Pay Yourself First Like a Pro with These 10 Lazy-Genius Moves
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1. Set Up Automatic Transfers with Apps Like Betterment
👉 In a Nutshell: Let an app move your money before you get tempted to spend it.
You know when your paycheck hits and your brain goes straight to Amazon?
Yeah, we’ve all been there.
But here’s the play. You set it up once, and boom, money goes straight to savings before you even see it.
Betterment does that for you while also helping you invest it.
So instead of spending your future, you’re stacking it.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Create a Betterment account: Set up your account and link your bank.
Step 2: Open a Cash Reserve Account: It will give you a 10X times better interest rate on your savings.
Step 3: Choose an automatic deposit: Decide how much you want transferred every payday.
2. Open a Separate High-Yield Savings Account with Ally
👉 In a Nutshell: Put your savings somewhere you won’t touch them. But it still grows.
If your savings are in the same account as your spending… It’s not savings, it’s bait.
You see money there, and suddenly you “need” new shoes?
Nah, you need boundaries.
That’s why Ally’s savings account works: it’s separate, pays interest, and takes effort to pull money out.
You’ll forget it’s there. Until it’s fat.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Open a new Ally account: It’s free, fast, and online.
Step 2: Name the goal: Label it something like “Emergency Fund” or “Freedom Money.”
Step 3: Set recurring deposits: Even $10 a week grows fast in a high-yield account.
3. Try Acorns to Round Up Purchases and Invest the Difference
👉 In a Nutshell: Acorns invests your spare change without you noticing.
You buy tacos for $7.50. Acorns takes the 50¢ and invests it.
Easy math, right?
That loose change adds up quickly, and you never feel it leave.
You’re making money while buying your snacks.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Download Acorns: Link it to your debit or credit card.
Step 2: Turn on “Round-Ups”: The app will round up every purchase and stash the change.
Step 3: Watch your money grow: Sit back and let Acorns invest without lifting a finger.
4. Use Rocket Money to Save First and Budget What’s Left
👉 In a Nutshell: Let Rocket Money plan around your savings. Not the other way.
Most people save what’s left after spending.
But you? You’re gonna flip that.
Rocket Money shows you where your cash is going…
But also, it helps you create savings goals that happen automatically in the background.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Sign up for Rocket Money: Connect your bank accounts.
Step 2: Set a savings goal: The app will recommend what to save first.
Step 3: Spend what’s left: Let Rocket Money build your budget after paying yourself.
5. Automate Saving and Investing with M1 Finance’s Smart Transfers
👉 In a Nutshell: M1 Finance makes saving and investing feel like autopilot.
You know how Teslas drive themselves?
M1 does that… for your money.
Once you set it up, it moves your cash into your custom investments only when you have enough.
So it won’t mess with your bills. But it still builds wealth behind the scenes.
Not gonna lie… kinda genius.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Open an M1 Finance account: It’s free and takes 5 minutes.
Step 2: Set up a “Pie”: Choose what percentage goes to each investment.
Step 3: Activate Smart Transfers: It’ll only move money once your checking hits a certain amount.
6. Transfer Side Hustle Income Into a Pay-Yourself Account with Novo
👉 In a Nutshell: Keep side hustle money separate so it stacks, not disappears.
If your business money hits your main account, it’ll vanish faster than fries at 2 a.m.
Trust me.
Novo makes it easy to separate that money, so you can actually see what your side hustle is earning.
Even better. You can auto-transfer a cut of that into savings, too.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Open a Novo business account: Perfect for freelancers and gig workers.
Step 2: Direct deposit your side hustle money: Keep it out of your main account.
Step 3: Transfer 20% to savings: Every time you get paid, stash some first.
7. Tip: Move Money to Savings the Day You Get Paid
👉 In a Nutshell: Don’t wait. Save the moment your paycheck hits.
Look, if the money sits there too long, it starts whispering bad ideas.
“New shoes?” “Night out?” “Random Amazon junk?”
Nah.
Move some of that cash before it gets sneaky.
And set it up to be done automatically!
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Decide how much: Even 5% is better than zero.
Step 2: Set a reminder: Payday = Transfer day.
Step 3: Make it a routine: Do it every time like clockwork.
8. Tip: Treat Saving Like a Non-Negotiable Bill
👉 In a Nutshell: Saving is your rent to future freedom.
Would you ever skip your rent?
Exactly.
Saving has to be just as serious.
Treat it like something you must pay, not something you might do if there’s anything left.
Non-negotiable, like your Netflix password.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Set a fixed savings “bill”: Decide a monthly amount, like $100.
Step 2: Automate the transfer: Schedule it like rent or car insurance.
Step 3: Don’t touch it: That money is off-limits. Period.
9. Tip: Save a Small Percentage First, Then Increase Over Time
👉 In a Nutshell: Start small so you don’t freak out and quit.
If you try to save half your paycheck overnight, you’ll feel broke and give up.
Start with 1% or 2%. You won’t even notice it.
Then bump it up when life feels steady.
This way, saving becomes a habit, not a punishment.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Pick a small percentage: Like 2% of your take-home pay.
Step 2: Automate it: Use your bank or an app to pull it every payday.
Step 3: Increase slowly: Every few months, raise it by 1–2%.
10. Tip: Reward Yourself Only After You Save First
👉 In a Nutshell: Treats feel better when you’ve already secured your bag.
It hits differently when you splurge after taking care of business.
You enjoy it guilt-free.
And you train your brain to associate saving with feeling good.
That’s how rich habits stick.
↪️ Here’s How You’ll Do It
Step 1: Save first: Don’t spend a dime until you’ve transferred to savings.
Step 2: Plan a small reward: Coffee, a walk, whatever feels like a win.
Step 3: Celebrate the habit: Remind yourself you’re building wealth, not sacrificing.
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