2. A variable income sometimes means that we don't get an insurance plan for any of the companies we work for, or, if you do, they're pretty sketchy and we end up paying most of the cost to doctor ourselves regardless.
3. A variable income puts lots of stress on the provider, because we have to move from job to job, juggle paychecks, deal with the stress of never knowing if we're going to be let go, and so forth.
Believe it or not, we're going to try to see if there are any advantages to having a variable income. We're not going to be naive and say that the advantages are such that if a steady job came along tomorrow we wouldn't grab it. But it helps to see what advantages we do have in the meanwhile, so that we can get the most out of our variable income experience.
1. For starters, some people out there like the flexibility, diversity, and non-monotony of a variable income lifestyle. They don't feel the same soul-sucking, grey, why was I born, this is worse than being a chimpanzee depression that some of their more stable colleagues do.
2. This may seem like a stretch, but a variable income can be a very positive motivator for taking night school, learning an extra skill, pursuing something that you're actually interested in, be it mechanics, art, engineering, dentistry, and so forth. You can think of your variable income experience as a stepping stone that most people never get to try.
3. Finally, a variable income sometimes (sometimes) leads to opportunities that you wouldn't have found on a more typical, consistent job. This means what we've got to keep our eyes open, our ears sharp, and that we've got work hard in order to impress any higher ups that might be watching.
Let's look at some other ways of making a variable income work for us. We may not have time for night school, the wolves are at the door, I just need to pay my rent, etc.
1. First, you should really consider making a budget. If you don't already have one, a budget is a little schedule you work out in which you try to discover down to the last detail what you pay on essentials and non-essentials each month. Essentials, of course, include things like rent, hospital visits, groceries, and so forth, while so-called non essentials have to do with things such as movies and eating out. Non-essentials are obviously very important in maintaining a good attitude, but usually if something needs to be cut, they're the first to go.
2. Once you've made your budget-you've whittled things down so that they fit into the parameters of your variable income-there's a good chance that you'll have some money left over. Even if we're dealing with a variable income, it's a good idea to start a savings account, look at investments, and so forth. Starting slow is better than not starting at all, and oftentimes starting slow means making less mistakes.
3. You've probably already thought of this, but anytime a person is trying to make an income work they want to look at the obvious things such as: Am I buying brand-name cold cereals and soft drinks when I could be saving four or five dollars a pop by switching to a generic brand which is actually pretty identical what I'm enjoying now? These questions will undoubtedly lead to a better experience with making a variable income work.