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Hey, did you ever look at that
utility bill or maybe that water

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bill and just sigh, feeling like it's
just totally out of your control?

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What if I told you that focusing
on just one utility and making

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a couple of tiny changes could
actually make a huge difference?

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Let's explore that today.

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

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I'm so glad to be here with you on this
Saturday as we continue our practical

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journey in the joy of living below
your means, and we're still working

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to break that cycle of financial
shame and do it with confidence.

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Now, yesterday we talked all about
shopping our own houses first, and today

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we're gonna be talking about stewarding
resources like electricity and water.

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Let's talk about those utility
bills, the electricity bill, the.

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The water bill maybe for you natural
gas or heating, if you're like

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me, they sometimes feel like those
fixed expenses you just have to pay

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them no matter how high they get.

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And maybe you're starting to feel
powerless against those rising

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rates or those seasonal spikes, like
those air conditioning costs in the

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summer, or heating in the winter.

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You might be thinking that trying
to reduce consumption is way too

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complicated and it's gonna require
these expensive upgrades, or that that

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small changes won't make a dent anyway.

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And that feeling of helplessness regarding
utility costs, that passive acceptance

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of high bills without trying to actively
manage consumption well, that's the single

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challenge we're focusing in on today.

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Because it can feel like the money
just evaporating into thin air.

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But here's the thing, while we
don't always control the rates for

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utilities, we often have more control
over our consumption than we realize.

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Listen, I can still remember my mom
telling my sister and I turn off those

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lights and see God called humanity
to be stewards of his creation.

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That's right from Genesis chapter
one, verse 20, I'm encourage

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you to go read that today.

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And those include resources
like energy and water.

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And using them wisely and avoiding
waste isn't just good for our wallets.

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Yes, it's good for that, but it's
also good stewardship and small,

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consistent changes on our daily habits
do add up over time on these bills.

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Just like with coffee or lunch money.

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And I've done a couple shows on that.

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We just need to be intentional.

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So now you're saying, okay,
Ralph, you got me hooked.

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What can we do?

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how can we move from feeling
powerless to taking active steps

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in managing our utility costs?

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How can we be better
stewards of these resources?

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Well, you know, I've got an answer for
you, and the single manageable solution

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is, Just pick one utility bill and then
intentionally implement maybe two or three

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action items to lower your consumption
in that area for the next month.

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Instead of trying to overhaul everything
at once, which can seem overwhelming,

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can seem like you're not gonna get
anywhere, I just want you to focus

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your efforts and target one utility.

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Maybe you choose electricity, maybe for
you, you choose that water bill, or maybe

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it's that gas heating and cooling bill.

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Whichever you think has the most
potential for savings or maybe for

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you feels the easiest to tackle first.

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And then, okay, you might be
saying, Ralph, how do I do that?

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Well, I want you to identify some simple
actions, you know, brainstorm some easy

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habit changes for that specific utility.

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And I'm gonna talk about
those in a few minutes.

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I. And then I just want
you to focus for a month.

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I want you to commit to consistently
practicing these few actions for just 30

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days, and then you can see what happens
and you're gonna see a dramatic change and

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see, here's the benefit of this approach.

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This approach makes it feel
achievable and helps build awareness

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around specific consumption habits.

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And so what's the solution?

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The solution's pretty simple.

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It's targeted action, and that's
focus on lowering just one utility.

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Okay, here's your action step for today.

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Let's make a plan to
lower one bill this month.

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So first I want you to do, like I
talked about, choose that target, pick

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one utility bill, and I want you to
focus on lowering at the next 30 days.

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So like for example, maybe you
pick your electricity bill.

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I'm gonna focus on reducing
that electricity bill.

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I. Next thing you're gonna do is you're
gonna come up with two or three action

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items that will help you reduce that bill.

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You could think of simple, free
actions that you can start taking

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today for that specific utility.

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For example, like we talked about
electricity, like my mom said, turn off

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those lights when you're leaving the room.

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Maybe you unplug those phone chargers
or appliances when not in use.

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And I found a term I never
heard of this before.

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It's called phantom power.

