Episode 3: Creating a Budget and Cash Reserves
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Episode 3: Creating a Budget and Cash Reserves

If more money is going out than coming in, it's time to take a good look at your spending. In this episode of the Faithful Finance podcast, Emily Stroud and her dear friend Alison Gengelbach tackle one of the most foundational and misunderstood tools in personal finance: the budget.

Emily reframes budgeting not as punishment or restriction, but as clarity and freedom. Grounded in Proverbs 21:5, she explains why planning isn’t just practical, it’s biblical. Together, Emily and Alison normalize the discomfort people feel around money conversations and replace shame with honesty, grace, and actionable steps forward.

You’ll hear a step-by-step breakdown of how to build a realistic budget that reflects real life, from housing and groceries to pets, vacations, Christmas, hobbies, and even Botox. Emily shares why every dollar needs an assignment, how discretionary spending can actually reduce conflict in marriage, and why couples must build a budget together to improve communication and unity.

The conversation gets especially practical as Emily explains how to calculate a proper cash reserve, why three months of living expenses (not income) is the goal, and how automating savings and tithing “off the top” changes everything. Emily also walks through what to do when the math doesn’t work, when spending exceeds income, and outlines the hard but hopeful path forward: spending less, earning more, or a combination of both.

From negotiating utility bills and grocery audits to side hustles, leftovers, and family dinners around the table, this episode is packed with real-life examples that make budgeting feel doable, not daunting.

This episode is a powerful reminder that financial peace doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through awareness, discipline, faith, and a plan—so you can move from anxiety and overwhelm to confidence, margin, and peace.

What You’ll Learn:
➡️ Why a budget is a roadmap—not a restriction
➡️ The biblical foundation for planning and diligence
➡️ How to start a budget when you don’t know where your money is going
➡️ Why couples should create a budget together to reduce conflict
➡️ How to calculate a proper cash reserve (and why it’s based on expenses, not income)
➡️ Why you should “pay yourself first” and automate savings
➡️ How tithing fits into a faithful financial plan
➡️ Common budget blind spots like dining out, credit cards, holidays, and vacations
➡️ What to do when you’re spending more than you make
➡️ Practical ways to cut expenses without lowering your quality of life
➡️ How boundaries around money improve marriages and family peace

Resources:
Download Emily’s free budget worksheet and other practical tools at:
https://faithfulfinance.com/resources

Buy Emily’s Book:

Support the Show:
✅ Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode
✍️ Leave a review and share your biggest takeaway
📲 Share this episode with someone who feels overwhelmed by money

Connect With Emily:

Connect With Alison:

Credits:
A Faithful Finance production.
Executive Producer: Emily Stroud
Produced by Greatlight Creative: https://www.greatlightcreative.com

Emily G. Stroud, MBA, CFA is a Registered Representative.
Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC to residents of: TX, UT, WV, NY, OK, PA, SC, TN, AR, AZ, GA, ID, IL, KY, MT, and NC. Investment Advisor Representative Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge and Stroud Financial Management, Inc. are not affiliated. Cambridge and Emily G. Stroud, LLC are also not affiliated.
Check the background of this financial professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck: BrokerCheck.FINRA.org | www.FINRA.org | www.SIPC.org | Form CRS