money should go, you need to ask:
What do I actually want to use my money for?
What does financial freedom mean for me?
What matters most? Security, flexibility, travel, family, impact?
When your spending, saving, and investing align with your values, money decisions feel less overwhelming. You're no longer guessing, you’re building.
This clarity also helps answer the big question: how much do I need to be investing? There’s no perfect number, but a helpful guide is working toward your Financial Independence Number (the amount of money you'd need invested to stop working if you wanted to).
👉 Here’s a breakdown of how to calculate your FI number
Step 2: Read the Story Your Spending Is Telling
Before you start automating or adjusting your spending, take a moment to actually look at where your money is going. Choose two recent, typical months….not holiday season, not your most frugal month ever, just regular life. Print out your credit card and bank statements (yes, physically print them if you can), grab a highlighter, and read through each transaction. Notice what patterns come up.
This is not about shame or judgment. This is about building awareness. Numbers tell a story, and this is your opportunity to read it.
As you go line by line, ask yourself:
Does this spending reflect my values?
Did this purchase bring me joy, convenience, or peace of mind? Or was it out of habit, stress, or boredom?
Would I happily make this purchase again, or was it a “meh” moment?
Is this expense helping me reach my goals, or pulling me further from them?
What would I rather this money be doing for me instead? Helping me retire?
Remember, you’re not required to cut everything. You’re creating a filter so your future spending flows toward what really matters.
And don’t just rely on a budgeting app or ask ChatGPT what to change because no algorithm knows your values like you do. You are the expert on your life. This step gives you the clarity to decide: What stays, what goes, and what gets automated next.
Step 3: List and Link Accounts
Take a few minutes to gather a full list of your:
Checking and savings accounts
Credit cards
Investment accounts (401(k), IRA, brokerage)
Any old 401(k)s or 403(b)s floating out there
Bills and subscriptions
This is your starting point. Once everything’s visible, you can start streamlining rolling over old accounts (usually this is 401K’s and if you need help with that, start here), closing ones you don’t need (be careful closing old credit cards unless there’s a high annual fee as it can hurt your credit), or grouping short-term savings into one high-yield savings account.
Step 4: Build an Intentional Spending Plan for Your Life
Before you can automate your money with confidence, you need a simple plan that shows you exactly where your money is going and that is aligned with your values.
This is where an Intentional Spending Plan comes in.
Unlike traditional budgets (which often feel rigid or guilt-inducing), an Intentional Spending Plan is a big-picture view of how your money flows. It’s less about tracking every $3 coffee and more about deciding, in advance, what percentage of your income should go to the things that matter most so you can spend with intention and automate the rest.
First, you have to know your numbers.
Start with a quick snapshot of your financial life:
Income = how much you actually take home each month
Fixed costs = the non-negotiables (like rent, groceries, and bills)
Once you have that, you’re ready to build your intentional plan.
Then, assign your income to buckets.
Use this flexible framework as a starting point for how to divvy up your income:
50–60% → Fixed Costs (housing, groceries, transportation, bills)
10% → Investing (paying your future self!))
5–10% → Short- and long-term savings goals (travel, gifts, emergency fund)
20–35% → Guilt-free spending (yes, this includes lattes, dinner dates, and impulse bookstore runs)
This isn't about restriction, it’s about clarity. Once you see where your money wants to go, you can set up systems to support it.
Again, there’s no perfect number to invest but the goal is to work up to investing enough to reach your Financial Independence Number.
Step 5: Automate Your Bills, Saving, and Investing
Now that you’ve mapped it all out, it’s time to put your money on autopilot. We want our financial life to look something like this:
Set-up:
Automatic bill pay from your checking account
Automated transfers to your savings account twice a month to hit your emergency fund goal or short-term savings for larger purchases like house, vacation, or bucket list travel
Recurring contributions to your investment accounts (Roth IRA, 401(k), and brokerage (ideally you have more than one investing account.)
This removes decision fatigue and emotional friction. You won’t have to ask, “Should I invest this month?” The answer will already be yes and your system will already be doing it.
Bonus: investing consistently through all market conditions is one of the most effective long-term wealth strategies. You’re not just saving time you’re building serious money momentum.
Bonus Step: Change Your Due Dates
This one doesn’t get talked about enough, but it can make a huge difference in your financial stress.
If your bills are scattered across the month, it’s easy to feel like you’re always playing catch-up.
Instead, try to align your major bills and automatic payments with your pay schedule. That might mean calling your credit card company or utility provider and asking to move the due date. Most will say yes.
Suddenly, you’re tracking fewer things and avoiding late fees or surprises. It’s one of the simplest ways to make your system work with your life.
You don’t have to be perfect with money. You don’t even have to think about it all the time. You just need a clear plan and a system that works in the background.
Automating your money isn’t about giving up control. It’s about taking it.
And once your system is running, you’ll be amazed at how much calmer, clearer, and more confident you feel.
If you’re ready to put this in motion but want help getting started, my free beginner investing workshop walks you through the first steps to get your money working for you.
