<prompt> Human: Im not sure if the title makes sense, but Ill explain. Im in a position where I do a lot of freelance work, basically self-employed. Every once in awhile I get a big payday and feel okay - but about 3 or 4 times a year, Im still running out of money. Like, running down to 0.Getting to 0 in the checking account is problematic because its actually quite costly: theres 35 overdraft fees if I do go beyond that, another 35 if I have an extended overdraft for more than 5 days. And, actually, I looked at my checking account and see I get hit with a 12 monthly maintenance fee whenever I dont maintain a monthly balance of 1,500.This shit sucks. It just feels like Im getting kicked while Im down when the fees start to add up.But, I have noticed lately, that when I do get close to 0, is when I really start to tighten up my spending. like pay attention to every dollar, be cautious about every withdrawal - try as hard I can to balance things - bust my ass on mturk if I have to just to keep things from going negative to avoid the overdraft fee.What Im thinking is... financially it would be way better for me, to feel this pressure once my account got close to 1,500 rather than waiting to get to 0 before my self-imposed grind mode kicks in. If I can work my ass off to keep from dropping below 1,500 I never even pay the 12 maintenance fee, must less never worry about the 35 overdraft and extended od fees. So, my question is, is there a way to change my perception and feelings to where 1,500 feels like the important mark? Anybody have any tricks for doing this? rather than just knowing it, because I know it already, but clearly that is not enough  <response>: sounds to me you need help establishing a budget. what is your monthly after tax take home pay? what are your current monthly expenses? perhaps if you post that, we can help trim your budget so that it is a lot more manageable. honestly, it seems to me that you are already aware of where you can cut your budget since you mentioned that in time of grind mode, you are able to pull yourself up.there are a number of tools you can use in order to help keep track of your budget such as mint and ynab, but ultimately it comes down to you. being financially stable takes discipline and from the sound of things, its going to take a whole lifestyle change for you to go from barely scraping by to being worried free. good luck and well look forward to the day when you start posting for advice on creating retirement funds.tldr 1. set a budget. 2. stick with the budget. 3. build in an emergency fund 