No, you can’t take it with you, it doesn’t really make the world go around, and it can’t buy you love. But money can work its way into the psyche better than Freud ever could. While some Real Simple readers refuse to let financial stress get the better of them, others spend a lot of time contemplating whether their piggy banks are half-full, half-empty, or just plain broken.

This Month’s Winner

Fine Equilibrium
Five. I worry about money just enough to know where it’s going, but I don’t obsess to the point that I can’t enjoy what I have. It’s a delicate balance to budget for fun and savings.
Kara Jordahl
Des Moines, Iowa
Kara will receive a copy of Real Simple Cleaning.

Two. My husband and I have nine children, but our worry scale doesn’t reflect that. Worrying doesn’t put money in the bank. It just saps me of my strength for the day.
Patti Rice
Corvallis, Oregon

Ten. I was a single mother of three for 18 years. Money was always on my mind, for good reason: We didn’t have any. My kids are now self-sufficient adults, and my career has advanced to the point where I’m financially comfortable. One would think that I would be able to relax and enjoy my financial security. Well, that’s not happening. I now focus my obsession on my kids, inquiring into their finances and reprimanding them for any large purchase they may have just made. “You should be saving more.” “What are you going to do if…?” “What are you going to do when…?” Someone stop me!
Marge Barrett
Little Canada, Minnesota

Zero. I don’t want wrinkles when I’m old.
Beth Portice
Stevensville, Michigan

As the “CFO” of the household, I am always worrying about money. I would say I am at an 8. I think about how much we have, how much we need, etc. However, I’ve become more proactive with our money (and less reactive) by reading the business section of the newspaper, subscribing to financial magazines, and knowing when to put people ahead of money.
Amy Fuller-Gorman
Louisville, Colorado

I would rate myself about a 3. When we were first married, we had little money and had to be creative in how we managed it. Now that we are in our 50s and our children are married and on their own, we have downsized. We have fewer responsibilities at home, my husband has advanced in his company, and I have a small job in a public school. Because we learned early on how to make do with little, we are able to enjoy the abundance we now have — one of the positive things about being in our 50s!
Barbara Zuercher
Hardinsburg, Kentucky