Tight month-end: 5 causes and what to do

When the account is high, saying yes is easier. Two weeks later the margin is gone.

What helps: think in an amount per day rather than a balance. A daily figure makes the effect of any purchase on the rest of the cycle visible.

An insurance premium raised, two subscriptions added, a higher energy bill: fifty more per month goes unnoticed.

What helps: add up your current fixed charges once. The total is often surprising, and it is that total that sets your margin.

Taxes, car insurance paid in one go, a vehicle service, back-to-school costs, end-of-year gifts: these land on a single cycle.

What helps: treat them as a monthly fixed charge by dividing by twelve, instead of absorbing the whole shock at once.

If you are paid on the 27th, thinking in 1st-to-31st months mixes two cycles. The last week always looks abnormally tight.

What helps: anchor everything to your payday. The end of the cycle becomes predictable.

Without a reserve, a flat tyre or a medical appointment goes straight into overdraft, with fees weighing on the next cycle.

What helps: a modest but untouchable reserve, built up gradually. Fifty is enough to absorb most everyday accidents.

First know the exact total of your fixed charges. Then anchor the cycle to your payday. Then set aside annual costs. The reserve comes last, once the margin is finally visible.