How Can I Overcome the "FOMO" Spending Trap This Summer?

Your friends are posting amazing vacation photos. Your social feed is buzzing with glamorous summer parties.Do you feel that nagging pressure to spend, spend, spend just to keep up or to avoid missing out on the fun? What if you could enjoy your best summer without falling into the FOMO spending trap? Well, stick with me today.I'm going to share exactly how to find that freedom. That's what I'm covering on today's show.

This is Financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of gospel, grounded insight, faith driven tips to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence.

Hey there and welcome back to your daily Financially Confident Christian. I'm Ralph, and as always, this is the show that helps you answer this question. How can I become a financially confident Christian?And we're in the third week of our series Smart Money for Back to school and beyond. Hey, I'm trying to get you equipped for a successful and financially successful back to school season.Now, if you missed yesterday's show, we tackled the summer slump and we talked about that budget check in. You can see all of our shows@financially confidentchristian.com.hey, yesterday I told you how to beat this summer slump, so I encourage you to check it out. Well, today we're confronting a big summer challenge, and hey, this is a challenge for many of us, and that is FOMO spending.Yeah, Fear of missing out. Hey, the FOMO struggle is real.Maybe you're sitting there right now and you're listening to this, but you're scrolling and you're seeing those flashy beach photos and those, those pool parties and those exotic dinners and your phone buzzes with invites. You think, hey, am I missing out? Should I be doing something too? Hey, I've been there. You probably feel in the same way right now.What are the results of this FOMO feeling? Well, for a lot of us, it leads to overspending. Looking at our budget we're too excited about, we don't want to miss out on something.Hey, we got to go do that same experience that we saw our friends doing on Facebook or Instagra. Instagram. And hey, when you overspend, what does that lead to? Yeah, we derail our budget. Hey, nobody wants to derail their budget.A lot of times, once you derail your budget, that what leads to anxiety, it leads to regret. Hey, for a lot of us, it leads to fear. Am I going to be able to get back on track?If we're not careful, it starts to disconnect us from the true joy that the Lord intends for our life. See, FOMO doesn't lead to intentional living. That's a big fallacy.A lot of people think, oh, fomo, I'm going to do that because it's going to help me be intentional, my living. But what it really does is it creates impulsive spending cycles. Well, let's talk about this fomo. What is the root cause of this?And the root cause of this, in my personal opinion, it's fueled by comparison and seeking validation. And hey, the Bible's got a lot to say about that. Let's take a look at the Bible right now. Let's open up the to Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 5.And I love this verse of the Bible. It says this, this addresses it head on. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.Because God has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. Hey, it's all about being content. It's all about being happy with what you have. And FOMO just speaks directly against that. You're.You're afraid you're going to miss out on something. But what is the Lord encouraging us here in Hebrews 13:5? Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.Hey, let's look at the book of Philippians, chapter 4, verses 11 to 13. This is a very strengthful Bible verse, all about Paul and learning how to stay connected. This is what it says.It says, I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty.I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through him who gives me strength. What a reassuring Bible verse. And here's Paul.Paul is learning how to stay content, not through abundance, as a lot of people don't understand. Go and read about Paul. I don't have time to talk about it today, but Paul certainly didn't live in physical or financial abundance.But what is he telling us here? But live through your trust in Christ. So you might be saying, Ralph, okay, I get it. How do I get past it? Well, here's your one action step for today.It's what I'm going to call my three part strategy to beat fomo. The first thing you've got to do, and I've talked about this on this show many times in different contexts.But the first step is identify your personal triggers, ask Yourself this real complicated and deep question, and that's this what causes the I'm missing out reaction. So you got to start by understanding what the motivations are. So ask yourself that question, what's causing this I'm missing out reaction.Maybe for you it's certain Instagram accounts, hey, as soon as you see this, you're like, oh, I got to go get that. Maybe for you, it's a group text thread.You get involved in this group and they're always talking about, hey, this one's doing this vacation and this one's doing this one, and this one's exploring this, this, you know, amusement park, and this one's going to this beach. Or maybe for you it's just seeing