July 14, 2025 • 12 mins
Today, we’re diving into the wild world of gift giving and how it can be a total joy instead of a budget buster. You know that feeling of dread when a birthday or holiday rolls around, and you’re sweating over how much to spend? Well, we’re here to flip that script! We’re all about giving from the heart without the pressure of price tags. Let’s chat about how to make your gifts meaningful and intentional, not just expensive. So grab a cozy seat, and let’s get ready to make gift giving fun again—and ask ourselves, How can I give gifts with purpose, not just pressure?
Check out the full podcast episode here
Gift giving can sometimes feel like a total drag, right? You know the drill: you get an invite to a birthday bash or a baby shower, and instead of feeling pumped, you feel that gut punch of pressure. It’s like you suddenly have this weight on your shoulders because you think you have to spend a pretty penny to show you care. But what if I told you that gift giving doesn’t have to be about breaking the bank? We’re diving into how to gift with purpose instead of pressure. The truth is, culture has tricked us into believing that bigger gifts mean bigger love. Spoiler alert: that's a lie! Scripture reminds us that it’s not about how much you spend, but about what’s in your heart when you give. We unpack how to flip the script on societal expectations, encouraging you to focus on thoughtful, meaningful gifts that come from the heart. So, the next time you’re about to swipe that card, consider giving a heartfelt experience or a service instead. Trust me, those gifts mean so much more than a price tag ever could!
Chapters:
- 00:14 - The Stress of Gift Giving
- 00:20 - Breaking Free from Guilt in Gift Giving
- 04:10 - The Essence of Giving: Understanding True Generosity
- 05:11 - Creative Gift Ideas
- 07:48 - The Art of Meaningful Giving
- 09:30 - Spring Cleaning for Your Finances
Takeaways:
- Gift giving shouldn't stress you out; it should be about joy, not pressure.
- Remember, it's not about how much you spend but the thought behind the gift.
- We need to flip the script on societal expectations of gift giving, folks!
- Thoughtful gifts, even small ones, can have a bigger impact than expensive ones.
- The best gifts come from the heart, not from a price tag or comparison with others.
- Planning your gifts intentionally can strengthen relationships and reduce financial guilt.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Saggio Accounting Plus
- Ask Ralph Media
WATCH NOW ON YOUTUBE (OUR VIDEO VERSION)
WATCH NOW ON RUMBLE (OUR VIDEO VERSION)
Please share our Podcast with all your friends and family!
Submit your questions or...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(01:47):
Hey, let me ask you aquestion. Do birthdays or holidays
ever fill you with dread? Notbecause you don't want to give the
gift, but because you feelpressure to spend way too much. Like
no matter how tight yourbudget is, you're expected to match
a certain price tag. But whatif gift giving didn't have to be
so stressful? What if it couldreally be joyful again? Today we're
(02:08):
breaking free from that giftgiving guilt. Let's talk about how
to give with purpose, not not pressure.
This is Financially ConfidentChristian, your daily dose of gospel
grounded insight and faithdriven tips to help you break the
cycle of financial shame with confidence.
Hey there and welcome back toyour daily Financially Confident
(02:29):
Christian. I'm Ralph and I amso glad you're here joining me today.
I just want to thank you forgiving me just a little bit of your
time each day. This is theshow where we ask that big question,
how can I become a financiallyconfident Christian? And we continue
on our series beyond theBudget. Finding financial freedom
through intentional living.That's what we're talking about during
this 30 day series. I hopeyou've been following along because
(02:51):
we are really knocking it outof the park. Now yesterday, if you
missed it, we talked about howto learn new skills that could save
you thousands of dollars andmore importantly, build you up emotionally
and spiritually. So if youmissed it, I'm going to encourage
you to go check it out. Todaywe're going to talk about giving
from the heart. Here's afamiliar feeling. You get invited
to a birthday party or maybe agraduation party. Hey there a lot
(03:14):
of those going on right now ora baby shower perhaps. And instead
of feeling excited, all of asudden you feel this not in your
stomach. You start thinking, Ireally want to give Ralph. Truly
I do. But suddenly you startto compare. Hey, what did they give
our daughter last year? Whatwill people think of this gift? Hey,
(03:35):
am I going to look like I'msuper cheap? So you swipe that card,
you stretch your budget andthen later you just feel regret,
you feel guilt, you feelstress. And if we're being honest
with ourselves, a lot of timeswe feel some resentment. And the
worst part of all of that,something that's supposed to give
(03:57):
you joy and, and enjoy thisparty or this birthday or this celebration,
it just steals the joy fromgiving. And see, here's the thing
you gotta understand. Culturehas trained us to believe this lie.
