I kept falling for the same misguided belief: surely this time will be different. “The check’s in the mail.” Or, more specifically, the modern equivalent: “the payment is being processed.” First of all, how long does “processing” take? Apparently, it might take six weeks.

The majority of clients I have had over the years have paid on time, although the bigger the client, the less they seem to care or go out of their way to accommodate you. Their perspective of time just isn’t the same as the small operator who literally requires their check in order to survive.

I get it: there’s a mismatch in scale. A payment that’s a line item in their accounts payable queue is my rent. They’re not being malicious — their process just runs on a timeline that isn’t aligned with mine.

Even once I started taking the unpredictability problem more seriously, I was basically relying on luck. It’s embarrassing how many times an invoice was finally paid on the very same day that I would have been in a very bad spot if it hadn’t.

I was using YNAB Classic at the time; I had previously tried the newer YNAB subscription app a couple of times, but Classic matched what I needed better and didn’t require $14.99 per month. I genuinely loved YNAB Classic, and I used it for many, many years.

However, I was still having to do ad hoc calculations all the time to figure out what covered what and if I could make it through to when the next check actually arrived (not just when I was told it might arrive).

I kept thinking, “wouldn’t it be great if I could map out my income and expenses on a calendar instead of a table?”

Once I started viewing my income and expenses on a calendar, my relationship to expenses started to clarify.

I was mid-month and the bank balance looked okay, and it was nearing time to replace my computer. I looked at the calendar with the upcoming rent and the client check I was counting on, and realized I wouldn’t make rent if that check came in a week late.

The time component had become a picture instead of a guess.

The tiniest little tool or service costs $10 per month these days. However, I know what it’s like to be stressing out about cash flow and that’s not the time you want to add yet another monthly expense. So SteadyCash is a one-time purchase. Buy it once and it’s yours. If you’ve been nodding along to this, it’s here.

—Chris