Question: I’m having a hard time finding a full-time job to support my family. So I’m working part time in sales and anything else I can find. As a result my income fluctuates from month to month. In fact, some months I receive practically no income at all. Can a budget help me? Response: Everyone needs a budget which is simply a tool to help you learn to live on less that you make. Families with variable incomes need budgets just as much if not more than families on fixed salaries. Many families with low variable incomes often get trapped into debt because they borrow (credit card) during the lean months and spend what they make during higher income months rather than repay what they borrowed. I might add that families with higher variable incomes (construction and seasonal workers, etc.) often suffer in the same way. To properly budget a variable income, you must determine what your average annual income is, divide that by twelve, and then develop your budget around that amount. You should put all your income into a savings account and draw your average monthly salary from that, thus averaging out the months of high and low income. I would also point you back to the principle found in Proverbs 27:12: “The prudent see danger and take refuge but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”