Want to Save Consistently? Why Not Automate It?
Ever plan to save money—but somehow never follow through? You’re not alone. In this episode of Ask Ralph , Ralph unpacks why great intentions often fall apart when life gets busy, bills pile up, and willpower fades. But there’s a simple, consistent solution: automation. When you set up automatic savings, you remove the pressure to remember or the temptation to spend. If you want to build lasting financial peace, start with a plan that makes saving effortless. This episode will help you turn good intentions into action, especially if you want to save.
Check out the full podcast episode here
Ralph walks through how to set up your own automated savings strategy, choose the right amount and frequency, and make it all happen in minutes—right from your bank app. You’ll also hear how even small, consistent transfers can grow into serious progress over time. With faith-based encouragement and a step-by-step guide, this episode equips you to take control of your money and move closer to your goals without adding stress to your day. It’s one of the simplest, most powerful habits you can build—and it starts today.
Chapters:
- 00:14 - The Power of Automation in Saving Money
- 01:55 - The Challenge of Saving Consistently
- 03:01 - Automating Your Savings: The Key to Effortless Wealth Building
- 04:20 - Automating Your Savings: Taking Action
- 05:41 - Automating Your Savings
- 07:00 - Financial Confidence and Savings Strategies
Takeaways:
- Saving money can be tough, especially when life gets in the way and distractions pop up.
- Automating your savings is like having your financial cake and eating it too, effortlessly!
- Paying yourself first is key to building wealth, so don’t let your money slip away.
- Even small amounts saved regularly can add up to significant savings over time, trust me!
- Setting up automatic transfers is a game-changer, it takes willpower out of the equation!
- Consistency in saving helps you live on less while your savings grow without you even noticing.
WATCH NOW ON YOUTUBE (OUR VIDEO VERSION)
WATCH NOW ON RUMBLE (OUR VIDEO VERSION)
VISIT OUR ASK RALPH SHOW GEAR STORE FOR ALL KINDS OF COOL MERCHANDISE - ENTER THE CODE "FREEBOOK" FOR A FREE DOWNLOADABLE COPY OF MY BOOK "MASTERING YOUR FINANCES"
JOIN OUR FACEBOOK INSIDERS GROUP
JOIN RALPH LIVE - EVERY TUESDAY AT 1PM EST
Please share our Podcast with all your friends and family!
Submit your questions or ideas for future shows - email us at
ralph@askralph.com or leave a voicemail message on our podcast page
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/askralphmedia Twitter (@askralphmedia) or visit www.askralphpodcast.com for more information.
To schedule a consultation with Ralph's team, contact him at 302-659-6560 or go to www.askralph.com for more information!
Buy Ralph's Book - Mastering Your Finances ! on Amazon
Buy Ralph's Book - Gospel of Entrepreneurship: Following Jesus in Your Business Journey on Amazon
Want to be a guest on Ask Ralph: Financially Confident Christian? Send Ralph Estep, Jr. a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1704313698808231d175d3ba6
Thank you for listening to the Ask Ralph podcast. We encourage you to follow us on our social media pages and rate our show. For more information about the topics discussed on the podcast visit Saggio Accounting+PLUS.
00:00 - Untitled
00:51 - Untitled
01:06 - The Power of Automation in Saving Money
02:47 - The Challenge of Saving Consistently
03:53 - Automating Your Savings: The Key to Effortless Wealth Building
05:11 - Automating Your Savings: Taking Action
06:33 - Automating Your Savings
07:52 - Financial Confidence and Savings Strategies
Speaker:
Hey, do you mean to save money each month?
Speaker:
But somehow it just doesn't happen.
Speaker:
Life gets busy, temptations pop up and savings gets pushed aside.
Speaker:
I. What if he could make saving happen automatically
Speaker:
without even thinking about it?
Speaker:
Let's talk automation.
Speaker:
Hey there, and welcome back to Your Daily Ask Ralph.
Speaker:
I'm Ralph, so glad you're starting your week with me as we continue our series,
Speaker:
the Joy of Living Below Your Means.
Speaker:
We're still working to break that cycle of financial shame with confidence.
Speaker:
After our weekend recap, we're back to daily actions.
Speaker:
We've talked about starting an emergency fund today.
Speaker:
Let's make saving even easier.
Speaker:
Let's talk about the intention versus the reality of saving money.
Speaker:
Maybe you plan to save a certain amount each month, perhaps for that emergency
Speaker:
fund we discussed, or you've got another goal in mind, but then payday comes
Speaker:
and bills get paid, and you have some everyday expenses, maybe even a few wants
Speaker:
to creep in, and by the end of the pay period or month, you've realized, Hey,
Speaker:
I forgot to transfer money to savings.
Speaker:
Or maybe there's just nothing left to save.
Speaker:
You might feel frustrated with yourself by lacking discipline or lacking consistency.
Speaker:
Even though your intentions were good, well, that gap between wanting
Speaker:
to save and actually doing it consistently, often because we rely on
Speaker:
memory or willpower, which fails us.
Speaker:
That's the single difficulty that we're addressing today.
Speaker:
Here's the thing, relying solely on willpower or remembering to
Speaker:
save money manually is tough.
Speaker:
In our busy lives, there will always be competing demands for
Speaker:
our money and for our attention.
Speaker:
The principle of paying yourself first, setting aside savings before
Speaker:
you spend the rest, lemme just tell you that's the key to building wealth
Speaker:
and the key to building security.
Speaker:
Automating this process aligns perfectly with wise planning and discipline.
