Looking for a Super Simple Budget?

What if your budget didn't feel restrictive but actually felt like relief? What if in one evening, you could build something simple, something peaceful, something you'd actually stick with?Well, if you're tired of starting over, today we're going to build a budget that finally works with your life. Hello, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here.Welcome to Financially Confident Christian, where every day my goal on the show is to help you break that cycle of financial shame and live in confidence. And today on the show, I want to talk about how to build a simple but realistic budget in just one night.Well, let's get into to today's listener question. Listener writes this Ralph I want a budget, but not one that feels tight or punishing.I want something that brings peace, not pressure, something I can actually live with. Every time I try, it ends up feeling restrictive and I fall off. I don't want another system I abandon.How do I set up a simple, realistic budget in one evening that I can truly stick with? And I'm so happy you said that because that's the key to the whole thing. You've got to stick with this. A budget shouldn't feel like punishment.If you're going to do this right, it should be a permission slip. Remember when you were a kid and you had to get a permission slip? This is what a budget should be.A budget is a permission to spend with clarity and a permission to live a life without fear. So here's today's big idea. A sustainable budget is built on honesty and simplicity, not restriction. But how do we get there?So here's how we get there. You got to start with what's real, not what should be. And unfortunately, this is where a lot of people go wrong.So many people that I've worked with, they build a budget based on what they wish they did. Well, wishes are great, but that's not actually what you do. So you got to start with reality.Go look at the last 30 days of your actual financial life. Look at where you're spending your money. Look at what you're spending on housing and groceries, eating out, subscriptions, everything.This isn't a time for judgment. It's just a time to go find truth. As the detective would say, just the facts.Because if you build a budget on truth, you're actually going to follow it. Not some big pie in the sky idea.That's the thing that I think most people fail with their budgets because they go into a budget with the thought of, well, I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that. But that's not reality. What's going on in real life, in your life. So start there, go look at the reality.But then as you build your budget, cover your essentials first, because we've got to get things organized. There are certain things in your budget which are, frankly, non negotiable. These are things you can't live without.You've got to have a place to live. You've got to have utilities, unless you want to live in the dark.You got to have food, because guess what, as a human being, your body requires sustenance. If you're working outside the home, you probably need transportation and you probably should have insurance. Those are all good things to have.So as you're building your budget, those are the things that get funded first. Because a peaceful budget, and that's what I heard in your question today, you want peace in your life. A peaceful budget protects your foundation.But you've also got to build in real life, not in restriction. Here's the key to sustainability. In all of these things, you've got to include the things you actually enjoy doing.The number one thing that I see people failing in budgeting in is when they take out the joy. You've got to leave that joy in. Hey, if you like eating out, it's in there. If you like coffee, it's in there. If you like fun, it's in there.But you measure it. Because truth is, if you remove everything you enjoy, you're going to rebel against the plan. You're going to fight your own plan.You're going to go into battle with the very plan that you created that you thought was going to work for you. So instead of eliminating things, assign them a number. But be realistic in that. Pick a number that you can live with.For example, maybe you really like eating out, but maybe you're finding, I'm eating out six days, seven days a week. There's a problem. But maybe you change that and say, hey, I'm going to eat out one day a week.But you've got to give every dollar some simple direction as well. One of the things, you know, I talk about on the show all the time is clarity. Your income gets assigned to different rules, different things.Every single dollar has a direction. Dollars get assigned for bills, for spending, for savings, and yes, for giving. And this budget doesn't have to be perfect.Dare I say, if it's perfect, it's probably not going to work. It just needs direction. Because when money has a place to go, you stop wondering where it went. I spent some time with my youngest son yesterday.And I said to him, I said, how's the budgeting going? He goes, dad, I haven't really focused on it. And now he's worried about. Times are a little bit leaner right now.I said, well, you got to get back to figuring out where your money goes, but at the same time, you got to make it adjustable. You're not looking for perfection. And this is where the peace really comes in. Your first budget is not your final budget. It's a starting point.Give yourself permission to adjust, give yourself permission to break your budget, give yourself permission to, oops, I messed up this week. But make those adjustments once you look at it and say, you know what, this is working better than I expected. Or guess what?This isn't working at all. That consistency matters more than perfection. A simple plan that you follow is much better than a plan that's perfect that you're going to quit.So here's your one win for today. I always want to give you a win to walk away with right now, tonight.I want you to set aside one time tonight to write down your income, your essential expenses, and one category you enjoy for enjoyment. That's it. Just a very simple budget. Because what I have found, I've been doing this kind of thing for 30 years. Simple is what sticks.Well, let's get into our Bible verse. We're going to hear from the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 7, verse 8. And I love this verse.It says the end of a matter is better than its beginning and patience is better than pride. Let's talk about why this fits today. We're talking about patience today. That feeling of patience keeps you grounded and moving forward.But if you rush, it leads you to going off course. How about we pray right now? Heavenly father, I lift up my friend who's ready to take a step towards clarity right now. I love this question today.And Lord, give them wisdom as they build a plan for their finances. Remove that pressure of them to be perfect and and replace it with peace and confidence.Lord, help them to be honest, to be steady, and to truly trust the process.Guide their directions, guide their decisions, and give them discipline to follow through, Lord, and remind them in the end those small, consistent steps will actually lead to lasting change. And we just ask that you would walk with them in this and walk with all of us in this. And I ask this in Jesus name. Amen, friend.A budget doesn't restrict your life. If you hear nothing else I say today, it doesn't restrict your life. It actually gives it direction.And if you want help building a budget that actually fits your life, maybe you've got a question about budgeting. I would love to hear from you. Send me your question at FinanciallyconfidentChristian.Com/Question.I want to give you that website again and we'll have it in the show notes, but it's financiallyconfidentchristian.Com/Question. Thank you so much for joining me today. As always, stay financially savvy. May God bless you. And you have a great day today.