How Do You Curb ADHD Overspending Without Restricting? (Ep 129)
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Episode Summary
Found a great deal, hit buy, and felt like a winner? Then a few paydays later your spending money is gone and you're not totally sure where it went. If you have ADHD, that loop is very common, and "just stop spending" rarely fixes it.
In this episode, Val interviews Sherry about the time she got spendy herself, and how she turned it into a system that works with her brain. It's a candid, funny conversation about spending without shame.
What Sherry noticed
A separate personal spending account made the pattern easy to see. New money kept landing on payday and kept disappearing, three pays in a row. If that spending had gone on a credit card instead, she might never have noticed.
What she did next
Instead of swearing off her favourite shopping app, Sherry looked back at what she'd bought and asked one simple question: am I happy to have this? Some purchases were wins. Others, not so much. The goal was to observe, not to beat herself up.
Why restriction backfires
Tell an ADHD brain it can never do something, and it will rebel. That's why this conversation is about building a pause into your spending, not putting a fence around it.
Giving every dollar a job
Rather than saving whatever is left at the end of a pay, Sherry now sorts her spending money into categories the moment it lands. Val even came up with a name for it, and you'll have to listen to hear it.
A small tweak that makes a big difference
They also talk about a household spending account, and how funding it weekly instead of twice a month can ease the squeeze that sends spending to other accounts.
Key takeaways
A pause before you spend is a system, not a willpower test
Review past purchases with curiosity, not shame
Restriction tends to backfire, so build in permission instead
Give your money a job as soon as it lands
Small tweaks, like how often an account is funded, can make a big difference
Who it's for
Anyone with ADHD who struggles with impulse spending, couples who use personal spending accounts, and business owners who want a clearer view of their money.
Ready to hear the full story? Hit play using the links at the top of the page.
