What I didn’t need was separate bank accounts to put money away for infrequest expenses. “Savings goals” work well to “pay” every month for income taxes, real estate taxes, insurance premiums, etc.: those big expenses that are not normally a part of your regular spending routine, but will hurt you if you’re not prepared to pay them when they become due.

Mary Beth: It’s hard but, yes, track every single expense. I have to force myself because it’s so tedious.

Jeff K: Ah, very clever. If you have a foolproof way to keep business and personal finances separate without two bank accounts, excellent.

Carla: Thanks for the extra tips.

Everyone: Thanks for the comments. It’s nice to see what works for other freelancers.

* Be consistent about saving. Ideally you should be saving at least 10% of your net a month. But if you can’t do that right away, start with baby steps and work up from there. Start with 1%, and then go to 2%, etc.

* Keep all receipts and track your expenses.

* Everyone has peaks and valleys so pay yourself off of an average of the minimum you receive per month.

* An awesome . . . and I mean absolutely amazing . . . budget spreadsheet is Pear Budget (www.pearbudget.com). Originally it was a Excel file, which is what I use. I see that they have now switched to offering it as a web based application.