And this is a big bold facelie. Listen to what I'm saying to
you. Culture has trained us toBelieve this. The more you spend,
(04:19):
the more you love. It's justnonsense. But so many of us buy into
that cultural belief. The moreyou spend, the more you love. But
scripture tells us a verydifferent story. Get into the Word.
Let's look at SecondCorinthians, chapter 9, verse 7.
It says this. Each of youshould give what you have decided
in your heart to give. Notreluctantly or under compulsion.
(04:42):
Why is that? Well, here's whatit says. For God loves a cheerful
giver. You make that decisionin your heart to give, not out of
reluctance or not a, oh, youmust do this. God doesn't ask for
pressured giving. Now thisparticular scripture I think is talking
about tithing and all thingsto the church, but it goes along
(05:02):
that same thought process ofbeing a cheerful giver. The Lord
invites us to give with joy.He invites us to give with intention.
And bigger than all of thosethings, Joy and intention are big,
but the biggest one is givewith freedom. Let's look at Proverbs,
chapter 15, verse 17. It saysthis. Better a small serving of vegetables
(05:25):
with love than. Than afattened calf with hatred. Think
about that for a second. What?We were talking about that gift.
If you're reluctantly saying,I got you this gift, but man, I really
spent more than I should have,but you spent that on my kids, so
I got to spend it on yours.You're better off not doing that.
Because the truth is this athoughtful gift, even a small one,
(05:47):
given in love, given in peace,is worth more than most of the expensive
presents given in thattension, that feeling of oh, compulsion.
Because here's a truth bombthat I'm going to lay on you right
now. Giving isn't about price.It's not about price. It's the value.
That's the cost of this. It'sabout purpose. So now you're asking
(06:09):
Ralph, what can we do? We havethese societal or these expectations
of what we're supposed to do.What do we do? Well, here's what
we do. We flip the script.Instead of chasing those price tags,
we gotta start thinking aboutprioritizing thoughtful, meaningful
and, and yes, creative giving.We give from our values what is important
(06:30):
to us, what we think ismeaningful, not from pressure. So
here's your one action stepfor this is what I want you to do
today. I want you to identifyyour next gift occasion. Maybe you've
got a sister whose birthday'scoming up. Or maybe your parents
anniversary is coming up.Maybe there's that graduation or
holiday. Hey, we're only aboutsix months out from the holiday.
So start thinking about thator, or maybe a baby shower. And I
(06:53):
just want you to think aboutthat next gift occasion and I you
to write it down. So that'sthe first step. Second thing I want
you to do is startbrainstorming some non material gift
ideas. I'm going to give yousome of those things right now. One
of the things I think we canreally do a lot with is giving the
gift of an experience. Thinkabout this for a second. Maybe you've
got that birthday coming upand you thought, you know what, here's
(07:15):
what I'm going to do. I'mgoing to have my sister and her husband
over for dinner. Make themdinner, maybe take a walk, have a,
have a movie or game night.Maybe you give the gift of service.
Hey, maybe you've got a sisteror a brother who just had a little
baby. Maybe your your gift isto offer them to babysit. I remember
one particularly when I wasyounger, it was a tight time around
(07:36):
Christmas I gave each of myfamily members a gift certificate
to wash and wax their car.Maybe you can offer to run an errand.
Hey, here's a lost art a lotof people don't think about. Maybe
you can do it with your words.Write a letter, record a prayer,
share a memory. And if youmissed the show a couple days ago
we talked about secondhandstuff. Well, maybe you can find a
(07:58):
vintage book or a meaningfulkeepsake. A hand me down with a story.
I've seen some great giftswhere somebody took a photo, had
it framed and put somethingthat was a keepsake and that was
more valuable than anythingthe person could buy. And here's
the last one. And a lot ofpeople don't think about this one.
Your time. See time isvaluable. Simply spend some intentional
(08:21):
time together. Turn the phoneoff, get away from distractions.
So once you've decided what itis, you've decided that non material
thing, then you know, youmight want to spend a little bit
of money. So I'm going toencourage you to set a realistic
budget. Decide that inadvance. What are you going to spend?
Could be 10 bucks, it could be0 bucks. Hey. And it doesn't really
matter. It depends on whatyou're doing. And then I want you
(08:44):
to just focus on the thought.Stop comparing, stop feeling guilty.
