July 29, 2025 • 10 mins
We’re diving into some real talk about budgeting for back-to-school. Trust me, it’s gonna be a game changer! We all know how quick those school supply lists can rack up your wallet’s stress levels, but guess what? We’re here to help you chill out and get ahead of the game. Today, I’m laying down the savvy Christian way to handle those financial pressures so you can provide for your kids without losing your mind or your bank account. We’ll break it down step-by-step, from grabbing that supply list to taking inventory of what you already have—no need to buy what you don’t need! So, let’s get our game faces on and tackle this back-to-school season like pros, keeping it light, budget-friendly, and rooted in wisdom. Ready to learn how to budget for back-to-school without breaking the bank? Let’s go!
Check out the full podcast episode here
Back to school season is that time of year when excitement and dread collide. As we dive into the chaos of shopping lists, wardrobes, and fees, we all know that feeling of having our wallets scream in agony. In today’s episode, I’m sharing how to tackle this financial beast head-on and keep the stress at bay. We’re all about getting savvy and smooth sailing into the new school year without breaking the bank. Let’s skip the stress and embrace the smart side of budgeting like a pro. With a little planning and some gospel-grounded wisdom, we can honor God with our money while making sure our kids have what they need. It’s time to get real about what’s essential and what’s just nice to have. Together, we’re going to whip up a simple budget that’ll make you feel like a financial guru. So grab that school supply list, do a little inventory of what’s lying around the house, and let’s make a plan that works for your family. Trust me, you got this!
Takeaways:
- Back to school can be a financial rollercoaster, but planning helps keep the stress at bay.
- You don’t have to break the bank; wise budgeting and planning can honor God and your family.
- Inventory what you already have before shopping; you might be sitting on hidden treasures.
- Stick to your budget and prioritize needs over wants to avoid impulse buying this school year.
- Grab that supply list early and make a realistic budget that works for your family.
- Remember, it’s all about being intentional; trust God and stick to your financial plan.
Links referenced in this episode:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, can you believe it?School's about to start again. If
your wallet could talk, it'dprobably be screaming right now.
Supplies, clothes, fees, itall just adds up so fast. But today
I want to help you skip thestress. We're going to get ahead
of it and we're going to do ittogether. So stick with me and I'll
show you how to budget forBack to school the savvy Christian
way. This is FinanciallyConfident Christian, your daily dose
(00:25):
of gospel grounded insight andfaith driven tips to help you break
the cycle of financial shamewith conf. Hey there. Welcome back
to Financially ConfidentChristian. I'm Ralph and I am really
glad you're here. It's aspecial day today as we kick off
a brand new series calledSmart Money for Back to School and
beyond. My goal in this seriesis to help you head into the school
(00:46):
year feeling ready bothfinancially and spiritually. And
today's topic is going to cutright to the chase. How to prepare
for school without breakingthe bank. Let's get real for a minute.
You want to be excited aboutthe new school year, but maybe deep
down you're just feeling alittle overwhelmed already. You're
already thinking through thosesupply lists. You know, they're always
(01:08):
a mile long. You're lookinginto kids closets and they've outgrew
everything over the summer.And that laptop they've been using
to play games on during thesummer, well, it's been acting up
a little bit. And deep downyou say to yourself, I want to provide
for them, Ralph. You want themto feel confident. You want them
to be ready. But that moneypart, well, Rob, that's pretty heavy.
(01:29):
And I'm going to tell youright now, without a clear plan,
the truth is stress and guiltwill creep in fast. Here's the thing
you got to understand. And ifyou've already been through this
cycle one time, or maybe thisis your 12th or 14th season of this,
Back to school is a bigfinancial moment for most families.
So if you're feeling thepressure, I'll tell you right now,
(01:50):
you're not alone. I've beenthere and did that with my kids when
they were younger. But thegood news is this is also an opportunity
to honor God with our moneyand care for our family. So let's
get right into the word. I'mgoing to use a verse From Proverbs
chapter 21, verse 20 that Iuse on the show probably once a week.
But it's so important that westart here in this new series. And
(02:12):
it says this again. Proverbs21:20. The wise store up choice food
in olive oil, but fools gulptheirs down. I don't think you need
a translation, but if you do,what is it saying here? It's saying,
the wise plan ahead. Well,back to school time. It's time to
plan ahead, because here's alittle secret. God honors planning,
(02:36):
and by definition, he honorsstewardship. And yes, spoiler alert,
you can take care of your kidswithout overspending or panicking.
