Ezra Hughes

Quick note - Love the holding account idea - one tweak: skim taxes off the top of every gig deposit (around 25–30%) into a separate tax stash so your baseline isn’t inflated. In holding earmark rent and other fixed bills first, then your weekly “paycheck,” and automate that Friday transfer so you stick to it. After you’ve got a month buffered, keep the weekly pay flat and route extra to next month and the emergency fund instead of raising spending.

Good tips above. I’d also check that the condenser fan down by the compressor is spinning when it runs - if it’s stuck or noisy clean it and replace if it won’t spin freely, because poor airflow there kills cooling. If you’re hearing a repeated click-buzz-click every few minutes, the compressor’s start relay/overload is likely failing; that cheap part often fixes both the noise and weak cooling. Also give it a few inches of clearance for airflow and set both temp dials to mid for a baseline.