Speaker:
It takes the daily decision making and that potential for forgetfulness
Speaker:
completely out of the equation, making, saving a consistent background
Speaker:
habit rather than an effortful task.
Speaker:
See now you'd be saying, Ralph, how can we, what?
Speaker:
What can we do?
Speaker:
How can we bridge that gap between intending to save and
Speaker:
actually saving consistently?
Speaker:
How do we make saving, as you mentioned, effortless?
Speaker:
Well, you know, I've got an answer, and the single incredibly powerful solution
Speaker:
is to set up an automatic recurring transfer from your checking account
Speaker:
directly to your savings account.
Speaker:
Listen, even if it's just a small amount.
Speaker:
Automating it works wonders.
Speaker:
Now you're probably saying, Ralph, how does this benefit me?
Speaker:
Well, I'm glad you asked that question 'cause I've got an answer.
Speaker:
It's consistent.
Speaker:
See, that transfer happens every single time on schedule,
Speaker:
whether you remember or not.
Speaker:
It's effortless.
Speaker:
Well, at least after you've set it up.
Speaker:
Once you've set it up, it requires no ongoing effort or willpower.
Speaker:
It prioritizes savings.
Speaker:
You truly pay yourself first before the money gets spent anywhere else.
Speaker:
It adds up.
Speaker:
Even small amounts, like $10, $25, $50 per paycheck accumulates
Speaker:
significantly over time.
Speaker:
Thanks to that consistency, listen, I look back at my own account.
Speaker:
I started taking a hundred dollars from my biweekly pay a few years
Speaker:
back, and the other day I logged into my other account and wow, I
Speaker:
had over $16,000 in that account.
Speaker:
Yes, it works.
Speaker:
And finally it builds the habit.
Speaker:
It trains you to live on slightly less.
Speaker:
As the savings are removed automatically the solution, it's effortless consistency.
Speaker:
Automate your savings.
Speaker:
Alright, well let's put this magic to work.
Speaker:
Here's your one action step for today.
Speaker:
First thing you need to do is decide on the details.
Speaker:
Start by asking yourself how much?
Speaker:
Choose a small realistic amount that you can comfortably
Speaker:
transfer automatically right now.
Speaker:
Maybe that's $10 per paycheck, or maybe that's $25 a month.
Speaker:
Or $50 a month.
Speaker:
You can start small if you need to because you can always increase it later.
Speaker:
Then ask yourself, how often are you gonna do that on payday?
Speaker:
Are you gonna do it on the first of the month?
Speaker:
Maybe weekly, but pick a frequency and then ask yourself where, which
Speaker:
savings account will you go to?
Speaker:
Maybe it's gonna go to your baby emergency fund until it's funded, or
Speaker:
you have another savings goal account.
Speaker:
Second thing I'm gonna encourage you to do is log into your bank, go to your
Speaker:
bank's website or mobile app, and do it today right after you're done listening.
Speaker:
Number three, set up that transfer.
Speaker:
Find that section for transfers.
Speaker:
Now, usually it's called something like recurring transfers or automatic savings
Speaker:
or something similar to that, and set up that transfer from your checking to
Speaker:
that chosen savings account with the amount and frequency that you decided.
Speaker:
And number four.
Speaker:
You wanna confirm that it's active, double check that the transfer
Speaker:
is scheduled and ready to go.
Speaker:
And here's a bonus tip you can see if your employer allows for split direct deposits
Speaker:
and have it done that way, it really works and it's outta sight outta mind.
Speaker:
Now you might be saying, Ralph, why do I need to bother automating this?
Speaker:
Because it directly fights that inconsistency of savings caused by
Speaker:
forgetting or spending the money first.
Speaker:
It also removes that willpower from the equation and guarantees that savings
Speaker:
happens consistently and it makes building your emergency fund or that savings
Speaker:
goal practically effortless over time.
Speaker:
Well, let's pray.
Speaker:
Father, God, thank you for the tools and the technology that
Speaker:
can help us be better stewards.
Speaker:
Lord, help my friend listening today as they set up an automatic savings transfer.
Speaker:
Lord, grant them wisdom in choosing the amount and the frequency.
Speaker:
May this act of automated discipline help them consistently build their savings for
Speaker:
emergencies and for those future goals.
Speaker:
Lord, help them trust you with this process and resist that temptation to
Speaker:
interfere with the plan unnecessarily.
Speaker:
Lord, we just thank you for the power of consistent habits.
Speaker:
We ask this in Jesus name.
Speaker:
Amen.
Speaker:
Alright, we'll take those few minutes today and set up that automatic transfer.
Speaker:
Listen, even $10 a paycheck.
Speaker:
Adds up to $260 a year if you're paid biweekly automatically.
Speaker:
It's one of the simplest yet most powerful things that you
Speaker:
can do for your financial future.
Speaker:
Well, okay, we've put savings on autopilot.
Speaker:
Now let's look at potentially reducing some major fixed expenses to free up
Speaker:
more money to save or to use elsewhere.
Speaker:
Be sure to join me back here tomorrow on on Ask Ralph where
Speaker:
We're gonna ask this question.
Speaker:
Could you be overpaying for insurance?
Speaker:
I've got some answers on tomorrow's show, and if automated savings sounds
Speaker:
like a great idea, I wanna encourage you share this episode with someone else.
Speaker:
You can find resources and links in our new website at
Speaker:
Financially Confident Christian.
Speaker:
So until tomorrow, automate your progress and keep seeking him.
Speaker:
First, ' let's keep pressing to become financially confident
Speaker:
Christians stay financially savvy.
Speaker:
God bless you and have a great day today.