Don't let that price tagdefine the value. Let the love behind
it, the meaningfulness, whatyou put into it. Speak louder than
the price tag. And see, thishelps you because it frees you from
that financial guilt and that,that peer pressure that societal,
well, you better get mesomething nice because they got us
(09:06):
something nice. It also deeplyencourages creativity and it really
makes you think about lovebased giving. Exactly what the scripture
said, not out of compulsion,but out of love. And it really does
strengthen relationships withthe people around you. It strengthens
your budget. And hey, ifyou're like me, it reduces that anxiety
during those gift givingseasons. And listen, it's only about
(09:29):
six months away fromChristmas, so this is a great time
to start planning thoseintentional gifts now. Well, how
about we pray together? FatherGod, we just thank you for the greatest
gift of all and that was yourson Jesus who gave everything for
us. So Lord, we ask that youwould forgive us when we make gift
giving about pressure, Lord,and comparison or guilt. Forgive
us for those thoughts andteach us to give with cheerful hearts,
(09:52):
Lord, to see the beauty injust those small gestures, the time
and the thoughts to love well,Lord, and to give wisely. And we
just ask that you would helpus align our giving with our values,
Lord, and with our budget, soit reflects your heart, these crazy
expectations of the world.Lord, we ask that you would make
us creative, make us generousand make us joyful, just like you.
(10:16):
And we ask this in confidencein Jesus name. Amen, friend. A meaningful
gift doesn't have to costmuch, but it can mean absolutely
everything to the personyou're giving it to. So today I just
want to challenge you. Chooseyour next gift based on purpose.
On purpose. Intentionality,not pressure. You're not just saving
(10:38):
money, you're buildingstronger relationships. You're living
with peace and you're doingexactly what you set out to do. You're
becoming a financiallyconfident Christian. And if today's
episode has impacted you, Iwant to encourage you to share it
with somebody else or sharethe show. You can go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com
hey, send a text message, sendan email, say, listen, I found this
(10:59):
great daily show. You shouldgo check it out. And while you're
there, grab a copy of my freebook. It's called Mastering Your
Finances. Absolutely free toyou, but it is impactful to your
financial life. You can getthat by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/master
and tomorrow we're going totalk about decluttering. Yes, it's
going to be spring cleaning inthe summer and how that can reduce
(11:21):
your stress and bring peace toyour heart and more importantly,
peace to your wallet. Untilthen, stay faithful, stay wise, stay
confident, stay confident inyourself. And let's all go out there
and be financially confidentChristians. You can do this. I have
confidence in you. Haveconfidence in yourself. Stay financially
(11:42):
savvy. God bless you and youhave a great day today.
Thank you for joining us todayon the Financially Confident Christian
show, where we're breaking thecycle of financial shame with confidence
and faith. If you found valuein this episode, a simple click to
subscribe means you'll beinvited right back for our next conversation.
And remember, financialchallenges don't have to be overwhelming.
(12:04):
Just Ask Ralph this show is aproduction of Ask Ralph Media and
is supported by SaggioAccounting Plus. The information
shared in this episode isbased on data available as of the
date of release.Saggio Accounting plus and Ask Ralph
Media, Inc. Are under noobligation to update this content
if circumstances change.Please note that applying this information
(12:24):
to your personal situationrequires careful consideration. This
episode is not intended toserve as financial, tax or legal
advice. Always consult yourtrusted tax advisor or attorney before
taking action based onanything we've discussed.
Hey, let me ask you aquestion. Do birthdays or holidays
ever fill you with dread? Notbecause you don't want to give the
gift, but because you feelpressure to spend way too much. Like
no matter how tight yourbudget is, you're expected to match
a certain price tag. But whatif gift giving didn't have to be
so stressful? What if it couldreally be joyful again? Today we're
(02:08):
breaking free from that giftgiving guilt. Let's talk about how
to give with purpose, not not pressure.
This is Financially ConfidentChristian, your daily dose of gospel
grounded insight and faithdriven tips to help you break the
cycle of financial shame with confidence.
Hey there and welcome back toyour daily Financially Confident
(02:29):
Christian. I'm Ralph and I amso glad you're here joining me today.
