Quoted from : Yahoo! News
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If your paycheck is irregular, planning and budgeting are just as important as soliciting work, says debt counseling firm Money Management International. Here are some practical tips on keeping the cash flowing:

1. Average out your expenditures over a three-month period. If you're not tracking your expenses now, do it for a few months. Don't forget to include the monthly costs of health-care premiums, taxes and office supplies. Knowing where your money really goes will help head off any end-of-the-month surprises.
2. Free up your cash flow by regulating your expenses. Many utility companies offer balanced billing options so that horrendous winter heating bill is spread out evenly over the year.
3. Build a safety net for lean months. Start socking money away in a short-term savings account today. Whether you aim for three or six months of living expenses depends on your situation. If you have dependents, the more savings the better. Even if you can only put a minimum amount in, it's better than relying on Mr. Visa when money gets tight.
4. Though credit lines are tempting, avoid relying on them to make ends meet. If you occasionally do have to charge your expenses, promise to use any future windfall to get you back to debt-free ground.
5. Married to a regular wage earner? Go give him or her a smooch and then discuss (civilly, please!) using that income for the essentials, and the irregular paychecks for savings and extravagant gifts. (If money's an issue between you two, see our tips on divorce-proofing your finances.)
6. Earmark your savings. Knowing where to save and invest money for your current and future self makes it less tempting to blow an unplanned windfall on frivolities.

These are great tips for the self employed entrepreneur who's just starting out in business and the money is coming in sporadically.

Basically, there is one simple way to learn all of the above - and that's to get into the habit of saving. When you do that, you automatically limit yourself to spending only up to a percentage of your earnings and that's really important if you are self employed. It's a wise man who remembers that saying "To save your pennies for a rainy day" ... because rainy days WILL come. I believe that as you get into the habit of saving and watching your pennies, you will tend NOT to want to charge stuff to your credit card.

Point #4 is a real important one. Credit cards can turn into a monster that will swallow you whole if you lose control. As far as I'm concerned, there are only 2 ways to use a credit card :

• Always settle your monthly bill in full

or

• Never use a credit card