Ashamed of Budget Mistakes? Let’s Debrief Without the Guilt

Budgeting can feel like a real bear, right? Well, get this: about 65% of households struggle to stick to a budget for even just three months. That’s a hefty number, and honestly, I think it might be even worse for just one month! But hey, don’t sweat it; we’ve all been there. Ashamed of Budget Mistakes? Let’s Debrief Without the Guilt. In today’s chat, we're diving into the messy world of budget failures and how to kick that budget guilt to the curb. We’ll talk about how facing those numbers head-on can actually be a game-changer, and trust me, it’s all about learning from those slip-ups. Let's turn those budget blues into a pathway for growth and freedom!

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Budgeting can feel like a weighty task, but today we dive into some real talk about turning those budget failures into stepping stones for financial freedom. Did you know that around 65% of households struggle to stick to a budget for even three months? Yeah, that’s a hefty number! But hey, let’s be real, if you’ve dropped the ball on budgeting, you’re far from alone. Today’s listener question hits home: how do we tackle the numbers without feeling that paralyzing shame? Spoiler alert: it starts with understanding that you didn’t fail; you learned. We talk about the importance of honesty with our finances and how recognizing our spending habits can lead to growth. A little grace goes a long way, and embracing our budget mistakes can actually be the first step toward mastering our money. We share personal stories and practical tips to help you face those numbers with confidence and maybe even a smile. So grab your coffee, kick back, and let’s turn that budget guilt into budget growth!

Takeaways:

• A whopping 65% of households struggle to stick to a budget for even three months, which is wild!
• Budget guilt is a total trap, and we need to break free from that mindset, folks!
• Honesty about your spending is crucial because facing the numbers can unlock your financial freedom.
• Instead of feeling ashamed about budget failures, celebrate the small wins and learn from them, baby!
• Understanding your spending patterns reveals where your heart really is, so take a good look at that.
• When life gets tough, remember: grace always wins over guilt, so keep pushing forward with your financial goals!

Links referenced in this episode:

• financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join

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Episode Transcript

(00:28):
Thought I'd start with aninsight. This is from Mint and it
says 65% of households can'tstick to a budget for three months.
We didn't do the research, butI bet it's even a higher number that
can't do it for one month. I.Listen, let me. I've struggled with
budgets, too, which leads meto today's listener question. Ralph,
my budget fell apart againthis year. How do I face the numbers
without feeling ashamed?Listen, you're not alone in that.

(00:51):
But budget guilt is a trap.You can't stay trapped in that. That
mindset will make you unableto move forward because you didn't
fail. I want you to start byunderstanding you didn't fail. You
learned. Because grace coversspreadsheets too. Let's talk about
learning from our budgetmistakes on today's show.
This is Financially ConfidentChristian, your daily dose of gospel,

(01:12):
grounded insight and faithdriven tips to help you break the
cycle of financial shame with confidence.
Hello there and welcome. I'mRalph. Thank you so much for joining
me on your daily adventure ofhelping you break that cycle of financial
shame and, and doing it withconfidence. And today we're talking
about budget failure, youmight say, Ralph, man, you're really

(01:32):
nailing the tough topics thismonth. Well, the whole point of this
series is to help refocus andget us ready for a strong and healthy
2026. And I've helped peoplejust like you turn budget failure
into financial freedom. Yes,you heard me right. A budget failure
is actually a great signbecause here's why. You're using
the budget. That means you'recommitted to doing it. And I've learned,

(01:55):
and I've been there myself,and I've learned how grace builds
growth. Well, let me tell youabout some grace working with my
youngest son. And my youngestson is 24 years old. He's a barber,
right? He's just getting intohis own. He's starting to develop
some, bringing in some money.And he said, dad, you know, one of
the things I'm reallystruggling with is he says, I really
need to figure out how todirect my money better. I said, well,

(02:15):
son, what you need is abudget. As soon as he heard budget,
he's like, he's checking out.He's like, dad, I got no time for
a budget. You're not going tosit there. And of course, with a
teenager now, he's not ateenager anymore, but he'll always
be my little boy, right? Butyou know, he's like, dad, what you're
talking about is restrictionwhat you're talking about is you're
going to tell me where to go.And I'm saying, no, that's not at
all what I'm saying. I said,what you need to do is figure out
where your money's going to gobecause then you're telling it what