And I'm going to tell you howto do that on today's show. But first,
I want to share something kindof personal. I remember when I was
growing up now, my mom had areally tough time getting my sister
and I ready for school eachyear. My sister and I, well, let's
(02:58):
just say we weren't always theeasiest kids when it came to clothes
and supplies. I was one ofthose big kids, you know, I was.
Seemed like I was alwaysoutgrowing stuff. And we also had
our opinions and we had ourwants. And to say mom had a very
limited budget would be anunderstatement. Now, my mom has passed
away a couple years ago, but Iwas thinking about as I was preparing
for this show, what aproduction this was. But she made
(03:21):
it work. My mom stretchedevery single dollar she planned ahead.
She used to keep notes ofeverything. And the best part of
it all, I always knew thisgrowing up, she did it all with love
and with this quiet strength.And, you know, now as an adult and
a parent, I can see now howmuch strength that she really had.
And I can see what a sacrificethat was. And honestly, sometimes
(03:46):
I'm kind of embarrassed aboutthe way I act. And if. If you're
an adult and you can lurk backto that, too, you're probably thinking
the same thing. And mayberight now, as you listen to this,
you're a parent right now, andyou're. And you're going through
this. I'm going to tell yousomething right now. I want to tell
you this loud and clear. Youcan do this. Here's the beauty of
it. You don't need to beperfect again. I said this on yesterday's
(04:09):
show. You're never going to beperfect. So stop chasing after it.
You just need to be wise, youneed to be intentional, and you need
to be willing to trust Godthrough the process. So now you're
probably saying, great, Ralph,back to school. Time. Time to spend
more money we don't have.We're already struggling. What can
we do, Ralph? Well, here's themove I'm going to tell you right
now a very simple way to getstarted. We're going to build a simple
(04:32):
back to school budget. Nothingfancy, nothing elaborate, nothing
no big deal. Just honest,realistic, and most of all, the most
important part of this,something that's doable. We're going
to look at what's needed,we're going to assign some numbers
to it. And big thing we'regoing to do is we're commit to sticking
to it. So here is your oneaction step for today. First thing
(04:53):
I want you to do is grab thatschool supply list. Most of the time
the school sends it out. Maybethere's a school portal and maybe
you've got an email or maybethe teachers are actually reaching
out to you. But start withgrabbing that school supply list.
Now here's, here's the secondstep. A lot of people overthink this
one or even don't think aboutit at all. And that's taking inventory.
What do you already have? Somany people overlook the fact that
(05:15):
they've already got thisstuff. It's sitting in that junk
drawer. We did a show a coupleweeks ago about that stuff, that
junk drawer. But really askyourself, what do you have? Do you
already have the backpack? Oneof the things. When my kids were
young, my wife said to me, shesays, Ralph, we're going to invest
in durable backpacks. And Iwas kind of sticker shocked when
I saw it. But she was so rightabout that because that backpack
(05:35):
lasted them year after yearafter year. I think they grew tired
of it before it actually woreout. So take a look. What backpacks
do you have? Shoes. I rememberwhen as a kid, man, I would outgrow
shoes. It was always, oh, wegot to get a couple pairs of shoes
for school. Extra pens. Here'sthe thing, do an inventory. Don't
buy what you don't need. Yourkids are going to be pressuring you,
oh, I need the newest stuff. Ineed the latest stuff. We're gonna
(05:57):
talk about some of that stufftomorrow. But start by taking that
image. So get that supply listand take that inventory. And as we're
talking about this budget,start to estimate your cost of this
thing. You can look at flyers,go on Amazon, go on different websites
and figure out some realisticnumbers for first thing, supplies.
What are we going to spend insupplies? You know, paper, pens,
(06:17):
pencils, whatever the coolkids are using. Now put down a budget
number for clothes and shoes.You don't have to buy it all at once.
Remember, we're going to begoing into at least in the, on the
east coast where I am, we'regoing to have a warm season before
the fall hits. So there'sgoing to be a different time for
different clothing. So schoolshoes and clothes. Let's talk about
those tech things. Maybethere's some tech things you need.
