How do I get through the off-season without going broke?

The off-season leaving you scrambling and broke is one of the hardest parts of seasonal work, and it is not a sign of failure. It is a structural trap: the money comes in a rush and then stops, but the bills do not. Plenty of skilled, hardworking people get caught here. The problem is the shape of the work, not a flaw in you. The only real way through is to let the busy season pay for the quiet one, on purpose. That means treating a chunk of your peak earnings as already spoken for, set aside before it can slip away, so the lean months have something to draw on. It feels like less money now, but it is really the same money, spread across the year the way your work is not. Before the next season ends, open a separate place to hold off-season money and move a set amount into it from every payment, automatically if you can. Even a rough cushion changes everything about how the quiet months feel. And if the gap is still too wide, look now, while you have energy, for off-season work that fits. Scrambling comes from being caught off guard. A plan, even a small one, is how you stop being caught.