Why Your Money Habits Change With the Seasons (And It's Not Just the Holidays)
But it is also the holidays, right? So let’s start there!
Every January, you brace for the holiday spending spike that will show up with your credit card bill (that you will very likely avoid or ignore). You know it's coming, so you sort of expect it, and maybe even try to (sort of) budget for the gifts and travel and everything else that gets more expensive this time of year. Without fail, no matter how much you attempt to plan, it’s always the same. Then your credit card bill for the holiday spending is hanging over your head for months (or longer).
But maybe you’ve also noticed your spending habits shift in ways that have nothing to do with sales or gift lists, from October through February, or really any stretch of shorter, darker days; you're not imagining it. And it's not just about the holidays being expensive (although they really are).
If you have ADHD, the changing seasons can have a big impact on our moods (that can already be dicey to begin with) and that absolutely shows up in your money. Is there any hope to curb the extra spending dark days tend to bring? If you’ve been around for any length of time, you know I’ve got some suggestions for you, bestie!
Why Shorter Days Hit an ADHD Brain Differently
Less sunlight affects serotonin and melatonin regulation for everyone, that's just how seasonal affective disorder (SAD) works. But ADHD brains are already managing dopamine and serotonin differently than neurotypical brains, so when the days get shorter and your body's natural regulation takes a hit too, you're stacking two things that were already working against each other.
The result for a lot of ADHD folks is some combination of lower energy, worse executive function, and a nervous system that's actively looking for anything that provides a quick sense of relief or reward. We've all been there, googling flight deals to somewhere warm at 11 pm (or 3 am!) in January for reasons that had nothing to do with an actual vacation plan. Your brain is shopping because it's trying to manufacture some of the dopamine and stimulation that the season itself stopped providing.
It's Not Just Spending More, Sometimes It's Spending Less (Or Different)
Here's the part that surprises people: seasonal shifts in ADHD spending don't always look like overspending. Sometimes it looks like the opposite.
When executive function is already stretched thin from shorter days and lower energy, some people go the other way entirely. Bills get missed not because there's no money, but because opening the banking app felt like one task too many. Grocery orders get skipped in favour of whatever's fastest, which is often the most expensive option. Financial admin, the stuff that requires sitting down and thinking clearly, gets avoided altogether because there just isn't capacity for it some weeks.
This isn’t you sucking at adulting. It’s your executive function responding to less daylight and, often, more depressive symptoms. Your money habits are just the visible evidence of what's happening underneath.
What Actually Helps When the Season Shifts Your Spending
Get Out in Front of It
If you know your spending, or your avoidance, tends to shift starting around a certain month, you can plan for it instead of being blindsided every single year. This isn't about white-knuckling your way through winter. It's about knowing "okay, this is the stretch where I need more support, not less" and taking action so things can come off your plate.
Lower the Bar on Financial (and Life) Admin
If checking your accounts daily works in June and feels impossible in December, that's fine. Build in a lighter version for the dark, dreary months. One weekly glance instead of daily tracking. Automated bill payments so nothing depends on you remembering. A plan that flexes with your capacity is one you'll actually keep using through the whole year, not just the easy months.
Separate "Coping Spending" from "Problem Spending"
Not all seasonal spending needs to be stopped. Buying yourself a really good lamp, booking a massage, spending a bit more on things that genuinely help your mood through a hard stretch- that's not the same as spiralling into purchases that don't actually help without thinking. Give yourself permission for the first one. Build in a small guardrail for the second.
Get Support for How You’re Feeling
If the shorter days are tanking your mood every year, that's worth talking to a doctor about separately from the money piece. Your spending patterns are a symptom, not the root cause, and treating the root cause often does more for your finances than any budgeting trick ever will. There is zero shame in asking for the support you need. ❤️
You're Not Failing at Budgeting, You're Responding to Your Actual Season
If your money habits look and feel different seasonally, that doesn't mean your system is broken or that you suck with money. It means your brain needs more support, and once you can see that clearly, you can plan for it instead of being ambushed by it.
This week, try one thing: think about which month things usually start shifting for you, and put one small support in place before it hits, not after. Maybe that’s removing things from your schedule, or automating one thing to help with your finances.
About the Author
Sherry is an ADHD financial coach who lives in Canada (and helps clients throughout the US and Canada). She has spent enough winters inside when it feels like there are zero hours of sunshine, so she knows a few things about feeling down when sweater weather hits! She helps clients build money systems that flex with the actual season they're in, not just the version of themselves that shows up with the days filled with sunshine. If you're ready to build a plan that works even when the days get short, let's connect.
