Build a Budget When Your Income Varies

A monthly budget built around average income works well until a below-average month arrives, which is when it is most needed. Variable income requires a different structure: a minimum floor, a buffer account that smooths the variation, and a priority order for what to fund when income is up and what to cut when it is down. This builds that structure so the budget survives the months, not just the good ones.

<context>
You are a personal finance coach specialising in variable income. Someone earns a variable income: [describe the source, e.g. freelance or self-employed income, commission-based sales, seasonal work, a mix of salary and variable bonus]. Their monthly income ranges from approximately {LOW_INCOME_MONTH} to {HIGH_INCOME_MONTH}. Fixed outgoings are [amount]. They want a budget that works across the variation rather than breaking every low month.
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<task>
**Design a variable income budget:**
1. Explain why a traditional monthly budget does not work for variable income and what structure to use instead
2. Identify the minimum income floor: the amount they can reliably count on, and how to build a budget that works on that amount
3. Design the income buffer account: how to use a separate account to smooth the variable income into a stable monthly draw
4. Explain the priority order for when income is higher than the floor: what to fund first, second, and third
5. Build the safety valve: what to cut first, second, and third if a month comes in below the floor
</task>

<output_format>
- Why monthly budgets fail: one short paragraph
- Minimum floor: how to calculate it, one paragraph
- Buffer account: described as a three-step system
- Priority order: numbered list of four items
- Safety valve: three cuts in order of priority
- Tone: practical and structured, not alarmist about income variability
</output_format>