How Can I Plan for Future Expenses and Avoid Financial Surprises?

Hey there. It's great to be with you again today. You know, I was thinking about something earlier today, something I bet you've experienced. You ever have those moments when your finances feel well under control, like, like you're managing it. And then outta nowhere it feels like bam, a big bill lands. Maybe the car breaks down. Maybe it's that insurance premium you kind of forgot about and suddenly that okay, feeling just evaporates and stress takes over. Does that ring a bell for you?

Well, if it does, I'm really glad you're joining me today because we're gonna talk about that exactly on the show today. Hello, I'm Ralph. So good to connect with you daily like this. This little corner of the world is just for folks like you and me trying to break free from the financial shame and do it with confidence. And listen here, it's not about complicated formulas. It's about finding freedom and doing that together. So let's get into today's chat.

Jamie asked Ralph, I always feel blindsided by upcoming expenses. How do I prepare better? And maybe Jamie's question hit home for you too. That feeling of being caught off guard. It's tough. Let's talk about that feeling that that feeling of being blindsided, it's more

than just an unexpected bill, isn't it? It's that knot in your stomach. Maybe it's that scramble trying to figure out where the money's gonna come from.

You know those expenses, right? The ones that don't happen every month, but they do happen. Property taxes may be Christmas. The the annual subscription, your car registration. And listen, they're predictable if we're honest with ourselves, but we haven't specifically planned for that exact thing. And when we don't, it can feel like a financial punch. It disrupts everything.

It makes you feel like you're just treading water, maybe even stuck in that paycheck to paycheck rhythm, always reacting instead of being ready. Does that feeling feel familiar to you, that that sense of frustration, like you take one step forward and then something just knocks you back? It steals your peace, doesn't it? And I get it. I really do. So what can we do about that? How can you stop feeling blindsided? Well, the answer is surprisingly simple, but incredibly powerful.

And it comes down to planning ahead for specific things. Think of it like this. Instead of just having one big savings bucket, you create little envelopes. Little envelopes or little, what we'll call mental buckets for those future expenses before they even arrive. And remember that wisdom from Proverbs says the wise store up choice food and olive oil. But Fools Gump, theirs down. We talked about gulping the other day on the show.

And see, being wise with our, the money God entrusts you, it means looking ahead even just a little bit. It means saying this, okay, I know Christmas is coming, or, or I know the car insurance is, is due in six months. And deciding now, deciding today how you're gonna be ready for it. When that comes around, you start setting aside just a little bit specifically for that thing. And listen, this isn't about deprivation, it's just not, it's about preparation. It's about giving you peace of mind.

I wanna repeat that again because it's so very important. It's preparation, not deprivation. Now listen, I don't want this to feel like another overwhelming to do, so let's focus on just one thing that you can do today or this week, just one step. Can you do that? Okay. Well, here's what I want you to do. I want you to grab a piece of paper, or just think through this in your head right now.

I want you to pick just one expense I, one expense that you know is coming up sometime in the next year, but it's one that you don't pay monthly for. That's the important part. It's not something you have on a monthly basis. Well, now that you're thinking about it, what comes to mind for you? Is it that annual Amazon Prime renewal? Is it, is it saving for the kids' summer camps? Hey, maybe it's whose new tires you, you know, you're gonna need sooner starting to look a little bald there.

I just want you to pick one and I want you to picture it in your mind. Have you got it? Good? Okay. Now take your best guess at the total cost of what that's going to be.

You know, what do you think that's going to be? And I want you to write that number down or fix it in your mind right now. Alright, you've got that bill and that expected amounts. Finally, we're gonna do some simple math, and I promise this is gonna be very simple math here. How many months do you have until that bill is due? And here's the simple solution. Divide that total cost by the number of months. It's really that simple. So let's, let's talk about that $300 car insurance bill.

Let's say it's due in six months. It simply means that you've gotta have $300 in six months. Well, that, that, that gets down to $50 a month. And that small amount, that's your target. That's what you need to intentionally, specifically set aside each month. Just that, just for that one thing, I want you to find a place for it. Now, I'm not gonna get elaborate . Maybe open a, a separate savings account and, and nickname it. Maybe car insurance or, or maybe it's literally an envelope.

Just set aside an envelope write on there, car insurance and put the date and just start putting that calculated amount aside. And if we go back to begin, remember that feeling, Jamie talked about that, that feeling of being blindsided. And let me just tell you by doing this one simple thing. If you identify just one expense, you estimate it like we did, you calculate it, and you start to save. You begin to break that cycle for yourself.

You start moving from reactionary and moving without stress

to preparing with peace. Well, let's just take a quick moment and pray together. Lord, thank you for caring about every detail of our lives, including our finances. Lord, I lift up my friend listening right now and you know the specific financial pressures they feel, the times they've felt blindsided or stressed. Please replace that anxiety with your peace. Lord, give them wisdom to be good stewards of the resources you provided.

Grant them the focus and the discipline to take this one small step of planning, setting aside funds for a future need. And Lord, help them build that habit and experience that freedom that comes from preparation and trust in you. Well, Lord, we just thank you for your faithfulness and we ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Now be sure to join me again tomorrow. We're gonna be exploring why giving might be the secret to your financial breakthrough. You don't wanna miss that conversation.

And I just wanna thank you so much for spending this time with me today. Getting a handle on your money, truly is part of living out your faith. So keep taking those small steps. And remember, you're not alone in this. And I just wanna encourage you, if this chat was helpful, maybe share it with someone else who, who might need it today. Maybe they're going through a, a typical struggle, they're feeling like they blindsided. And I, and I wanna also encourage you to, to visit my website.

You could do that@askralph.com. So stay financially savvy out there. Take care, be blessed, and I'll talk to you again tomorrow.