There are a number of quick clean tricks for those times when there is more month than paycheck, but eventually you will want to return to the really great cleaners and wax. If it's only a short stint of cleaning with something less expensive, a bit of dish soap and water will get it clean. I've even heard of people using pledge to do a quick wipe down which applied a light coat and made the next cleaning easy. In the end, are you looking to keep a show room shine, or just get the road grime off of it?
I tend to like my bike shining with a smooth finish, so I will occasionally use compounds to rub out scuffs, and polish it up a bit. Most of the time, I just rinse it down with a quick detail to inspect it.
Good luck to you and let us know what you choose to do.