I just want to thank you forgiving me just a little bit of your
time each day. This is theshow where we ask that big question,
how can I become a financiallyconfident Christian? And we continue
on our series beyond theBudget. Finding financial freedom
through intentional living.That's what we're talking about during
this 30 day series. I hopeyou've been following along because
(02:51):
we are really knocking it outof the park. Now yesterday, if you
missed it, we talked about howto learn new skills that could save
you thousands of dollars andmore importantly, build you up emotionally
and spiritually. So if youmissed it, I'm going to encourage
you to go check it out. Todaywe're going to talk about giving
from the heart. Here's afamiliar feeling. You get invited
to a birthday party or maybe agraduation party. Hey there a lot
(03:14):
of those going on right now ora baby shower perhaps. And instead
of feeling excited, all of asudden you feel this not in your
stomach. You start thinking, Ireally want to give Ralph. Truly
I do. But suddenly you startto compare. Hey, what did they give
our daughter last year? Whatwill people think of this gift? Hey,
(03:35):
am I going to look like I'msuper cheap? So you swipe that card,
you stretch your budget andthen later you just feel regret,
you feel guilt, you feelstress. And if we're being honest
with ourselves, a lot of timeswe feel some resentment. And the
worst part of all of that,something that's supposed to give
(03:57):
you joy and, and enjoy thisparty or this birthday or this celebration,
it just steals the joy fromgiving. And see, here's the thing
you gotta understand. Culturehas trained us to believe this lie.
And this is a big bold facelie. Listen to what I'm saying to
you. Culture has trained us toBelieve this. The more you spend,
(04:19):
the more you love. It's justnonsense. But so many of us buy into
that cultural belief. The moreyou spend, the more you love. But
scripture tells us a verydifferent story. Get into the Word.
Let's look at SecondCorinthians, chapter 9, verse 7.
It says this. Each of youshould give what you have decided
in your heart to give. Notreluctantly or under compulsion.
(04:42):
Why is that? Well, here's whatit says. For God loves a cheerful
giver. You make that decisionin your heart to give, not out of
reluctance or not a, oh, youmust do this. God doesn't ask for
pressured giving. Now thisparticular scripture I think is talking
about tithing and all thingsto the church, but it goes along
(05:02):
that same thought process ofbeing a cheerful giver. The Lord
invites us to give with joy.He invites us to give with intention.
And bigger than all of thosethings, Joy and intention are big,
but the biggest one is givewith freedom. Let's look at Proverbs,
chapter 15, verse 17. It saysthis. Better a small serving of vegetables
(05:25):
with love than. Than afattened calf with hatred. Think
about that for a second. What?We were talking about that gift.
If you're reluctantly saying,I got you this gift, but man, I really
spent more than I should have,but you spent that on my kids, so
I got to spend it on yours.You're better off not doing that.
Because the truth is this athoughtful gift, even a small one,
(05:47):
given in love, given in peace,is worth more than most of the expensive
presents given in thattension, that feeling of oh, compulsion.
Because here's a truth bombthat I'm going to lay on you right
now. Giving isn't about price.It's not about price. It's the value.
That's the cost of this. It'sabout purpose. So now you're asking
(06:09):
Ralph, what can we do? We havethese societal or these expectations
of what we're supposed to do.What do we do? Well, here's what
we do. We flip the script.Instead of chasing those price tags,
we gotta start thinking aboutprioritizing thoughtful, meaningful
and, and yes, creative giving.We give from our values what is important
(06:30):
to us, what we think ismeaningful, not from pressure. So
here's your one action stepfor this is what I want you to do
today. I want you to identifyyour next gift occasion. Maybe you've
got a sister whose birthday'scoming up. Or maybe your parents
anniversary is coming up.Maybe there's that graduation or
holiday. Hey, we're only aboutsix months out from the holiday.
So start thinking about thator, or maybe a baby shower. And I
(06:53):
just want you to think aboutthat next gift occasion and I you
to write it down. So that'sthe first step. Second thing I want
you to do is startbrainstorming some non material gift
ideas. I'm going to give yousome of those things right now. One
of the things I think we canreally do a lot with is giving the
gift of an experience. Thinkabout this for a second. Maybe you've
got that birthday coming upand you thought, you know what, here's
(07:15):
what I'm going to do. I'mgoing to have my sister and her husband
over for dinner. Make themdinner, maybe take a walk, have a,
have a movie or game night.Maybe you give the gift of service.
Hey, maybe you've got a sisteror a brother who just had a little
baby. Maybe your your gift isto offer them to babysit. I remember
one particularly when I wasyounger, it was a tight time around
(07:36):
Christmas I gave each of myfamily members a gift certificate
to wash and wax their car.Maybe you can offer to run an errand.