(06:39):
Maybe you can find thosebefore you. Maybe you've already
got them. Start thinking aboutthe school fees. You're going to
have to play. A lot of peoplehave to pay school fees. Maybe there's
some extracurricular activityfees. Maybe the kids are going to
play school sports and theygot to go get a physical. Well, you
need a budget for that. Andthen I'm going to encourage you to
have an other bucket. Youknow, just those things that don't
quite fit into that. So wetalked about, first thing, find that
(07:01):
list that you need. Secondthing, take that inventory. And third
thing, estimate those costs.Now it's time to allocate that money.
Decide how much goes into eachcategory. Now, here's the key. It's
going to be a hard thing todo, but this is very important for
you. Start with the needsfirst. These are the things that
my kids absolutely need. Theseare the absolute essentials. And
(07:25):
then put the ones down laterin the list, the next step. And this
is where the hard part comesin. You got to stick to the plan.
It's so easy to get into thatimpulse buying, so easy to do that
when something's not in thebudget. I can, I can still picture
my sister and I at the storewith my mama a couple days before
school starts, and we'rewalking through the store and we're
(07:46):
grabbing stuff off the racksand my mom's saying, listen, that
kids, that's not in thebudget. That's. That's on the list.
Oh, come on, mom. Oh, come on,Mom. And she would say, listen, kids,
not right now, but you got tohave some backbone to that. So save
right now and mean it, becausethat's going to be important. Now
I want to encourage youbecause I'm going to tell you why
(08:07):
this works. And this helps youbecause it reduces that stress. If
you've got a plan, you've got,you're already got your ideas of
what you need. You've gotthat, that crystal clear list. You
know what's in already in yourinventory. It's going to reduce that
stress. It's going to killthat guilt because you've already
made a commitment. Hey, I'mgoing to stick to my guns this year.
Here's the budget. Here's whatI agreed to spend and it brings clarity,
(08:28):
control and most of all, andthis is the most important part,
it honors God and it blessesyour kids in the process. So, hey,
I really hope today's show hasreally encouraged you and I want
to ask you to do just onething for me. I want to encourage
you to share this episode withsomeone else, you know, who's maybe
facing those same back toschool money pressures. Maybe it's
(08:50):
a friend, maybe it's a coworker. Hey, maybe it's just a parent
from your school or yourchurch group and you're thinking,
Ralph, man, they don't needmore stress. I certainly don't need
it. But they need to hope andthey need to have a plan. So send
them this episode so that theycan encourage them and they can be
encouraged together. That'swhat we do here on Financially Confident
Christians. We look out forone another. So just send them a
(09:12):
text, send them an email ortalk to them directly and say, hey,
check out this website,financiallyconfidentchristian.com and
let them know, hey, Ralph'sdoing a special series on how not
to lose all your money on Backto school. It's a funny way to frame
it, but say that to them.Probably get their attention. So
here's your next step. Getthose lists, check what you've got,
(09:32):
and build that simple plan.And again, if you need more support,
I've wrote a blog post abouttoday's show. You can get that@financiallyconfidentchristian.com
now tomorrow we're going totake the next step. We're going to
tackle smart shoppingstrategies where going to tackle
that beast of needs versusextras. And it's going to be a great
show. So until then, I want toencourage you right now, keep the
(09:54):
faith, stick to the plan andbe confident because God's got you.
God bless you and I'll see you tomorrow.
Hey, can you believe it?School's about to start again. If
your wallet could talk, it'dprobably be screaming right now.
Supplies, clothes, fees, itall just adds up so fast. But today
I want to help you skip thestress. We're going to get ahead
of it and we're going to do ittogether. So stick with me and I'll
show you how to budget forBack to school the savvy Christian
way. This is FinanciallyConfident Christian, your daily dose
(00:25):
of gospel grounded insight andfaith driven tips to help you break
the cycle of financial shamewith conf. Hey there. Welcome back
to Financially ConfidentChristian. I'm Ralph and I am really
glad you're here. It's aspecial day today as we kick off
a brand new series calledSmart Money for Back to School and
beyond. My goal in this seriesis to help you head into the school
(00:46):
year feeling ready bothfinancially and spiritually. And
today's topic is going to cutright to the chase. How to prepare
for school without breakingthe bank. Let's get real for a minute.
You want to be excited aboutthe new school year, but maybe deep
down you're just feeling alittle overwhelmed already. You're
already thinking through thosesupply lists. You know, they're always
(01:08):
a mile long. You're lookinginto kids closets and they've outgrew
everything over the summer.And that laptop they've been using
to play games on during thesummer, well, it's been acting up
a little bit. And deep downyou say to yourself, I want to provide
for them, Ralph. You want themto feel confident. You want them
to be ready. But that moneypart, well, Rob, that's pretty heavy.
