diff --git a/association_test.go b/association_test.go
index c84f84ed..f37047d1 100644
--- a/association_test.go
+++ b/association_test.go
@@ -902,6 +902,20 @@ func TestSkipSaveAssociation(t *testing.T) {
 	DB.Save(&User{Name: "jinzhu", Company: Company{Name: "skip_save_association"}})
 
 	if !DB.Where("name = ?", "skip_save_association").First(&Company{}).RecordNotFound() {
-		t.Errorf("Company skip_save_association should not been saved")
+		t.Errorf("Company skip_save_association should not have been saved")
+	}
+
+	// if foreign key is set, this should be saved even if association isn't
+	company := Company{Name: "skip_save_association"}
+	DB.Save(&company)
+	company.Name = "skip_save_association_modified"
+	user := User{Name: "jinzhu", CompanyID: company.ID, Company: company}
+	DB.Save(&user)
+
+	if !DB.Where("name = ?", "skip_save_association_modified").First(&Company{}).RecordNotFound() {
+		t.Errorf("Company skip_save_association should not have been updated")
+	}
+	if DB.Where("id = ? AND company_id = ?", user.ID, company.ID).First(&User{}).RecordNotFound() {
+		t.Errorf("User's foreign key should have been saved")
 	}
 }
diff --git a/callback_save.go b/callback_save.go
index f4bc918e..fa32c907 100644
--- a/callback_save.go
+++ b/callback_save.go
@@ -13,22 +13,21 @@ func commitOrRollbackTransactionCallback(scope *Scope) {
 func saveFieldAsAssociation(scope *Scope, field *Field) (bool, *Relationship) {
 	if scope.changeableField(field) && !field.IsBlank && !field.IsIgnored {
 		if value, ok := field.TagSettings["SAVE_ASSOCIATIONS"]; !ok || (value != "false" && value != "skip") {
-			if relationship := field.Relationship; relationship != nil {
-				return true, relationship
-			}
+			return true, field.Relationship
 		}
+		return false, field.Relationship
 	}
 	return false, nil
 }
 
 func saveBeforeAssociationsCallback(scope *Scope) {
-	if !scope.shouldSaveAssociations() {
-		return
-	}
 	for _, field := range scope.Fields() {
-		if ok, relationship := saveFieldAsAssociation(scope, field); ok && relationship.Kind == "belongs_to" {
+		ok, relationship := saveFieldAsAssociation(scope, field)
+		if relationship != nil && relationship.Kind == "belongs_to" {
 			fieldValue := field.Field.Addr().Interface()
-			scope.Err(scope.NewDB().Save(fieldValue).Error)
+			if ok && scope.shouldSaveAssociations() {
+				scope.Err(scope.NewDB().Save(fieldValue).Error)
+			}
 			if len(relationship.ForeignFieldNames) != 0 {
 				// set value's foreign key
 				for idx, fieldName := range relationship.ForeignFieldNames {
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@ func saveAfterAssociationsCallback(scope *Scope) {
 		return
 	}
 	for _, field := range scope.Fields() {
-		if ok, relationship := saveFieldAsAssociation(scope, field); ok &&
+		if ok, relationship := saveFieldAsAssociation(scope, field); ok && relationship != nil &&
 			(relationship.Kind == "has_one" || relationship.Kind == "has_many" || relationship.Kind == "many_to_many") {
 			value := field.Field