Hey Reader,

My husband has been at the Church Conference in Dallas, Texas this week and within 12 hours of landing he had already found his way to the shops and bought himself a cowboy hat.

And here's the thing, I haven't even asked him how much it was. Because I don't need to know.

Now, if you'd told me a few years ago that my husband would be in Dallas buying cowboy hats and I wouldn't need to know the price, I wouldn't have believed you. Because for years, trips like this meant one thing: everything went on the credit card and we'd spend the next three months quietly wincing every time the statement arrived.

But here's what you need to understand — we live in rural Kenya, where the nearest shopping mall is four hours away and Amazon is not an option. So when my husband lands in the USA, surrounded by malls he's been dreaming about all year, he is going to shop. He's going to buy things for himself and treats for me and our daughter.

So a few years ago we made a decision, instead of letting trips like this sink our finances, we started a sinking fund. We save a little every single month throughout the year, so that when the Church Conference comes around the money is already there waiting. No credit card and no post-trip guilt. No three months of quietly paying it off. Just a husband in a cowboy hat somewhere in Dallas, and a wife back in Kenya who is genuinely, deeply thankful that not a single penny of this is going on a credit card.

A sinking fund is simply money you save in advance for something you know is coming so that when it arrives, it doesn't sink your finances. We have sinking funds for the Church Conference, Christmas, vacations, the dentist (that one is very much for me!), insurance and a few more besides. And it has been one of the biggest game changers for our finances and for the peace in our marriage. I genuinely wish we'd known about them sooner.

And I love how the Bible speaks to this:

"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

The ant doesn't wait until winter to start preparing. She saves in summer because she knows winter is coming. That's exactly what a sinking fund is: preparing in the good months for the expensive ones. Wise, simple and completely biblical.

This week's tip: Start one sinking fund.

Just one. Think of something you know is coming: Christmas, a trip, a car service, a birthday and set aside a small amount every month between now and then. You'll be amazed at how much less stressful that expense feels when the money is already waiting for it. That's the woman you get to be, not the one dreading the credit card statement, but the one who already planned for this and can simply enjoy it.

He's on his way home now, with a cowboy hat and some edible treats too. I'm not sure what else he's bringing, but I know one thing for certain. It's not going on the credit card, and for that I am truly thankful.

If money has been on your mind this week, hit reply and tell me what's going on. I read every single one.

Love,

P.S. If you're ready to create a plan for your money, reply with the word PLAN and let's start a conversation.