(01:29):
And I'm going to tell youright now, without a clear plan,
the truth is stress and guiltwill creep in fast. Here's the thing
you got to understand. And ifyou've already been through this
cycle one time, or maybe thisis your 12th or 14th season of this,
Back to school is a bigfinancial moment for most families.
So if you're feeling thepressure, I'll tell you right now,
(01:50):
you're not alone. I've beenthere and did that with my kids when
they were younger. But thegood news is this is also an opportunity
to honor God with our moneyand care for our family. So let's
get right into the word. I'mgoing to use a verse From Proverbs
chapter 21, verse 20 that Iuse on the show probably once a week.
But it's so important that westart here in this new series. And
(02:12):
it says this again. Proverbs21:20. The wise store up choice food
in olive oil, but fools gulptheirs down. I don't think you need
a translation, but if you do,what is it saying here? It's saying,
the wise plan ahead. Well,back to school time. It's time to
plan ahead, because here's alittle secret. God honors planning,
(02:36):
and by definition, he honorsstewardship. And yes, spoiler alert,
you can take care of your kidswithout overspending or panicking.
And I'm going to tell you howto do that on today's show. But first,
I want to share something kindof personal. I remember when I was
growing up now, my mom had areally tough time getting my sister
and I ready for school eachyear. My sister and I, well, let's
(02:58):
just say we weren't always theeasiest kids when it came to clothes
and supplies. I was one ofthose big kids, you know, I was.
Seemed like I was alwaysoutgrowing stuff. And we also had
our opinions and we had ourwants. And to say mom had a very
limited budget would be anunderstatement. Now, my mom has passed
away a couple years ago, but Iwas thinking about as I was preparing
for this show, what aproduction this was. But she made
(03:21):
it work. My mom stretchedevery single dollar she planned ahead.
She used to keep notes ofeverything. And the best part of
it all, I always knew thisgrowing up, she did it all with love
and with this quiet strength.And, you know, now as an adult and
a parent, I can see now howmuch strength that she really had.
And I can see what a sacrificethat was. And honestly, sometimes
(03:46):
I'm kind of embarrassed aboutthe way I act. And if. If you're
an adult and you can lurk backto that, too, you're probably thinking
the same thing. And mayberight now, as you listen to this,
you're a parent right now, andyou're. And you're going through
this. I'm going to tell yousomething right now. I want to tell
you this loud and clear. Youcan do this. Here's the beauty of
it. You don't need to beperfect again. I said this on yesterday's
(04:09):
show. You're never going to beperfect. So stop chasing after it.
You just need to be wise, youneed to be intentional, and you need
to be willing to trust Godthrough the process. So now you're
probably saying, great, Ralph,back to school. Time. Time to spend
more money we don't have.We're already struggling. What can
we do, Ralph? Well, here's themove I'm going to tell you right
now a very simple way to getstarted. We're going to build a simple
(04:32):
back to school budget. Nothingfancy, nothing elaborate, nothing
no big deal. Just honest,realistic, and most of all, the most
important part of this,something that's doable. We're going
to look at what's needed,we're going to assign some numbers
to it. And big thing we'regoing to do is we're commit to sticking
to it. So here is your oneaction step for today. First thing
(04:53):
I want you to do is grab thatschool supply list. Most of the time
the school sends it out. Maybethere's a school portal and maybe
you've got an email or maybethe teachers are actually reaching
out to you. But start withgrabbing that school supply list.
Now here's, here's the secondstep. A lot of people overthink this
one or even don't think aboutit at all. And that's taking inventory.
What do you already have? Somany people overlook the fact that
(05:15):
they've already got thisstuff. It's sitting in that junk
drawer. We did a show a coupleweeks ago about that stuff, that
junk drawer. But really askyourself, what do you have? Do you
already have the backpack? Oneof the things. When my kids were
young, my wife said to me, shesays, Ralph, we're going to invest
in durable backpacks. And Iwas kind of sticker shocked when
I saw it. But she was so rightabout that because that backpack
(05:35):
lasted them year after yearafter year. I think they grew tired
of it before it actually woreout. So take a look. What backpacks
do you have? Shoes. I rememberwhen as a kid, man, I would outgrow
shoes. It was always, oh, wegot to get a couple pairs of shoes
for school. Extra pens. Here'sthe thing, do an inventory. Don't
buy what you don't need. Yourkids are going to be pressuring you,
oh, I need the newest stuff. Ineed the latest stuff. We're gonna
(05:57):
talk about some of that stufftomorrow. But start by taking that
image. So get that supply listand take that inventory. And as we're
talking about this budget,start to estimate your cost of this
thing. You can look at flyers,go on Amazon, go on different websites
and figure out some realisticnumbers for first thing, supplies.