(02:37):
to do. And he said, dad, thisis impossible. I'll never be able
to figure this out. I said,well, here's the thing I want you
to do, and this is the thing.I encourage every person that I work
with. Start with some honesty.I said, son, go back and look at
the last 30 days of where yourmoney went, because that's where
you got to start. You got tobe honest with yourself. I said this
on the show the other day. Youcan't sugarcoat this. You got to

(02:58):
start off with what is therealness before you can start to
build that budget movingforward. I said, listen, celebrate
some small wins. I said,listen, this past month, did your
credit card carry a bounce? Hesaid, no, Dad. I said, great, you're
not spending yourself intodeficit. I said, but let's take a
minute. Let's look at thepatterns. And one of the big patterns
he found is he likes to eatout. He's a bachelor. He's a young
guy, has his own apartment. Hewhat's so much easier if he stops

(03:20):
and picks up takeout or hegoes and grabs some lunch or dinner
somewhere? I said, but yougotta understand, son, how much more
that cost you. I said, if youpack your lunch, if you make dinners
at home, you can save a ton ofmoney. And he goes, dad, listen,
I'm really excited about this.And I helped him build a stronger
plan. And I love what DaveRamsey said. I'm not often in the
same realm as Dave Ramsey withsome of the things, but this one

(03:42):
is right on point. He said, abudget is telling your money where
to go, and you instead ofwondering where it went. And I'm
going to use that with my son.As I was preparing for today's show,
I said, I want to help him beencouraged. And I'm going to tell
him that a budget is tellingyour money where to go instead of
wondering where it went. Hedoesn't want to hear good old dad
telling him what to do, but,man, he likes to know where his money
going. Which leads me back totoday's question. And that's really

(04:04):
the core of what we want totalk about right now. And that's
how do I face the numberswithout feeling ashamed? It's so
easy to feel Ashamed thatyou're stuck. And that budget failure,
number one thing. And I saidthis to my son, you gotta be honest.
Because truth unlocks freedom.You gotta face where your money went.
If you're going back andlooking at the 30 days, face where

(04:25):
it went. Because that's theonly way you're gonna take back control.
And you gotta remember,honesty isn't punishment. Honesty
is actually the doorway topeace. Because you can't fix what
you won't face. If you don'tface it, you're never gonna fix it.
One things they talk about inAlcoholics Anonymous for people who
have issues with alcoholism isyou got to face that. You got to
face the challenge in front ofyou. Because God can heal what you

(04:47):
reveal. That rhymed. I thoughtthat was really good, right? But
God can actually heal what youreveal. And that truth, listen, it
stings sometimes. It hurts.But denial, if you keep living in
denial, it's going to cost youmore. So, number one, be honest.
Number two, celebrate thosewins. Because those small habits
hide big victories. You didn'tfail. You grew inconsistency. So

(05:08):
maybe you say, ralph, listen,I'm really focusing on eating at
the house instead of buyingstuff. Well, maybe you say, well,
you know what? One night thisweek, I actually order takeout. That's
great. That means the othersix nights you didn't. And God sees
that faithfulness in thosesmall steps. And as you develop those
small steps, it's going tobring freedom. That one no to impulse
spending is a win. You mightbe saying, ralph, like, every time

(05:31):
I go on Amazon, I buysomething. Okay, well, maybe this
next time you don't. Thatprogress isn't perfection. It's just
quiet obedience. So celebratethose wins. Number three, look at
those patterns. And I've saidthis on the show many times, your
money reveals where your heartis. That might sound a little harsh,
but where it flows, that'swhere your priorities are. So repeated

(05:54):
choices, those things that youdecide to do again, like with my
son, when he decided, I'malways eating out, he always eating
out of lunch. It reveals whattruly matters to you. So ask yourself,
what is this habit sayingabout my heart? See, God doesn't
shame patterns, he reshapesthem. So start by looking at your
patterns and revealing whereyour heart is. Number four thing

(06:14):
is the why awareness turnsguilt into growth. Ask why. You don't
ask this. Don't ask, why did Ifail? But ask yourself, as you're
buying something, why did Ineed that? And that's not an easy
thing to do. Listen I'm guiltyof this myself. But that awareness,
that asking of why puts themeaning behind your mistakes. And

