ADHD - Tame the Money Monster! How to have ADHD and take control of your Finances

Taming the Money Monster: ADHD and Taking Control of Your Finances

Let's face it, finances can be a beast for anyone to deal with. But for those of us with ADHD, the whole budgeting, bill-paying, future-planning thing can feel like wrangling a particularly stubborn dragon.

Our brains, wired for excitement and the here-and-now, can struggle with the delayed gratification that comes with good money management. Temptations abound, and remembering that overdue bill you forgot to pay can feel like trying to find yesterday's news.

But fear not, fellow ADHD warriors! Here are some battle strategies to slay the money monster and build a secure financial future:

Break Down the Walls: Chunking Your Finances

Big, looming tasks can paralyze even the most focused individual. For us with ADHD, it's a recipe for disaster. Instead, let's break down our financial goals into bite-sized pieces.

• Track your spending: Download my monthly budgeting sheet. Knowing where your money goes is the first step to taking control.
• Schedule "Money Dates": Set aside a specific time each week (or even daily!) to pay bills, track expenses, and review your budget. Treat it like an important appointment! Get to know your money, what you have, what you need to pay and what you have left.

Slay the Impulsive Urges: Building Automatic Systems

Impulse purchases? Been there, done that (and maybe regretted it a little). Here's how to outsmart our impulsive tendencies:

• Automate your savings: Set up automatic transfers to your savings account. "Out of sight, out of mind" can actually be a good thing here!
• Use budgeting apps with spending limits: Many apps allow you to categorise your spending and set limits for each category.

Befriend the Future You: Taming Time Blindness

Living in the moment is a superpower of ADHD, but it can wreak havoc on long-term planning. Here's how to bridge the gap:

• Visualise your goals: Create a vision board with pictures representing your financial aspirations. Seeing it can make it feel more real.
• Set SMART financial goals: Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. "Save more money" is good, but "Save an extra 50 quid a week for a down payment on a house in 2 years" is even better.

Dealing with Debt: It's Not a Monster, It's a Puzzle, Lets play the GAME!

Debt can feel like a terrifying monster under the bed. It can creep up on all of us quite easily but the trick is not to ignore it and think it will go away, and here's the secret: debt isn't inherently bad. It's a tool that can be used strategically. The key is to manage it effectively and efficiently.

• Face the Debt Dragon: Don't shy away from your debt. List all your debts, including interest rates and minimum payments.  When the calls come, answer them, talk to them, explain how your feeling and cooperate on how you want to resolve the problem, swerving them can result in the situation becoming so much worse.   
• Develop a Debt Repayment Plan: There are different approaches to tackling debt, like the snowball or avalanche method. Research which one works best for you.

Remember, progress, not perfection, is the goal! There will be slip-ups, moments of forgetfulness, and maybe even a few impulsive purchases. That's okay. The important thing is to keep moving forward, one conquered financial hurdle at a time. You will feel so much more achievement for dealing with this and not trying to brush it under the carpet, 9 times out of 10, it is not going to go away so we need to pull up our big knickers and hit it head on.

With a little planning, some automation, and a dash of self-compassion, you can slay the money monster and build a secure financial future that works for your unique ADHD brain.

Download my Monthly Budget Planner Spreadsheet here - Its FREE https://stan.store/ADHDAshley

You can't pour from an empty cup!

Lucy’s been in a hell of a state. She’s been struggling to keep up at school and it’s getting harder and harder to keep myself afloat. That sounds awful doesn’t it, it’s not as if I think it’s all about me but it’s my job to keep her going. I have to rally her, to guide her. To catch her when she falls. When the tears are tripping her, I have to wipe them dry. I have to keep a stiff upper lip when hers is wobbling. I have to hug her for dear life when she breaks down. I have to fight for her and be her advocate and stick up for her when she’s getting the shitty end of the stick. I do all this ten-fold, and I will never ever stop until my dying breath. But it’s tough and I have to admit I’m struggling too.

School isn’t really much cop. They can empathise to a point but don’t get it. Not many people can or do, to be honest. She has highly specialised needs which are beyond the school. She has mates but sometimes they don’t know how to deal with it either but they do love her to bits and always try and put a smile on her face. They message her loads and send funny videos and memes to distract her, plus they go out for tea when she’s well enough to do that.

The latest episode has double-whacked her, as her issues often do. Her anxiety is monumental and it’s also kicked off her Crohn’s which is a nightmare anyway. She’s been afraid to leave the house, bless her, and wants to stay indoors. I’m the only person who can really calm her and I’ve been up the wall juggling her, and she’s obviously my priority, but trying to keep work sweet and run the house, looking after the others…it’s system overload time for me.

I can cope but for how long? It’s not as if my hubby, bless him, is much use when it comes to Lucy. I should be thankful he can at least offer me a shoulder to cry on, and he does make a mean chips, sausage and egg for the kids, so he does do what he can in the ways he can be helpful, if that makes sense? Still, it’s my role to steady the ship and steer us through the increasingly choppy waters life hurls our way. If I can keep a firm grip on the wheel, even if my legs are buckling underneath me, I reckon I’ll be alright.

Work is brilliant about it and I ought to open up more about her, but I don’t want to bring everyone else down, some of them look downbeat and downtrodden at the best of times. I know I must look after myself because I have to be on tip-top form to carry her. I’d love to go for one of those therapy sessions, like Reflexology or an Indian Head Massage, yet the guilt eats me up even contemplating it. But it’d give me a boost and that's what I desperately need.