Identify all of your assets and debt. Make a list or a spreadsheet and include
everything from your mortgage and car loans to your checking and savings
account balances. We are going to give
an alternate identity to each item. Checking
accounts are your weapons and magic, while savings accounts are your life
energy. You should designate an amount
of money that you want to deposit into savings each month. If you meet your goal, your alter ego stays
healthy. If not, you become injured or
sick and you must find ways to earn extra money to “heal yourself.” As the savings account grows, so does your
level. If you have $1000 in savings, you
have achieved level one. For each
thousand you aquire, you “level up.” Set
goals so that when you reach a certain level, like level 10, you treat yourself
to something, like a new HD television.
This will reduce your level for a while, but you will have just as much
fun reaching it again.
Monthly bills become evil henchmen. You can defeat them temporarily, but they
keep coming back each month. Give each a
separate identity. If you have artistic
ability, create a drawing of how they might look. Make the water bill an evil ghost pirate and
the power bill an evil fire demon, etc.
The amount of the bill is the character’s total life points. If you make a minimum or partial payment,
then you only injure them. When you pay
the bill completely, you vanquish that foe, at least until next month. Devise ways to reduce the damage that enemies
inflict on you by reducing services or conserving energy and water, or changing
spending habits. Weaken your foes so
that they are easier to defeat.
Larger debt, like a mortgage, a home equity loan, or a
credit card, are identified as your boss characters. They are strong and can withstand multiple
hits, and ultimately, they cannot be defeated until they are paid in full. They may possess the power to regenerate or
heal themselves through monthly interest.
Think of clever ways to defeat them, like casting a freeze spell on them
and transferring their balance to a zero interest credit card. This will prevent them from healing
themselves at least for a while and give you the opportunity to attack. Then use a strong weapon like the “Mighty
Blade of Income Tax Returnia” to deliver a devastating blow to the enemy.
Make the game even more exciting by involving your spouse as
another member of your party and let them attack monsters and boss characters
from a separate bank account. You’d be
surprised how quickly you can vanquish foes when you work as a team. Leave messages or send emails to each other
and say funny things, like “Today, I learned the magic spell of Reduction and
cast it upon T. Wyvern, the Protector of the Mysterious Cable. This lowered our monthly damage by 5200 hit
points.” If several married couples decide
to play this game, you can encourage each other to reach new levels and share
tips on how to defeat enemies more efficiently.
Create fun and even humorous new weapons and magic spells in order to
enhance everyone’s experience.
