Number of Players: 2-4 players

Components:

• Game board depicting a month's journey

• Playing pieces (tokens) for each player

• Deal cards with opportunities to buy or sell items

• Mail cards with bills, events, and salary information

• Loan record sheet (optional)

• Die (sometimes a six-sided die)

• Play money (bills and coins)
  

Objective: Be the player with the most money at the end of the game (usually after four "payday" cycles).

Setup:

1. Choose Your Token: Each player selects a token and places it on the "Sunday Start" space on the game board.

2. Banker: Choose a player to be the banker. They are responsible for managing the play money bank and handling all financial transactions throughout the game.

3. Loan Record Keeper (Optional):  In some versions, you can choose a separate player to keep track of loans taken out and repaid by each player on a designated loan record sheet.

4. Shuffle the Decks: Shuffle the Deal and Mail card decks face down and place them near the game board.
   

Gameplay:

The game progresses through a series of rounds, representing weeks within a month. Here's what happens in each round:

• Roll the Die: The starting player rolls the die.

• Move Your Token: Based on the die roll, move your token the corresponding number of spaces forward on the board.

• Landing on a Space:  The space you land on determines what happens:

  • Empty Space: Nothing happens, move on to the next player's turn.

  • Salary (Blue Space):  Collect your monthly salary from the bank as indicated on a Mail card you draw.

  • Deal (Green Space): Draw a Deal card. This might offer you a chance to buy an item at a discounted price by paying the bank. You can choose to buy it or discard the card and move on.

  • Mail (Yellow Space): Draw a Mail card. This could be a bill you must pay to the bank, an unexpected event that might cost you money, or a positive event that gives you some extra cash.

  • Yard Sale (Purple Space): If you land here, you can buy a Deal card at a discounted price (usually cheaper than the regular price). Follow the instructions on the Deal card to see if you want to purchase the item.

  • Pay Day (Red Space): This is the most important space! Landed here signifies the end of the week and the beginning of payday. Here's what happens:

    1. Pay Back Loans (if any): If you have outstanding loans, you must pay back 10% interest to the bank on the loan amount.

    2. Repay Loans (Optional): You can choose to repay some or all of your outstanding loans at this point.

    3. Pay Bills:  Pay off all the bills you accumulated throughout the month (from Mail cards). If you don't have enough cash, you can take out a loan from the bank (usually in increments of $1,000) to cover the remaining amount.

    4. Discard Mail Cards: Discard all the Mail cards you used during the month.

    5. Move Back to Start: Move your token back to the "Sunday Start" space to begin the next week (round).
       

Winning the Game:

• The game typically lasts for four "payday" cycles (rounds).

• After the final payday, all players count their remaining cash.

• The player with the most money at the end wins the game and is declared the financial whiz!
  

Additional Notes:

• Payday is a great game for families, especially to teach children about budgeting and financial responsibility.

• The game can be adjusted for difficulty by changing the starting amount of cash each player receives or by adjusting the prices of items on Deal cards.

• There might be slight variations in rules depending on the specific version of Payday you have.  Be sure to check the included instructions for any specific details.