Are You Tired of the Constant Financial Storms?

Does it feel like every time you take two steps forward, life hands you a bill that knocks you three steps back? It's not the planned expenses that break our spirit. It's the surprises. It's that flat tire, that broken water heater, and that dreaded medical copay.So on today's show, we're going to learn how to build a financial foundation that doesn't just work in the sunshine, but but stands firm when the storms hit. And the truth of life is, the storms are always going to hit. Hello, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here. Welcome to Financially Confident Christian.If you're a new listener, thank you so much for joining us. If you're returning, you know, every day my goal is to break the cycle of financial shame and help you live in confidence.And today's topic is how to handle the surprises of life without letting them derail your entire financial future. Today, I want to help you build a rock solid foundation. Well, this show is all about answering your question.So let's get right to our question today.And the question comes to us and says this, Ralph, I try to plan my money carefully, but every time I start to feel steady, a surprise bill throws everything off. It feels like I'm constantly starting over, never really getting ahead. I'm exhausted from the cycle of progress and setback.How do I build a simple plan that. That can hold up even when life refuses to be predictable? You know, my mom always said the one thing about life is it's not predictable.That's just the truth. And there are going to be surprises.Now, today I'm going to talk a little bit about how sometimes I don't think they're always surprises, but unexpected expenses are a certainty. So a budget without a buffer, without a plan is just a wish. So let's talk about how to make this work better.First thing you've got to do is you've got to rebrand your surprises as irregularities. What I said a few minutes ago, most surprises, if we're being honest, are actually predictable over a long enough time frame.You know, for example, every year you're going to have property taxes. If you own a home, you know that your tires are only going to last for so long. On your car, you're going to have to have routine maintenance.So one of the best ways to beat this is start a list of things that happen once or twice a year. Those car tags, maybe birthdays and even maintenance on your home or the other things you own.And then give them a place or what I'll call a home in your monthly budget, then they don't become surprises anymore. They're predictable. So that's the first thing. Second thing, and you're like, ralph, here he goes again with that buffer account.Yes, start building a $1,000 starter buffer account. Before you aggressively pay off debt, you've got to have a small wall of cash between you and life. Things happen in life.And this isn't $1,000 for spending. It's for turning that crisis moment that all of us have those crisis moments into a mere inconvenience because you've got the money set aside for it.Another thing I'm going to encourage you to do is implement a miscellaneous line item. Now, as an accountant, I don't really love the miscellaneous category, but for an individual, every budget needs a wiggle room category.If you've got every account down to the penny, I'm talking about leaving zero for the random things that pop up. Your budget's going to fail every month because life is unexpected. You can't just assume, oh, it's always going to be perfect.We went out to dinner with my son last night, and as we were driving back from dinner, he says, I've been really surprised that my electric bill has been low. And I said, well, we're in that season right here in Delaware.We're in that season right now where it's cool enough at night but warm enough during the day that he's really not having to run either his heat or his air conditioner. So he's living in that reality of his budget being a little bit better than he expected. But I said, don't forget, son, summer's coming.You better be playing for that. Which leads me to this. Think about using what I call a sinking fund. Now, this isn't like a torpedo to your budget. That's not at all what I'm saying.But for the big stuff like tires or insurance, you can save a small amount every month in a dedicated sub account. That way, when that bill finally arrives, because you know it's happening, the money's already sitting there waiting to be used.You've already carved it out. You've started putting money towards it. But the biggest thing I really want to encourage you with today, learn to forgive yourself and pivot.Setbacks are going to happen. They're a sure thing in life. And when they happen, don't throw the whole plan away.Just because you've had this situation doesn't mean that the whole plan is broken. This is a time where you use that emergency fund and say, thank you, God, for the provision. And just focus on refilling that fund next month, friend.You got to understand, a setback is a detour, not a dead end. So many people have a setback, and next thing you know, they're like, well, I'm not even going to budget. I'm not even going to try.Don't think like that. It's just a detour. You'll figure out a way around it. Because in the end, financial peace isn't the absence of storms.Storms are going to happen in your life. But financial peace comes from the presence of a solid foundation. And I think today we've talked about how to build that solid foundation.So here's your win for today. If you're new to the show, I always want to give you something simple that you can do every day to have that simple financial win.Here's what I want you to do.I want you to grab your bank statements, your credit card statements for the last six months, and then I want you to find one expense that surprised you. Just find that one expense that surprised you. Maybe it was tires, maybe it was insurance. Who knows what it was?Just take that one expense that surprised you and create a sinking fund for that and just take that expense and divide by 12 and factor that in your budget. One of the ones that I think a lot of people don't think about is the holidays you're going to buy for people.We're getting ready to have a grandchild. We're gonna have a grandson in June, maybe coming early, who knows? But we're gonna have a grandson.Well, there's one of the things my wife said right away. She says, you realize now we're gonna have birthdays and holidays and all. Well, guess what?I better start thinking about setting aside some money for that. We may need to travel, that sort of thing, so I can create that sinking fund. And then it doesn't become a surprise anymore.It becomes a routine part of what I'm planning for. Well, let's get into the Bible. One of the things I always want to do on this show is connect what we're talking about, the scripture.I think there's a huge connection between faith and finances. And today I want to go to the book of Matthew. This is from Matthew, chapter 7, verses 24 and 25. And this is what it says again, Matthew 7, 24, 25.Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice. It's like a wise man who built his house on the rock.The rain came down the Streams rose and the winds blew and beat against the house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. And this reminds us of something. Storms are guaranteed for everyone.You're going to have storms in your life, but the outcome of the storm depends entirely on what you choose to build upon during that fair weather time. And I think today I've given you some things you can build on. Well, let's pray about this.Lord, I pray for the one who feels like they're drowning in unexpected bills. Been there myself, Lord. So give us wisdom to see ahead and the discipline to build that buffer.And Lord, right now I ask that you will protect their household from those major catastrophes and provide the extra resources they need to get their feet on solid ground. Help us all to trust you in your provision, even when the car breaks or the roof leaks. And Lord, may our confidence always rest in you.That rock that never moves. And we ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Friend, hear me on this. You're not starting over.You're starting again, but you're starting with more experience. And listen, if you've got a question for this show, I would love to answer your question. It's simple to get it to us.Just go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/question We've recently made some enhancements to that. We made it super easy. We'll put a link in the show notes, but it's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/questionAnd I just want to take this moment to thank you for joining me. If this is your first episode, do me a favor, come back again and see me tomorrow.And if it's been impactful, share it with somebody and help spread the blessings. And I want to encourage you right now to stay financially savvy. May God bless you and you have a truly great day today.