What are we going to spend insupplies? You know, paper, pens,
(06:17):
pencils, whatever the coolkids are using. Now put down a budget
number for clothes and shoes.You don't have to buy it all at once.
Remember, we're going to begoing into at least in the, on the
east coast where I am, we'regoing to have a warm season before
the fall hits. So there'sgoing to be a different time for
different clothing. So schoolshoes and clothes. Let's talk about
those tech things. Maybethere's some tech things you need.
(06:39):
Maybe you can find thosebefore you. Maybe you've already
got them. Start thinking aboutthe school fees. You're going to
have to play. A lot of peoplehave to pay school fees. Maybe there's
some extracurricular activityfees. Maybe the kids are going to
play school sports and theygot to go get a physical. Well, you
need a budget for that. Andthen I'm going to encourage you to
have an other bucket. Youknow, just those things that don't
quite fit into that. So wetalked about, first thing, find that
(07:01):
list that you need. Secondthing, take that inventory. And third
thing, estimate those costs.Now it's time to allocate that money.
Decide how much goes into eachcategory. Now, here's the key. It's
going to be a hard thing todo, but this is very important for
you. Start with the needsfirst. These are the things that
my kids absolutely need. Theseare the absolute essentials. And
(07:25):
then put the ones down laterin the list, the next step. And this
is where the hard part comesin. You got to stick to the plan.
It's so easy to get into thatimpulse buying, so easy to do that
when something's not in thebudget. I can, I can still picture
my sister and I at the storewith my mama a couple days before
school starts, and we'rewalking through the store and we're
(07:46):
grabbing stuff off the racksand my mom's saying, listen, that
kids, that's not in thebudget. That's. That's on the list.
Oh, come on, mom. Oh, come on,Mom. And she would say, listen, kids,
not right now, but you got tohave some backbone to that. So save
right now and mean it, becausethat's going to be important. Now
I want to encourage youbecause I'm going to tell you why
(08:07):
this works. And this helps youbecause it reduces that stress. If
you've got a plan, you've got,you're already got your ideas of
what you need. You've gotthat, that crystal clear list. You
know what's in already in yourinventory. It's going to reduce that
stress. It's going to killthat guilt because you've already
made a commitment. Hey, I'mgoing to stick to my guns this year.
Here's the budget. Here's whatI agreed to spend and it brings clarity,
(08:28):
control and most of all, andthis is the most important part,
it honors God and it blessesyour kids in the process. So, hey,
I really hope today's show hasreally encouraged you and I want
to ask you to do just onething for me. I want to encourage
you to share this episode withsomeone else, you know, who's maybe
facing those same back toschool money pressures. Maybe it's
(08:50):
a friend, maybe it's a coworker. Hey, maybe it's just a parent
from your school or yourchurch group and you're thinking,
Ralph, man, they don't needmore stress. I certainly don't need
it. But they need to hope andthey need to have a plan. So send
them this episode so that theycan encourage them and they can be
encouraged together. That'swhat we do here on Financially Confident
Christians. We look out forone another. So just send them a
(09:12):
text, send them an email ortalk to them directly and say, hey,
check out this website,financiallyconfidentchristian.com and
let them know, hey, Ralph'sdoing a special series on how not
to lose all your money on Backto school. It's a funny way to frame
it, but say that to them.Probably get their attention. So
here's your next step. Getthose lists, check what you've got,
(09:32):
and build that simple plan.And again, if you need more support,
I've wrote a blog post abouttoday's show. You can get that@financiallyconfidentchristian.com
now tomorrow we're going totake the next step. We're going to
tackle smart shoppingstrategies where going to tackle
that beast of needs versusextras. And it's going to be a great
show. So until then, I want toencourage you right now, keep the
(09:54):
faith, stick to the plan andbe confident because God's got you.
God bless you and I'll see you tomorrow.
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