Hey, do you mean to save money each month?

But somehow it just doesn't happen.

Life gets busy, temptations pop up and savings gets pushed aside.

I. What if he could make saving happen automatically

without even thinking about it?

Let's talk automation.

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

I'm Ralph, so glad you're starting your week with me as we continue our series,

the Joy of Living Below Your Means.

We're still working to break that cycle of financial shame with confidence.

After our weekend recap, we're back to daily actions.

We've talked about starting an emergency fund today.

Let's make saving even easier.

Let's talk about the intention versus the reality of saving money.

Maybe you plan to save a certain amount each month, perhaps for that emergency

fund we discussed, or you've got another goal in mind, but then payday comes

and bills get paid, and you have some everyday expenses, maybe even a few wants

to creep in, and by the end of the pay period or month, you've realized, Hey,

I forgot to transfer money to savings.

Or maybe there's just nothing left to save.

You might feel frustrated with yourself by lacking discipline or lacking consistency.

Even though your intentions were good, well, that gap between wanting

to save and actually doing it consistently, often because we rely on

memory or willpower, which fails us.

That's the single difficulty that we're addressing today.

Here's the thing, relying solely on willpower or remembering to

save money manually is tough.

In our busy lives, there will always be competing demands for

our money and for our attention.

The principle of paying yourself first, setting aside savings before

you spend the rest, lemme just tell you that's the key to building wealth

and the key to building security.

Automating this process aligns perfectly with wise planning and discipline.

It takes the daily decision making and that potential for forgetfulness

completely out of the equation, making, saving a consistent background

habit rather than an effortful task.

See now you'd be saying, Ralph, how can we, what?

What can we do?

How can we bridge that gap between intending to save and

actually saving consistently?

How do we make saving, as you mentioned, effortless?

Well, you know, I've got an answer, and the single incredibly powerful solution

is to set up an automatic recurring transfer from your checking account

directly to your savings account.

Listen, even if it's just a small amount.

Automating it works wonders.

Now you're probably saying, Ralph, how does this benefit me?

Well, I'm glad you asked that question 'cause I've got an answer.

It's consistent.

See, that transfer happens every single time on schedule,

whether you remember or not.

It's effortless.

Well, at least after you've set it up.

Once you've set it up, it requires no ongoing effort or willpower.

It prioritizes savings.

You truly pay yourself first before the money gets spent anywhere else.

It adds up.

Even small amounts, like $10, $25, $50 per paycheck accumulates

significantly over time.

Thanks to that consistency, listen, I look back at my own account.

I started taking a hundred dollars from my biweekly pay a few years

back, and the other day I logged into my other account and wow, I

had over $16,000 in that account.

Yes, it works.

And finally it builds the habit.

It trains you to live on slightly less.

As the savings are removed automatically the solution, it's effortless consistency.

Automate your savings.

Alright, well let's put this magic to work.

Here's your one action step for today.

First thing you need to do is decide on the details.

Start by asking yourself how much?

Choose a small realistic amount that you can comfortably

transfer automatically right now.

Maybe that's $10 per paycheck, or maybe that's $25 a month.

Or $50 a month.

You can start small if you need to because you can always increase it later.

Then ask yourself, how often are you gonna do that on payday?

Are you gonna do it on the first of the month?

Maybe weekly, but pick a frequency and then ask yourself where, which

savings account will you go to?

Maybe it's gonna go to your baby emergency fund until it's funded, or

you have another savings goal account.

Second thing I'm gonna encourage you to do is log into your bank, go to your

bank's website or mobile app, and do it today right after you're done listening.

Number three, set up that transfer.

Find that section for transfers.

Now, usually it's called something like recurring transfers or automatic savings

or something similar to that, and set up that transfer from your checking to

that chosen savings account with the amount and frequency that you decided.

And number four.

You wanna confirm that it's active, double check that the transfer

is scheduled and ready to go.

And here's a bonus tip you can see if your employer allows for split direct deposits

and have it done that way, it really works and it's outta sight outta mind.

Now you might be saying, Ralph, why do I need to bother automating this?

Because it directly fights that inconsistency of savings caused by

forgetting or spending the money first.

It also removes that willpower from the equation and guarantees that savings

happens consistently and it makes building your emergency fund or that savings

goal practically effortless over time.

Well, let's pray.

Father, God, thank you for the tools and the technology that

can help us be better stewards.

Lord, help my friend listening today as they set up an automatic savings transfer.

Lord, grant them wisdom in choosing the amount and the frequency.

May this act of automated discipline help them consistently build their savings for

emergencies and for those future goals.

Lord, help them trust you with this process and resist that temptation to

interfere with the plan unnecessarily.

Lord, we just thank you for the power of consistent habits.

We ask this in Jesus name.

Amen.

Alright, we'll take those few minutes today and set up that automatic transfer.

Listen, even $10 a paycheck.

Adds up to $260 a year if you're paid biweekly automatically.

It's one of the simplest yet most powerful things that you

can do for your financial future.

Well, okay, we've put savings on autopilot.

Now let's look at potentially reducing some major fixed expenses to free up

more money to save or to use elsewhere.

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

We're gonna ask this question.

Could you be overpaying for insurance?

I've got some answers on tomorrow's show, and if automated savings sounds

like a great idea, I wanna encourage you share this episode with someone else.

You can find resources and links in our new website at

Financially Confident Christian.

So until tomorrow, automate your progress and keep seeking him.

First, ' let's keep pressing to become financially confident

Christians stay financially savvy.

God bless you and have a great day today.