Hey, here's a lost art a lotof people don't think about. Maybe
you can do it with your words.Write a letter, record a prayer,
share a memory. And if youmissed the show a couple days ago
we talked about secondhandstuff. Well, maybe you can find a
(07:58):
vintage book or a meaningfulkeepsake. A hand me down with a story.
I've seen some great giftswhere somebody took a photo, had
it framed and put somethingthat was a keepsake and that was
more valuable than anythingthe person could buy. And here's
the last one. And a lot ofpeople don't think about this one.
Your time. See time isvaluable. Simply spend some intentional
(08:21):
time together. Turn the phoneoff, get away from distractions.
So once you've decided what itis, you've decided that non material
thing, then you know, youmight want to spend a little bit
of money. So I'm going toencourage you to set a realistic
budget. Decide that inadvance. What are you going to spend?
Could be 10 bucks, it could be0 bucks. Hey. And it doesn't really
matter. It depends on whatyou're doing. And then I want you
(08:44):
to just focus on the thought.Stop comparing, stop feeling guilty.
Don't let that price tagdefine the value. Let the love behind
it, the meaningfulness, whatyou put into it. Speak louder than
the price tag. And see, thishelps you because it frees you from
that financial guilt and that,that peer pressure that societal,
well, you better get mesomething nice because they got us
(09:06):
something nice. It also deeplyencourages creativity and it really
makes you think about lovebased giving. Exactly what the scripture
said, not out of compulsion,but out of love. And it really does
strengthen relationships withthe people around you. It strengthens
your budget. And hey, ifyou're like me, it reduces that anxiety
during those gift givingseasons. And listen, it's only about
(09:29):
six months away fromChristmas, so this is a great time
to start planning thoseintentional gifts now. Well, how
about we pray together? FatherGod, we just thank you for the greatest
gift of all and that was yourson Jesus who gave everything for
us. So Lord, we ask that youwould forgive us when we make gift
giving about pressure, Lord,and comparison or guilt. Forgive
us for those thoughts andteach us to give with cheerful hearts,
(09:52):
Lord, to see the beauty injust those small gestures, the time
and the thoughts to love well,Lord, and to give wisely. And we
just ask that you would helpus align our giving with our values,
Lord, and with our budget, soit reflects your heart, these crazy
expectations of the world.Lord, we ask that you would make
us creative, make us generousand make us joyful, just like you.
(10:16):
And we ask this in confidencein Jesus name. Amen, friend. A meaningful
gift doesn't have to costmuch, but it can mean absolutely
everything to the personyou're giving it to. So today I just
want to challenge you. Chooseyour next gift based on purpose.
On purpose. Intentionality,not pressure. You're not just saving
(10:38):
money, you're buildingstronger relationships. You're living
with peace and you're doingexactly what you set out to do. You're
becoming a financiallyconfident Christian. And if today's
episode has impacted you, Iwant to encourage you to share it
with somebody else or sharethe show. You can go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com
hey, send a text message, sendan email, say, listen, I found this
(10:59):
great daily show. You shouldgo check it out. And while you're
there, grab a copy of my freebook. It's called Mastering Your
Finances. Absolutely free toyou, but it is impactful to your
financial life. You can getthat by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/master
and tomorrow we're going totalk about decluttering. Yes, it's
going to be spring cleaning inthe summer and how that can reduce
(11:21):
your stress and bring peace toyour heart and more importantly,
peace to your wallet. Untilthen, stay faithful, stay wise, stay
confident, stay confident inyourself. And let's all go out there
and be financially confidentChristians. You can do this. I have
confidence in you. Haveconfidence in yourself. Stay financially
(11:42):
savvy. God bless you and youhave a great day today.
Thank you for joining us todayon the Financially Confident Christian
show, where we're breaking thecycle of financial shame with confidence
and faith. If you found valuein this episode, a simple click to
subscribe means you'll beinvited right back for our next conversation.
And remember, financialchallenges don't have to be overwhelming.
(12:04):
Just Ask Ralph this show is aproduction of Ask Ralph Media and
is supported by SaggioAccounting Plus. The information
shared in this episode isbased on data available as of the
date of release.Saggio Accounting plus and Ask Ralph
Media, Inc. Are under noobligation to update this content
if circumstances change.Please note that applying this information
(12:24):
to your personal situationrequires careful consideration. This
episode is not intended toserve as financial, tax or legal
advice. Always consult yourtrusted tax advisor or attorney before
taking action based onanything we've discussed.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.