Overcoming the ADHD tax
As someone with ADHD, I can attest that one of the worst things about it is the ADHD tax. That is, all the extra dollars spent because of ADHD symptoms.
Not only do we pay it in terms of wasted time, physical well-being, and mental health, it can literally cost us thousands of extra dollars per year.
The ADHD tax can look like forgetting to pay bills, losing phones, spending tons of money on hobbies you’ll soon abandon, ordering takeout because you forgot to plan meals ahead, or forgetting about produce in the fridge until it goes bad.
Yes, it’s financially frustrating; but it’s the emotional toll, the why do I keep doing this?!?! that hurts the most.
Whether you’re a neurodivergent trying to beat the ADHD tax or a neurotypical just looking to get financially savvy, here are some tips that actually work. They certainly have for me!
Set reminders for just about everything. From paying bills, to canceling reservations, to just looking into something later. Using Siri to set reminders also removes the steps of manually putting it in my phone.
Put bills on Autopay. Pretty self-explanatory.
Buy foods I’ll actually eat (which means less produce). As much as I’ve tried to be a person who eats a whole bag of spinach, I’m not. I avoid wasting food and money by only buying things I’ll really eat, even if they’re not as “healthy.”
Cancel free trials immediately after signing up. A lot of services let you continue the trial until the end of the term.
Get a real person on the phone. You’d be amazed at the payments you can lower and late fees you can erase by just talking to a customer service person. A chatbot may be faster, but people are nicer.
Get a credit card with good rewards. Knowing that I’ll get a few free flights this year thanks to my credit card helps offset some of the dollars and shame of accidentally overspending.
Let a financial advisor do it. I’m not motivated to get into the weeds of finance, so I delegate to someone who is. I have a managed account where advisors handle my investments for an insignificant fee taken right from the account. I can also chat with them whenever, allowing me to get the exact answers I need without going down a Google rabbit hole.
The best tip I can offer is to accept that you will overspend sometimes. I frequently have to remind myself that my ADHD is real, it has real challenges, and as much as I try, I’ll never totally beat it. When my attitude is, “Of course I forgot to cancel that free trial!” and not, “I’m such an idiot for forgetting to cancel that free trial,” shame loses its power, and I can go on living my exciting life.
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A few weeks ago, I saw a jumbo-sized jar of capers on sale at the grocery store. It’s not an ingredient I use often, but I thought to myself, “I’ll use these for Chicken Piccata eventually, might as well save a few bucks.” As I was putting them in my kitchen pantry, I found not one, but two more jars of capers, completely unopened. Thanks, ADHD.
Photo by Nancy Hughes on Unsplash