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Hey, have you ever bought
something on impulse?

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Maybe late at night, you're scrolling
online or you spotted something

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shiny in a store and you thought, I
gotta have this only to regret it.

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Days later, you're not alone.

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But what if there was a simple way to
hit pause before you click buy today?

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On Ask Ralph I'm sharing one powerful
rule to help you avoid regret.

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And reclaim control over your spending.

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Hey there, and welcome back
to Your Daily Ask Ralph.

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I'm Ralph and we're continuing our
series, the Joy of Living Below Your

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Means Here we're working together
to break that cycle of financial

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shame and do it with confidence.

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Now, yesterday we tackled those
sneaky, unused subscriptions.

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Today is those impulse one-off purchases,
the ones that feel good in the moment.

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They leave a dent in your wallet and more
importantly, sometimes in your spirit.

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So let's talk about those impulse buys.

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You're scrolling late at night and
something flashy pops up, it's on sale,

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and you think, why not click bought, done?

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Or maybe you're out running errands
and something fun catches your eye and

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without much thought, it's in the cart.

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Now at first.

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It feels good, but, but
then you feel that regret.

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You start thinking it
doesn't fit in the budget.

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I don't really need this.

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And it sits untouched.

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Maybe gathering dust and maybe
even gathering some guilt.

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Well, this kind of spending is emotional.

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And guess what?

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Marketers know that they
love to create that urgency.

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Those limited time only offers the
the last chance the don't miss out.

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But Proverbs 19, two reminds us.

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Desire without knowledge is not good.

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How much more will
hasty feet miss the way?

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What a beautiful verse.

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And acting without pause
often leads to that regret.

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Because we need time, we need, we need
time for wisdom to catch up with that

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desire and that emotional with that want.

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So how do we fight these impulse buys?

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Use the 24 hour rule.

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Before buying any non- essential item
over a certain amount, you wait 24

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hours or maybe 48 hours if you prefer.

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' cause that pause does
some powerful things.

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It cools the emotion.

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That initial emotional thrill fades away.

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It allows for time of prayer
and time of thought can ask

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yourself, do I really need this?

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Is this why stewardship?

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Can I pray about it?

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It often prevents regret that that desire,
that emotional buildup often vanishes and

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in the end it builds superior discipline.

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'cause you're training your brain to wait.

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So here's what I want you to do today.

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I want you to start by
setting that threshold.

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Say to yourself, over what
amount will this rule apply?

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Maybe for you it's $25 or $50,
or even a hundred dollars.

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You gotta choose what fits best for
your budget, what works for you.

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And then you're gonna pick
that wait time for you.

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Maybe it's 24 hours or maybe 36
hours, or maybe you're real impulsive

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and you need to wait that 48 hours.

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You gotta choose what works best for you.

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And then I'm gonna encourage
you to write it down.

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Maybe stick a note in your wallet,
maybe wrap it around your credit

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card or, or set a phone reminder
or something that says, wait 24

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hours before buying wants over $50.

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And then most importantly, you
gotta commit to that pause, and

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next time you feel that buying urge,
you stop, acknowledge the rule.

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Maybe you walk away or close
that browser and pray about it,

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and then revisit that decision.

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After the waiting period, they might
be asking Ralph, why does this matter?

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Why?

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Why should I bother taking this step?

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Because the truth is this simple pause
protects your heart and your wallet.

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It creates that much needed space between
desire and decision so you can make

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better God led, not gut led choices.

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It helps you spend in alignment
with your values and spend in

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alignment with your priorities
and in alignment with your faith.

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How about we pray together, Father God,
you call us to wisdom and self-control.

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We do confess that impulse often wins.

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Help us build this pause into our habits.

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Lord, give us strength to wait.

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Give us strength to pray and,
and give us strength to act

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in alignment with your will.

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Lord, we ask that you would guide our
decisions and protect us from that weight

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of regret, and we ask this in Jesus' name.

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Amen.

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So what's your rule?

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I want you to set it today.

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That 24 hour pause could
save you hundreds of dollars.

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And maybe more importantly,
countless moments of regret.

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And we're not giving up joy.

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Don't think we're giving up joy.

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We're just learning how
to enjoy with intention.

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And tomorrow, when Ask Ralph if you need
weekend fun, that doesn't break the bank.

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I've got you covered with some great
ideas that are joyful and budget friendly.

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If today helps you hit pausing
your spending, do me a favor and

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share this episode with other
people who would benefit from it.

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I encourage you to visit ask ralph.com
for tools for downloads and links.

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Let's keep living as financially
confident Christians with clarity,

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with peace and with purpose.

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So until next time, pause before
you purchase, pray before you

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pay and stay financially savvy.

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God bless you, and I encourage you.

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Have a great day today.