I love money – working with it, talking about it, making it, using it. But as many people tell me, I’m a money nerd, and that the topic of personal finance is as exciting as…well…taxes. No one – not even me – wants to do taxes. And that’s part of the reason a lot of people don’t take the time or make the effort to manage their money properly. It’s a chore and we just don’t want more chores!
But what if I told you, we can make personal finance and financial literacy fun? It’s time to gamify your money!
What is Gamification?
What even is gamification? Basically, it’s turning something boring in your life into a game so that your brain releases dopamine (the “happy” chemical) when you do it. It’s a scientifically-proven technique that gained momentum as working for people with ADHD, but it can work for anyone on just about anything.
You’ve probably seen habit trackers that grow a little plant on your phone when you mark that you’ve done some task. That’s gamification. And those savings challenges on Tiktok with the bingo board? Gamification. Gyms that hold “Biggest Loser” competitions? Again…gamification. And it works.
So how can you do this for money? Well, there’s two ways you need to approach it. One is for actually managing your money, of course, and the other is for improving your financial literacy – because if you don’t know how to manage your money, you’re not going to ever feel great about it!
Why Gamify Your Finances?
\]You’re probably thinking, this isn’t going to be worth it. At the end of the day, money is serious and not a game of Monopoly (although…there is Save-o-poly out there, so…). However, gamification can really do wonders for mindset:
Increasing Motivation
Gamification gives our brains rewards for completing tasks, and our brains use those rewards to produce dopamine, which gives us a little rush of happiness. In time, your brain will associate the task, not the reward, with the dopamine production, and then, it’s so much easier to stick with it.
Improved Money Management
A lot of the ways to gamify your money – apps, printable challenges, etc – come with a nice side of financial literacy education, which will help you know how to make better decisions surrounding money.
Intensified Engagement
You’re more likely to do things that are fun and let you get a bit competitive. Gamification can check both of those boxes! It’ll add amusement and excitement to your banking, and you can even challenge a friend to find out who can save more!
How to Gamify Your Finances
So, what are some ways to make money fun?
Saving
Find saving challenges. Save-o-poly, as I mentioned above, is one option, giving you a board to move around. A competition with your friends to find out who can save the most within a certain time frame is another option. You may also want to play Savings Bingo, or join my email savings challenge, which provides new ways to save money each week without putting your paycheck into play.
Budgeting
Apps are really useful here. Some apps award points for tracking your expenses and badges for reaching goals. Others provide visual graphs of what you’ve accomplished, which can be very motivating. And some apps even let you connect with friends and family in a race to build better money habits.
Debt
For debt, I like to recommend a visual tracker so you can see how close you’re getting to being debt-free. Coloring in a thermometer or savings jar can be oddly satisfying!
Rewards
These will all provide little bursts of dopamine, but you deserve to celebrate the wins too. If you compete with your friends, maybe the winner gets to pick a fun day of activities (bonus points if they’re free or very inexpensive!). Maybe when you complete one of your goals, you splurge on dinner at that restaurant you’ve been eyeing. Don’t go overboard, but also don’t be afraid to really reward yourself – you worked hard!
Some Apps And Tools Making Money Fun
And to keep you motivated – I’ll offer my own leadership board. I’m right here, offering free financial knowledge. Show me you’re paying attention and you can get points.
- One point for every comment on my website (add your social media handles to your comment so I know it’s you) or my social media posts
- two points for signing up for my email list or for every social media platform you follow me on
- five points if you schedule a free consultation for coaching (no obligation, but I might just give you a few tips to point you in the right direction)
I’ll post a leaderboard every month on my Instagram, and whoever has the most points at the end of the year will get two free personal coaching sessions, a copy of my 2026 budget planner, and free lifetime access to any of my online courses (already released and to-be-released). You can start right now by letting me know you read this article!