Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have life’s necessities paid for by my parents. As an adult, I’ve always been able to pay for my own living expenses, with a little left over to save and play. The money worries I experience stem from my students (I’m a community-college instructor) telling me they can’t afford to go to the doctor, buy gas, cover the cost of day care, or continue to finance school. The gross monetary inequities of this world, to me, rank a solid 10.
Steph Johnson
Minneapolis, Minnesota

One. My husband and I used to stress about finances when we had debt. Then, instead of putting all that negative energy into worrying about what we didn’t have, we prepared an emergency fund, paid off our debt, and started saving money. Now we have more than we had before, and we are quite content with our new spending and saving habits.
Heidi Thomas
Gresham, Oregon

Even though I have a comfortable emergency fund and I save, save, save, fear of the unknown gets to me. I’d say I’m about an 8. This is hard to admit for a person who doesn’t fear much in life, but the “what if” thoughts of losing my job, coping with an unexpected accident or disability, or facing another natural disaster (we had three hurricanes nail us in about a year) are stressful. Even though you save money for these types of potential losses, you always wonder, if something were to happen, would you have enough to cover yourself so you don’t lose everything you’ve worked your whole life for?
Dawn Marie Corrigan
West Palm Beach, Florida

My money worries equate to a 2. When I got laid off from my job several years ago, I worried about the large drop in our family income. My husband smiled at me, gave me a hug, and assured me we would be fine. He was right, and I have never worried about money since.
Pat Linehan
Toledo, Ohio

Four. I have learned to respect it, which means I don’t spend it if I don’t have it.
Anabeth Reedston
Walnut Creek, California

Eight. Growing up, we were never really financially secure, and I often heard my parents say, “We can’t afford it.” Because of this, it seems as if monetary worries are ingrained in my thinking. However, now that I’m on my own and not living paycheck to paycheck, I’m trying to teach myself to let go of those worries.
Caitlin Conway
Evanston, Illinois

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give myself a 1. My husband is an accountant, and therefore he has a tendency to do enough worrying for both of us.
Katie Kelch
Neenah, Wisconsin