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You can turn those things off
and maybe save some money.

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Maybe you can adjust thermostat by
a degree or two, or use fans more.

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Use your AC less.

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And here's a great idea, you could
hang clothes to dry outside instead

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of using the dryer sometimes.

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Now maybe for you, you pick  water bill.

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So maybe what you could do is take some
shorter showers, use a, use a timer.

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Yes, you could use a
timer for your shower.

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Turn off the tap when brushing your
teeth and I'm guilty of this myself.

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I don't know how many times I've
just left that water running.

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And if you're doing washing
clothes only run when there's

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full loads in the washing machine.

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And again, here's another water saver.

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You know, water your lawn less
frequently or do it more efficiently

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maybe in the evening hours.

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Now maybe your idea is to
tackle that gas or heating bill.

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One of the biggest things you
can do is adjust that thermostat.

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You might find that you can live
with it being just a couple degrees.

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Higher or lower might
save you a lot of money.

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You can start wearing layers
instead of cranking up the heat.

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Now, I'm not expecting you to go
around your house with a big heavy

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parka on in the middle of the winter.

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But you can make little adjustments.

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Hey, here's a great idea.

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You can check for drafts around
your windows, your doors.

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I doesn't look big, but the stuff
is just coming in and going out.

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You're losing heat and just write
down two or three action items.

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That you're gonna commit to.

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Alright, so that was the first step.

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The second step, and here's
where the commitment comes in.

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I want you to commit to that for 30 days.

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I want you to intentionally
practice these specific actions

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every day for the next month.

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Hey, listen.

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And if you're a family, you gotta
get your family involved 'cause

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everybody's gotta pitch in.

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And here's an optional a bonus tip.

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That's one of the things I'm
gonna encourage you to do.

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Find your last bill for that utility
so you can see where your starting

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point is, and then you can start to
compare, Hey, are we getting anywhere?

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Now you might be saying, Ralph, okay, I
get it, but why this focused approach?

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I'm gonna tell you why.

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Because it directly combats that
feeling of being overwhelmed and it

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powerless about those utility costs.

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It makes the goal manageable and specific.

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You're picking just one and you've
got some action items for it.

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Another great thing about this,
it builds awareness of how daily

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habits impact your consumption.

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Empowering you to take control
and save money month after month.

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And here's another big takeaway.

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It helps you practice good stewardship
and better use of your resources.

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Hey, let's pray together.

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Father God, thank you for the resources
like electricity and water and all the

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other, the creature comforts that you give
us that make our lives so much easier.

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Lord, forgive us for the
times that we take them for

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granted or use them wastefully.

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Lord, as my friend listening chooses
one utility to focus on this month.

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Lord, grant them the awareness of
their habits and the discipline

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to consistently implement those
small changes we talked about.

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Help their household work together
in this effort as a team effort.

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And may this act of intentional
stewardship, not only save them

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money, but Lord, help them to
cultivate a deeper respect for

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your creation and your provision.

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And we thank you for your
guidance in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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Alright, well pick that utility.

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Choose your actions and get started
today because here's the truth.

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Small, consistent steps can make a real
big difference on those bills, and you're

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becoming a wiser steward as you go.

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And be sure to join me here next
time for our weekly recap and

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question and answer session.

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We're gonna take a deeper dive into
packing lunches and cutting subscriptions.

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We're gonna talk again
about that 24 hour rule.

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We're gonna talk about some of those
free fun things, shop in your house.

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And last but not least, like we talked
about today, lowering those utility bills.

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Plus I'm gonna answer some great
listener questions related to these

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topics that came in this week.

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it's gonna be a little longer and
more in depth, so grab a cup of coffee

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or maybe one that you brew at home,
of course, and join me tomorrow.

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And if this episode gave you a
practical way to save on utilities,

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do me a favor and share it with
somebody who could benefit from it.

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

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So until our recap episode tomorrow,
I'm gonna encourage you to conserve

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wisely and keep seeking him first.

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And let's keep working to be
financially confident Christian.

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So stay financially savvy.

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God bless you and have a great day today.