In the Game of Money, would you be on the winning side?

When my son, Sam, was just older than a toddler, we would go to the play park and when he climbed onto the climbing frame, it was no longer a climbing frame, oh no, it was an aeroplane and we needed to help the pilot sort out something he needed fixing.  This was an epic adventure that he could absolutely spend ages working through.

Further, around the park, the area underneath the slide had a little table and chairs built-in; this was our kitchen and Sam made elaborate meals for us both, that he served up with a flourish.  It didn’t matter that it was all invisible, that there was not really a fridge in the hedges and that there was nothing for our fingers to grasp hold of: to him, it was very real, very tasty and very exciting.

And then, at some point, our children grow up.  The play park is of no consequence. Life takes over.

Whether it’s through school or work or the weight of responsibility, that innocence is gone and people start to become very serious.  So serious in fact, that the fun, and perhaps some of the vitality of life, begins to be sucked away.

Nowhere is this more poignant, than where the money is concerned.  Having to go to work. Having to pay bills. Signing up for paying rent or taking out a mortgage.  Filling in tax returns. There is no surprise that these can dull down the sparkle of life.

But, why not turn things around and make money into a game?  Money is at first glance the hardest to turn into a game, but on second look it is actually very easy.  You see, it has its own built-in points system! And when we turn at least some aspects of our money habits into a game, life becomes fun again, and then our life begins to have more meaning.

How about this for starters: when you are next in the shops, when you get tempted to buy something that you could really do without, imagine that it was a poisonous toad, that contains enough venom that can kill you instantly.  It’s just too dangerous to hold, so you need to put it down instantly.  

Now for the game: 

• If you put it down instantly, you get however many cents that item cost!
• If you hesitate for more than a minute before putting it down, you get half points (some of the venom has reached you, but not enough to kill you)
• If you buy it, you get maximum venom, so you lose the number of cents that item cost

Keep a log of how many ‘points’ you score at the end of the day.  

If you enjoyed playing it, try playing it the next day and try to beat your score!  Or think up a different game. Use your imagination!

It’s time to get a bit more fun and innocence and joy back in our lives.  And, if it ends up with us saving money, all the better!

Heather is a holistic financial wellbeing coach.  Her aim is to educate women entrepreneurs around money and finances, so that they take back their power.

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