Hey, when you feel like you need something maybe close for an event, a

specific food ingredient, a book is your first instinct to run out and buy it.

What if the perfect solution is already hiding in your home today?

Let's talk about shopping your closet and your pantry first.

Hey there and welcome back to Your Daily Ask Ralph.

I'm Ralph thank you so much for joining me.

As we head into the weekend, we're continuing our series, the Joy of Living

Below Your Means, on our daily pursuit of breaking that cycle of financial

shame and doing it with confidence.

Now, yesterday we found ways to have fun for free.

I thought that was a great show and today we're finding other free resources, but

these are the ones that you already own.

Let's think about how we react when a need or a want pops up.

Maybe you need an outfit for a party this weekend.

Somebody's got a big party going on, or you feel like you have nothing to wear.

Your first thought might be, well, I'm gonna hit the stores,

or I'm gonna browse online.

Or maybe you're in the middle of cooking and you run outta specific

spice mid recipe, and maybe your first instinct is to drop everything and

then run right to the grocery store.

Or maybe you're like me and you see a cool new gadget and you instantly

think about, I gotta have that.

And you instantly think about going and buying it.

And it's often our default setting that need and want equals buy it.

And we sometimes forget to check what we already have.

Sometimes we have something perfectly suitable right there in our homes already.

Or maybe we can create a creative alternative right under our roof.

That habit of immediately buying new without fully utilizing the

resources we already possess, lead into unnecessary spending and unnecessary

clutter, and a lot of times waste.

Well, that's the single issue we're gonna be exploring today.

Here's the thing, you gotta understand, good stewardship

isn't just about managing money.

That's part of it, but it's about managing all the resources that

God has already given to us.

He's already entrusted us with these.

Our possessions, our food, and our skills.

And often we have so much more than we realize.

We, we just take it for granted Constantly buying new.

When we have those unused items, collecting dust or, or food, it's

already expiring in the pantry or in our refrigerator, just isn't wise

and it certainly doesn't align with contentment, developing resourcefulness

and creativity in using what we have.

That's the kind of thing that honors God's past provision and it really

helps us appreciate his abundance that he's given us right now.

So you might be saying, Ralph, what, what can we do?

How do we, how do we break that cycle of that need equals buy?

And how do we become better stewards of what we already own?

Well, I've got a solution today.

As you probably expected, the single powerful solution is to

develop the habit of intentionally shopping your house first.

Yeah, that's right.

We're gonna shop our house first.

So before making a purchase, we're gonna do that first.

We're gonna shop our house, and this means consciously pausing

when a need or a want arises and asking ourselves a few questions.

Do I already own something that will work?

I'm gonna check my closets.

I'm gonna check the drawers.

I'm gonna look out in that garage, or go to the storage container.

Or go to the storage unit and then ask yourself this.

Can I creatively use what I have on hand?

You know, if you're thinking about going out this weekend and

you need some clothes, maybe you can combine some existing clothes

differently and accentuate things.

Now, that's not my area of expertise, but you gotta think about that.

Or maybe, like I said, you're cooking and maybe you can substitute

an ingredient in that recipe.

Or big picture thing, you might repair something instead of replacing it.

And for that food we talked about food waste.

you know, ask yourself, what do I already have in the pantry or in the freezer?

That just needs to be used up.

And you can plan your meals around.

And I talked about that a couple days ago.

And see, making this pause and a check, a regular habit, it saves money, it

reduces clutter, and it sparks creativity.

And guess what?

It's gonna minimize waste.

So my big takeaway solution today is mindful resourcefulness.

Shop your house first.

So, okay, here's your action step for today or, or maybe

to implement this weekend.

I just want you to choose one area to practice this perhaps for you.

Maybe you consider it the closet challenge, so the next time you think

you need new clothes or maybe some accessories, and like I said, maybe

it's for this weekend, do me a favor and spend 20 to 30 minutes consciously

shopping your own closet first.

Pull things out, try new combinations.

Go into the back of that closet and see what you can find and,

and really create that look you need without buying anything new.

Alright, so that's the challenge for the closet.

How about the pantry challenge?

So before you do your next grocery shop this weekend, why don't you intentionally

plan one or two meals completely around the ingredients that you already have?

Especially those items that are hiding in the back or near

and there expiration date.

This is a time to get really creative and let's just plan

on starting a general habit.

I want you to make a commitment today.

I. The next time you think you need to buy, let's say X, where X is this

non-consumable item, like a tool or a book or a kitchen gadget, or for me,

one of those cool tech gadgets, you're gonna commit to first spending five or 10

minutes to thoroughly check if you already own it or, or maybe you have something

else that could do the job just as well.

And then only add it to that buy list if you confirm you truly don't

have a solution right there at home.

Now, you might be saying, Ralph, that sounds great, but why bother

practicing shopping our house first?

Well, here's why.

Because it directly attacks that issue of unnecessary spending.

And a lot of times we spend unnecessarily because we're

overlooking what we already have.

We're overlooking our existing resources.

Another thing it does, it's gonna save you money and it's

gonna save you money instantly.

It's gonna reduce clutter.

It's gonna reduce waste, and it's gonna really foster creativity.

And here's the big takeaway, and it's gonna help cultivate

contentment and gratitude for what God has already provided us.

Well, let's pray together.

Father God, thank you for your generous provision.

Often more abundant than we can even realize.

Lord forgive us for the times.

We overlook the blessings already in our hands, and we

rush to acquire more and more.

Lord, help my friend listening today to cultivate a mindset of

resourcefulness and contentment.

Lord, give them the creativity as they shop their house first.

Help them to see and utilize the good things you've already provided them.

Reducing waste and and reducing that unnecessary spending.

And Lord, may this practice deepen their gratitude and deepen their trust in you.

And I ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Alright, well I want you to challenge yourself today, or maybe

this weekend to start doing that.

Shop your house first.

You might be surprised by the treasures you uncover and the money you save.

So this is a time to be resourceful.

Alright, so we've looked at using that visible resources.

We have those things that are hiding around the house.

What about the invisible ones?

Be sure to join me back here tomorrow on Ask Ralph where

I'm gonna ask this question.

I. Can you intentionally lower one utility bill this month?

I've got some great answers on tomorrow's show, and hey, if this episode sparked

an idea for using what you have, do me a favor and share it with somebody.

Other people can benefit from what we talk about here every day on the show.

You can find resources and links in the show notes@askralph.com,

so until tomorrow.

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without and keep seeking him first

and let's keep moving towards becoming a financially confident Christian.

So I encourage you every day to stay financially savvy and God bless you.

You have a great day today.