Parenting is difficult, especially when you are concerned about your financial future. Making and managing money can seem overwhelming, but since it is an intrinsic part of modern life, you need to get better at integrating it into your chaotic life. 

If you want to get yourself and your family on the right financial path, get started right away. The more time you have to make changes to save money for your retirement, a house, college for your kids or yourself, the better off you will be. 

If money is like a game, then here are some tips to play it better: 

Understand the Basic Rules of the Money Game

Budgeting and savings play an important role in making the money game work for you. 

Budgeting is a tool to track where your money is going. When you figure out where your money goes every month, then you’ll finally be able to plan where you think it should be going. Yes, that means adding those secret cups of Starbucks you enjoy before you pick the kids up from school.

As we mentioned, saving your money is essential, too. Think of your income as a scarce resource. If you’re not careful, it can completely disappear from your bank account just when you need it to pay bills or take care of an emergency. By limiting how much you spend, you’ll have more money available for the things that you need when you need them. 

Keep in mind, the amount you spend depends upon your income and expenses. Besides buying less, you can also save by not spending money on things that are available free. For instance, you don’t always have to pay fees for a bank account, some financial institutions offer a free checking account. That’s great because the last thing you need to be doing is paying an institution to hold on to your money.

If you make a simple plan on how to save, your money will grow. For instance, you can choose to deposit a certain percentage from your paycheck every month into your savings account. 

If your finances are currently out of control, create a budget and set an intention to save some money every month. Budgeting and saving aren’t difficult to learn, but it requires discipline to be consistent with keeping track of your money and setting some aside month after month.  

Improve Your Understanding of the Money Game

“You don’t know what you don’t know” is an idea that’s particularly relevant to improving your financial literacy. The things that we know about money, the things that we learned from our family, communities, schools, and jobs are fairly rudimentary, and they only make up a small part of the world of money management. The better you understand how money works, the easier it will be to make the right decisions to improve the quality of your life. 

There are many ways that you can educate yourself about money without having to enroll in a class on personal finance. You could, for example, read personal finance books, subscribe to personal finance blogs, and listen to podcasts on the subject. As you find out various money hacks, try them out, and learn from experience. 

Take a Break From the Money Game

Most people think about money all the time, always worrying about how to get more of it or part with less of it. But spending some time contemplating other forms of wealth will give you a sense of perspective. If, for instance, you are a kind and loving person, then you are rich in patience and compassion, and if you are a well-read person, then you are rich in knowledge and wisdom. Of course, your kids make your life incredibly exciting and fulfilling as well. They are where your success really shines. Although these qualities can’t be measured in dollars and cents, they add immeasurably to the quality of your life.

People too preoccupied with money, who think about it during the day, reflect on it before dropping off to sleep, and then think about it again as soon as they wake up, live in one of two extreme states: They either live in a state of aversion, a state of fear, or they live in a state of attachment, a state of greed. Breaking free of a habitual preoccupation with how much money you have in your bank accounts will free up your mind to appreciate many of the miracles of everyday life. And when you are happy, your family is happy too.