How Do I Fix My Budget Based on What I Learned?

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You looked at your spending data, you compared it to your budget,

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and maybe you realized things didn't go exactly according to what you planned.

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Now, what do you just scrap the budget or is there a way to use what you

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learned to actually make things better?

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Well, stick with me because your breakthrough starts here.

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Hey there.

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Welcome back to your Daily Financially Christian.

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I'm Ralph and I'm really enjoying walking alongside you on this

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journey through our series Dealing with the Stress of Money Worries.

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This is the show that helps you answer the question, how do I become a financially

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confident Christian, you've come so far facing this stress budgeting.

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Tracking, saving, tackling debt, and now reviewing your spending.

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And if you completed yesterday's recap episode and review the past

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week's steps, you'd likely gain some key insights from your spending data.

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Today, we're taking those insights and we're putting them to work because looking

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at the data is only half the battle.

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The real power comes from using that information and using it to make your

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financial plan work even better for you.

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So let's explore the question.

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How do I fix my budget based on what I learned from tracking my spending?

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Now, maybe your spending review showed that you consistently

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overspend in one area.

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Or maybe you realize you completely forgot to budget for something important.

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It's easy to look at that reality and feel discouraged like the

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budget you created just failed and it you failed at budgeting.

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This feeling of defeat is a significant struggle for many of us.

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It can make you wanna just throw in the towel and on the whole process,

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convincing yourself that budgeting well just doesn't work for me.

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But giving up means losing that potential for control and for peace.

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That true budgeting offers leaving you right back in that cycle of

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stress, that cycle of shame, and that cycle of uncertainty, not knowing

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how or where to make adjustments just adds to that frustration.

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But here's the thing.

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Your budget isn't a rigid un- changeable set of rules that

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you failed to follow perfectly.

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It's not etched in some stone tablets.

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It's a living document.

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It's a plan that needs to be adjusted as you learn and as life happens.

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Discovering that you overspent in a category isn't a failure of the budget.

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It's just not.

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It's valuable information that helps you make your budget more realistic.

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or maybe it highlights an area where you need to adjust your spending habits.

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Think of it like refining precious metal, and I love this verse from the book

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of Proverbs, chapter 17 verse three.

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It says this, the crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord.

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Test the heart.

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What a great and appropriate verse for today.

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This process of reviewing and adjusting your budget is a bit

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like being in the refining fire.

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It helps reveal areas where you need to change, areas where you

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need to learn, and areas where you need to grow into your stewardship.

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But it does require humility and a willingness to learn.

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So now you're asking how do you turn those insights from that spending

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review into a more effective budget that actually reduces stress?

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Well, I've got an answer for you.

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The single essential solution is to intentionally.

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And I mean Intentionally make small, realistic adjustments to

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your budget categories based on what you're spending data revealed, that

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aligning your plan more closely with your reality and those financial

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goals that you've set for yourself.

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See, This is where your budget becomes a dynamic tool, actively helping

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you manage your money, instead of just being a static list of numbers.

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If that's all it is, it's never gonna work for you.

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So, okay, here's your one vital action step for today, specifically

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focused on adjusting your budget based on your spending review.

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The first thing I want you to do, I want you to look at your insights.

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Go back to one or two key insights that you identified from your spending review.

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For example, maybe you found out that you spent a hundred dollars more on groceries

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than you budgeted, or maybe you didn't budget anything for unexpected fun and,

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and there's where a lot of money went.

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So figure out one or two things.

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Second thing I want you to do is I want you to identify one realistic adjustment.

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Based on those insights, decide on one specific small change that you can make to

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your budget for the next week or the next two weeks, or maybe even the next month.

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This might mean adjusting a category amount to be more realistic like

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that, that grocery budget, or creating a new small category for something

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that you regularly spend on like fun, but you didn't budget for it.

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Or identifying one specific spending habit in an overspent area

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that you're gonna try to change.

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And then I just wanna encourage you, update that budget, go into your

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budget document, whether that be on paper, maybe for you, it's on the

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back of a napkin, maybe a spreadsheet or an app if you got that fancy, and

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make that single adjustment visible.

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And most importantly.

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Don't forget to pray for discipline.

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I want you to pray specifically for the discipline and for the

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mindfulness to stick to your adjusted budget plan in the coming days.

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Well, now you're asking Ralph, why does this help?

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Well, I'm gonna give you an answer because this single action directly fights the

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struggle of feeling like your budget is failing or feeling like it's unrealistic.

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It makes your budget a useful, accurate tool based on your actual spending

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habits, and it empowers you to make conscious course corrections giving

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you a greater sense of control.

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And here's the best part, and significantly reducing the

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stress that comes from a plan that doesn't match reality.

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Well, let's pray together now.

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Father God, we just thank you for the opportunity to learn

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and grow even in our finances.

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We confess that seeing where we overspent can bring feelings of

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discouragement and feelings of despair.

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Lord, help us to see our budget as a tool for wisdom and refinement,

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not a source of condemnation.

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Grant us clarity and humility as we make these adjustments

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based on what we've learned.

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And Lord, give us the discipline

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to follow our revised plan and the grace to keep trying even when it's

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hard and sometimes this is hard.

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Lord, guide us in aligning our spending with your will, and

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we ask this with confidence.

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In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Adjusting your budget isn't a sign of failure.

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Hear me on that.

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It's not a sign of failure.

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It's a sign that you're actively engaged and you're refining your plan.

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You're becoming a more intentional and skilled steward, and that's the goal.

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So keep making these small, consistent adjustments.

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And if adjusting your budget feels like a helpful next step, do me a favor and

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share this episode with someone else.

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You can find resources and connect with this show at our website,

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financially confident christian.com.

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And guess what?

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I've got a special gift for you on that journey.

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For the first 100 listeners who go to financially confident

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christian.com/master, I'm giving you a free copy of my book.

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It's called Mastering Your Finance.

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And listen, it's just 47 pages.

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It's a quick, powerful read, designed as a starting point to help

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you break that cycle of financial shame and step into confidence.

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So again, go to financially confident christian.com/master to get your free

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copy of that book and do it today.

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Now, tomorrow we're gonna be talking about building financial resilience.

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And the importance of saving and starting with an emergency

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fund, you don't wanna miss it.

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So make sure you join me.

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Well, let's all go out there and be financially confident.

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Christians, you can do this.

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I have confidence in you.

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Have confidence in yourself.

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Stay financially savvy.

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God bless you, and you have a great day today.