When there’s a job interruption or a company doesn’t require as many hours, then your income might fluctuate lower and cause cash to be tight.

It could be just an occasional problem to resolve. Or, if you have a fluctuating income due to working in sales, then under those circumstances, it’s much harder to manage money.

Here are four quick tips to assist in dealing with times when money is getting tighter.

1. Reduce Spending Commitments to Handle Income Volatility

When living on an income with a reasonable degree of fluctuation, it pays to have fewer fixed expenses and to keep them as low as possible. Typical fixed expenses include your auto insurance coverage, mortgage/rent, and even your tv subscription services (Netflix, Hulu, etc).

By keeping baseline expenses lower, even when the income falls below a certain level, it’s still possible to make the payments required of you.

Plan to overlay fun expenses like eating out or short weekend trips away during the better income months. Look for last-minute deals to take advantage of the reduced predictability in your income.

2. One-off Problem? Get a Payday Loan

If you’re only running into a problem this month because of a larger bill than expected – a boiler that’s broken down or some other unexpected cause – then you just need a quick solution as a one-time thing.

It’s a good idea to look at online payday loans for bad credit to see if they would be a good fit. They’re available for smaller amounts to meet temporary cash spending needs, and you can repay the loan when the next paycheck comes around.

As a short-term, fast solution to deal with the unexpected, they’re a good option to mull over. You can get an easy payday loan online at Personal Money Network.

3. Freelance or Take an Evening Job

To create extra income when your regular income is either too low or volatile month-to-month, consider getting an evening job or start freelancing.

Moonlighting in the Evening

A second job in the evening might be working in a bar or driving for Uber.

Anything that allows you flexible hours that you can pick up here and there and pays quite quickly will suffice.

Freelancing

Freelancing is another idea. It does require time to find clients or run through the approval process for a freelancing website. So, it’s unlikely to secure you funds immediately but within a month or two, you’ll see positive results.

4. Ask a Friend for Help

It’s a longshot, but you could try asking a friend for help.

If you haven’t done this before and they’ve not strapped for cash themselves, they may help you.

It all depends on how good a friend they are, and if you’ve been helpful to them in the past. If you explain what the trouble is and that you need money to pay a specific bill, they may be willing to offer assistance by paying the bill on your behalf.

Just be careful because too many loans from a friend may lead to bad feelings and end up costing the friendship! So, this is really to be used as a last resort.

Managing money is never easy. However, when intentionally keeping your fixed costs lower, it gives you greater flexibility.