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Ah, payday. The day we adults await eagerly each week. Then we can take care of the food bill, doctor bill, electric bill, and rent – not to mention that crazy shopping spree we just couldn’t resist. What kid wouldn’t want to partake of the stress and complications of having a job and a budget – kids who play Payday, obviously.

 

Like Life and Monopoly, Payday brings the adult world to kids in a friendly family game. The game board looks like a month-long calendar. Between two and six players choose a Banker and Loan Record Keeper, and everyone gets $3,500. You decide how many “months” you want to play (you should do at least two), and then you’re off. If you land on a Mail space, you draw the number of Mail cards indicated. Most of these are bills that you have to pay right away, or when you land on the Payday space. After a number of these, you’ll never love junk mail so much. When you land on a Deal space, you draw the top Deal card and have the option to purchase the item on the card – If you have the cash. If you don’t, you can take out a loan from the bank. Then you hold onto your Deal card until you land on a Found a Buyer space and, with any luck, will sell the item for a profit.

 

But there is other financial excitement too! You could play the Lottery, enter a Radio Phone-In Contest, win a Sweepstakes, or go to a Charity Concert. You might have to pay for the Food For The Month or succumb to a Shopping Spree. You do get a pile of salary money when you land on Payday, but then it’s time to pay off all those bills and loans you’ve accrued – with interest, natch.

 

After the agreed-upon months are over, each player adds up the cash they have left, minus any outstanding debt. What you left is your net worth, and whoever has the highest wins the game. That’s when smart spending and a little fiscal responsibility make you a real winner.