1. Don't overspend. Finances are not nearly as stressful for people who have money in the bank. People who manage their money well, and thus have money left at the end of each month, do not feel nearly as stressed about finances. Finances are generally most stressful for people who mismanage their funds, incur debts, and spend more than they earn. Overspending is the biggest reason money can be stressful. When you sit down and total up your columns, and your spending exceeds what you bring in, it brings stress into your life. You are forced to take responsibility for your spending, and when the bill collector comes, and you can't make it you have to pay interest charges, or face the shame of collectors hounding you.
2. Know your financial picture. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to finances. If you do not know where you are at financially, it can be stressful to even buy groceries because you do not know if that is going to cause you to overdraft, or to have problems. In many cases, not knowing where you are at financially means spending money you do not have, and going into debt by accident. It means impulse purchases adding up and being charged high interest rates that make it more difficult to make ends meet.
3. Budget. People who create a budget, and actually stick to it, do not feel the stress of finances because they always know where they are at, how much they have to spend, what to spend it on, and where that money will be coming from. There are no shot in the dark purchases, or "Hopefully I will be paid in time to cover this," type purchases. Having a budget cuts stress down, as long as you make it a realistic budget, and you make efforts to stick with it.
4. Have a savings. People with an emergency fund, back up fund, or at least small rainy day fund feel far less stressed over money. They know that if the unexpected does happen, if they get sick and miss work, if they have a car repair, or a dental bill, or just a high energy bill come that month, they know they will be able to make ends meet without incurring too much debt. So, the stress levels go down, and the ability to manage money goes up.
5. Realize it is just money. While money does help you feel secure, and can buy you things that bring you happiness, it is just money, and it is not worth relationships, fighting and stress. If you learn to manage your money, it will matter less and less to you. Money only stresses people who don't have any out. So, learn to use it well, and give it less importance, and your stress levels will be lower.