ADHD and Money: How to Finally Make the Call That Saves You Money Every Month

I’m not burying the lead here. This blog is all about how I saved close to 40% on our cell phone and internet bills, so if you don’t have the executive function for that, feel free to check out my other blog posts because I think they’re full of great $ tips (but I know I’m a little biased).
You already know you should call your cell phone and/or internet provider so you can stop paying the prices that seem to be increasing all the damn time. You've known for a while, probably longer than you'd like to admit. Every month the bill hits, and there's that little voice: "you really should deal with this." And then you don't. Not because you're lazy. Not because you don't care about the money. Because for an ADHDer, making that call is genuinely hard in a way that people without ADHD often just don't get. This is exactly where I was until my bill finally got high enough that it pissed me off enough to make the call(s).

Why in the ADHD challenges, haven't made that call yet? How much was I able to save when I finally spent the time on this, and how much time did it actually take? Understanding the why makes the how actually land, so we're starting there.

Why Your ADHD Brain Has Been Putting Off This Call

Making a phone call to negotiate your bill is an executive functioning nightmare. It requires you to initiate something unpleasant, a phone call, which leads to a negotiation (possibly a mild confrontation and having to advocate for yourself), and to hold information in working memory while you're on hold. Not to mention, try to stay regulated when you get transferred, and do all of this without knowing how long it will take. That is a lot of cognitive weight for a task that pays off later, not right now.

It's the same reason you haven't cancelled that gym membership or disputed that charge from three months ago. The call itself might take 20 minutes. The mental overhead of building up to it, dreading it, avoiding it, and feeling guilty about avoiding it? That cycle has probably been running for months. (No judgment here, genuinely, I visit this situation regularly.)

Time Blindness and the Future Bill You Can't Quite Feel

Here's the ADHD-specific piece that makes this particularly sneaky. We notice the bill is high, feel briefly annoyed, and then the moment passes, and we're onto the next thing. Time blindness means the future version of us who will keep overpaying for the next however many months doesn't feel real right now. So we don't act. Next month, same thing. Rinse and repeat…

This isn't a character flaw. It's literally how ADHD brains process future consequences, and it's worth naming that clearly before we move on.

What Actually Happened When I Finally Called

For context: at the end of 2025 we were paying $250 a month for our Rogers bill, which was internet and two cell phones. We’d been loyal customers for years and had done the every-two-years negotiation thing, mostly successfully. Then I tried it again through FB Messenger and found out that the option no longer exists. So I called, asked if they could help, and got a ‘sorry, there’s nothing we can do.’ So I dug in, and said I'd like to cancel. They said okay, we need 24 hours' notice. Cool, that’s fun, way to help a long-time customer.

Then I checked a Bell flyer that had come in the mail. The deal seemed too good to be true. It wasn't. They had a great internet offer at half the cost, 50% faster speeds, free installation. So I decided to switch to Bell for the internet. The shitty part, is that it meant I lost close to half a day waiting for the tech to come and then being available if they had questions. So I could work but only sort of.

The part I didn't expect? When I called Rogers to actually cancel the internet, the rep was *surprise* able to offer us a better rate for internet. But it was too late so I told her not to bother. In hindsight, I wish I had let her tell me because I’m curious now. But then, since it seems like I was finally through to someone who could help, so I asked her if she could help with our cell phones. She was able to adjust our cell phones from $55+HST each to $35+HST/each. And again, a better plan. Both with over double the amount of monthly data. 

Dealing with this, which I had been dreading for months, resulted in our bills being nearly cut in half. Annoyingly worth it. 

So how can you do this with as little time and effort as possible? 

The Strategy That Gets Results

You don't need to actually want to switch providers. You just need a real number to reference. Bell, Telus, and the smaller carriers run promotions constantly. A quick Google search or that flyer sitting on your counter is enough. Walking into the conversation with something specific ("Bell is offering me X speed at X price") completely changes the dynamic. 

When you call, go through the menu to get yourself to the cancellation department; they seem to have the power. When you call general customer service and say your bill is too high, you might get a small credit, but it’s usually not enough to make it worth your time. The cancellation team has real tools and real motivation to keep you as a customer. If the menu doesn’t lead you there, ask specifically to be transferred to retention or the cancellation department. 

Don't Take the First Offer

They will make one. It probably isn't their best one. A simple "I appreciate that, but the Bell offer is still significantly better. Is there anything else you can do?" takes ten seconds and sometimes produces a completely different result.

Ask directly: "Are there any discounts or promotions on my account right now, or any that I qualify for?" There was a discount I had been owed for months and was never receiving. That one question costs nothing and might save you real money. A question I like to ask is for them to tell me exactly what my total bill amount will be with the new offers. It’s also a good idea to ask about the timeline on the offer. 

How to Actually Get Yourself to Make This Call

The main reason this stays on the to-do list is that it feels open-ended. It could take 20 minutes or two hours. Here's how to shrink the uncertainty: block 45 minutes in your calendar like an actual appointment, have the competing offer in a tab before you dial, and know you're asking specifically for the cancellation department. Have your account number written somewhere handy. That's the entire prep list.

A couple of other things that genuinely help (and I say this from experience): find ways to make it a little more (dare I say) enjoyable. Have a little sweet treat or fancy coffee on hand to help you pass the time. And keep in mind that you're not asking for a favour. You're a long-term paying customer having a simple conversation about fair pricing.

How to ‘Find Motivation’ to Take Action?

You’re not going to find the motivation, but you may be able to find a little anger and spite! If you can, go back and look at what you were paying a year ago, and look at what you’re paying today. Then, if you haven’t yet, spend 5 minutes looking for competing offers, or even offers for new customers with your current provider. Pissed off yet? Feel like you’re getting ripped off? Good, let’s do something about it! 

Your Next Step

Look at your most recent phone and internet bill. Take 5-10 minutes to see what Bell or Telus or a smaller local provider is currently offering in your area. That's the whole step. Having a number in hand makes the call feel a lot less abstract. Then look at your calendar, do you have 45 minutes right now? There’s no time like the present! Get to it! OR if you don’t have 45 minutes now, add it to your calendar or schedule a body doubling session with someone else and make it a competition to see who can save the most money! 

Then What?

First, do something proactive with the $ you are saving. And if financial tasks and the bigger picture of managing money with an ADHD brain stress you TF our on a regular basis, know that you don’t have to sort through the chaos on your own. Helping folks with ADHD shift from stress to confidence with their money is exactly what I do as a financial coach. If you’re intrigued, let's do a vibe check ( and see if coaching is the right fit. It's a free call, no pressure.

About the Author

Sherry is an ADHD financial coach and ADHDer who helps adults build money systems that actually fit how their brain works. She knows firsthand how many "I really should deal with that" tasks pile up when you have ADHD, because she lives it too. Her one-on-one coaching helps clients move from avoidance and overwhelm to genuinely following through on the small stuff and the bigger stuff. Learn more about coaching.