other people's shopping holes. You're like, man, I'm missing out.I could be out there at the mall, I could be doing all that online shopping. So first step, identify your personal triggers. You got to figure out what is causing that.Second step, I want you to define your real summer priorities. A lot of times it's easy to get stuck. We talked about that summer slump yesterday. So easy to get away from our priorities.So ask yourself this question. What really brings me peace and joy?And that's not an easy question to answer sometimes because sometimes you gotta really dig in deep and try to figure out, like, what is it really that's bringing me peace and joy? I would be willing to bet that it's not FOMO spending. And I talked about this in episode 184 where we define your core values.I'm encourage you to go check that out if you've forgotten that lesson. Let's go back and look at that. Or maybe look at episode 213 where I talked about budget friendly summer fun.Hey, I'll put links to both of those in the show notes, but maybe you want to go back and make your summer joy list. Really talked about this before, but maybe this is the time to do it. Hey, we're mid summer right now. And say, you know what?Yeah, it's so easy to get hung up on this, what other people are doing and lose my contentment and afraid I'm going to miss out on something. So maybe Ralph's right. Maybe today I just got to sit down and make that summer joy list.Just list three, four, maybe five activities that align with your values and budget and then focus on doing those. So again, that's your next step. Define your real summer priorities. Here's the third and final step. You gotta practice intentional yes and no.Now this one is where the rubber meets the road. And sometimes this is a little harder to do than what it seems like. But when that invite comes in, this is when you gotta put that pause in place.We Talked about that 24 hour pause for spending. Well, this is the time when you get that invite pause.Go look at that summer joy list and say, ask yourself this question, does this align with my values and my budget? Now sometimes that's not an easy thing to say. Maybe you were getting the pressure from your spouse or you're getting pressure from the kids.Hey, hey, look what Sally's doing. Look what Billy's doing. Mom, dad, why can't we do this? But ask yourself that really complicated question.Does this align with my values and my budget? And if it does, say yes. Oh great, it fits. But look, and that's where you say yes.But sometimes you got to learn to say no and say it graciously if it doesn't fit in. And maybe that's the time to suggest a low cost alternative. It's okay to think about some low cost alternative. Let's talk about why this works.The truth is FOMO for the most part is a situation of pressure to conform. You want to conform with what everyone else is doing.Well, if you start to look at your values, you start to look at what brings you joy, this is going to free you from that pressure to conform. Hey, it also keeps you square in line with your values. It keeps them front and center and it protects your financial goals.Hey, your probably working really hard to stay on track for your summer financial goals. Don't let them get sidetracked by this FOMO spending.And when you really harness this, when you really dig in and do this, it makes room for peace and it makes room for authentic joy. So again, that's your one action step for today. Spot that one trigger that causes your fomo.Hey listen, if you have to mute it, unfollow it, minimize its influence and then like I said, write down those three joyful, affordable experiences, you'll say yes this month too, and, and go do that. Well, how about we pray together? Father God, we just thank you for the unique purpose and blessings you have for each one of us.And we confess that often we fall into the trap of comparison, Lord. And that fear of missing out, it's a real thing. Lord, help us to battle that.And we know when we fall into that trap, it leads us to unintentional spending, it leads us to stress and just a complete lack of peace.Please grant us freedom from those external pressures, Lord, and help us to redefine joy and to redefine fun on your terms according to our values, which should be your values, Lord. And give us wisdom to prioritize our true summer joys. And Lord, this is the hard part.And give us courage to say no graciously when we don't need it at that very moment or it doesn't fit into our values. May our contentment in you overflow into our financial choices. And we ask this in confidence in Jesus name, amen.Friends, you don't have to live on the FOMO treadmill. You just don't have to. True joy doesn't come from flashy photos or from overspending. So define summer on your own terms.Make sure they're guided by God. Now, tomorrow's show, we're going to be talking about a digital detox. Yes, digital detox.To get you to financial peace, we're going to explore how unplugging from your screens can lead to real savings. And here's even better than that, real serenity. So let's all go out there today and be those financially confident Christians. You can do this.I have confidence in you. Have confidence in yourself. Stay financially savvy. God bless you. And you have a great day today.