Budgeting on irregular income fails when people spend a big month as if every month will be big, then panic in a lean month.

The fix is to separate earning from spending: all income lands in a holding account, and you pay yourself the same monthly salary from it.

Start by calculating your bare-bones monthly number: housing, food, utilities, transport, insurance and minimum debt payments.

Build a buffer of one to three months of that number, then use a priority list so lean months cover essentials first and good months refill the buffer.