I lost my income: how many months will I actually last
A buffer is not counted in euros but in months. A household with €1,150 of fixed costs and €600 variable spends €1,750 a month. With a €7,000 buffer it lasts 4.0 months. Cut 40% of the variable spending and cancel forgotten subscriptions and it reaches 4.8 months — almost an extra month without earning anything.
How is a buffer counted properly?
Not "I have €7,000". That number alone says nothing — for one household it is four months, for another two.
The formula is simple: buffer divided by monthly spending equals months. The catch is the denominator. Most people put in an estimate 20 to 30% below reality, because they do not remember the payments that leave automatically.
Which costs can be stopped and which cannot?
| Type | Examples | Can it stop? |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed, non-cancellable | mortgage, rent, home insurance, energy prepayments | no, or not without consequences |
| Fixed, cancellable | subscriptions, memberships, add-on insurance, bank packages | yes, within a week |
| Variable | groceries, transport, eating out, clothes | partly, immediately |
How much longer does it last?
| Step | Monthly spend | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
| No change | €1,750 | 4.0 months |
| Cut 40% of variable | €1,510 | 4.6 months |
| + cancelled subscriptions €47 | €1,463 | 4.8 months |
What to do in the first week
- Find the real denominator. Not an estimate, the sum of what actually left over three months.
- Separate fixed from variable. Without that you do not know what can stop.
- Cancel the cancellable fixed costs. One afternoon of work.
- Lower energy prepayments if they are set high. The refund arrives a year later.
- Deal with loan payments before the reminder arrives. A deferral agreed in advance is routine. After a missed payment it is not.
How many months is enough?
The common advice is three to six. What matters more than the target is knowing today's number — and most people do not, because they do not know the denominator.
The denominator is the one part you cannot do in your head. VESTELON FLOW pulls it from your statement and splits it into fixed and variable, in your browser. The file never leaves your device.
上传一份银行账单。FLOW 帮你看清今天的钱正从哪里流失、把它们重新用对地方能值多少，以及哪一年你能真正实现财务自由。这不是又一个记账工具，而是一份你立刻就能照着做的计划。
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