(06:36):
then you know your triggers.And when you finally know the triggers,
maybe you stay off Amazon,maybe you don't get into that scrolling
on your phone on TikTok, wherethey're always trying to sell you
something. I would go off on,on social media again. But when you
do that, you regain yourpower. Because if you don't, guess
what? Guilt keeps you stuck.If you just stay guilty, I'm never
going to get this. You'regoing to stay stuck. But grace moves

(06:56):
you forward. And we're allcovered with the Lord's gr. And number
five, you got a plan. See,grace builds better budgets. You
don't need to be perfect. Ifyou hear nothing else, I say today,
you don't need to be perfect.You need to be redeemed. And grace
says, learn, then moveforward. Because every setback leads
to wiser planning. And listen,here's one thing I'm going to tell
you right now. Key takeawaytoday, invite God into that next

(07:19):
budget, not the nextbreakdown. So easy to call out for
God when you're struggling,but invite them in at the front end
as you're building thatbudget. So again, honesty. Celebrate
those wins, look for thosepatterns, understand your why and
make a plan. Let's get rightinto our Bible verse today. It comes
to us from the book ofProverbs, chapter 27, verse 23. And

(07:40):
it says, be sure to know thecondition of your flocks. What is
it telling us that we need tohave awareness? I'll give you a great
example. I was out walking theother morning and we raised Black
Angus cows here on the farm.And I actually have somebody that's
taking care of that for menow. But I turn the corner, I'm walking
with my dog, and all of asudden I look over and there's this
little thing in the patch. I'mlike, what's going on? Well, guess
what? We had a baby bull calfborn. We weren't expecting it. And

(08:03):
I texted the farmer and said,hey, guy, guess what? We've got a
cav. And he was excited. I wasexcited. We were proud papas for
the day. But we have to knowthe condition of our flocks. The
same thing works with yourmoney. Know where your money's going
so that you can plan to dogood with it and you can truly steward
the provision that God's givenyou. How about we pray right now?
So, Lord, we come to you rightnow and we are just grateful for

(08:24):
the honesty that you have inour lives, Lord, give us wisdom to
adjust those habits thataren't where our heart needs to be,
Lord, help us to reallyexamine those things and help us
to live with freedom fromguilt because it's so easy for us
to get stuck in that quagmireof guilt, Lord. And we just thank
you in the name of Jesus.Amen. Okay, so here's your action
item for today. A littlehomework, if you will. I. I want

(08:46):
you to go back and look atyour last three months of spending.
Now, I know usually I tell you30 days, but I want to broaden it
a little bit because we'retrying to focus on getting a strong
finish to the end of this yearand moving on to the next one. So
go over your last three monthsof spending on your credit cards
and bank statements and circleone Success. Yeah, you heard what
I said. Start with a success.Maybe that you're not eating out

(09:06):
as much. Maybe you're brownbagging it for lunch. Maybe you're
making better decisions aboutimpulse buying at the same time.
Circle one area to improve.Just one success item and one area
to improve. And then work onit. And while you're talking about
that, I want to invite you toour financially confident Christian
community. This is a placewhere we talk about what most people
hide. We talk about money,mistakes. We talk about mercy. And

(09:28):
it's a great place to findother believers who've been where
you are, will help pray withyou and will help push you to grow.
So don't do faith and financesalone. Join the group. You can get
to it by going tofinanciallyconfidentchristian.com/join again.
That'sfinanciallyconfidentfinancialchristian.com/join. why
don't you join the group?You're going to find it to be great.
It's absolutely free now. Youcan support the show. There are some

(09:50):
great upgraded tiers, butcheck it out at financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join.
And as I close out today,remember this, grace always wins
over guilt and reflection isthe bridge to redemption. And every
mistake is a message. Everyloss is a lesson. You're not falling
behind. You're being prepared.So keep showing up. Keep. Keep trusting

(10:12):
and keep learning. BecauseGod's not done writing your story.
Go out there today and be afinancially confident Christian.
Add to your story. Show thatyou can do this. I am confident in
you. More than me, Christ isconfident in you. Stay financially
savvy out there today. Godbless you. And I hope you join me
again on tomorrow's show.