For Women with ADHD ADD Who Want to Connect

Tips to curve over-spending & controling finances

Comment by hawaiimei on July 21, 2009 at 6:22pm

Any tried and true solutions to overcome impulsive overspending for women with ADD/ADHD are appreciated. From my own experience, most financial tips that work for the general public do not seem to work too well for this group. It'd be wonderful to get some support here. Thanks in advance for sharing.

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Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:21am: Comment by Margaret on August 1, 2009 at 8:03pm Any solutions to budgeting would be wonderful. Just the thought of creating a budget causes my brain to go into shut down mode - seriously, either I can't think at all, I start to cry, or I have an anxiety attack. Part of it is because I don't have all the bills, etc that I need at my fingertips b/c my house is so darn cluttered, sigh, but also, it just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me. Any tips would be appreciated.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:21am: Comment by Tara McGillicuddy on August 7, 2009 at 2:06pm Wow, what a great idea for a group! Thank you so much for starting it.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:22am: Comment by Sarah on August 7, 2009 at 2:24pm This is a fantastic idea...getting control of my finances was very difficult. I finally did it. All I can say is excel spreadsheet and automatic bill pay. I would like to tell you more about what I did exactly if anybody is interested to hear...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:23am: Comment by Karen L on August 7, 2009 at 2:37pm Women and Money? sounds like a explosion about to happen! :) but seriously, I, too, have had money problems ever since I was a little girl. This year has actually been going good with keeping spending in check, balancing the checkbook and keeping overdrafts to a minimum. I recently had a set back but i'm going to be okay.

I have an excel spreadsheet that I update often which displays all the bills I have, when they're due, when I will pay them, who pays what (I live with my adult daughter) how much each bill is and various totals. it's not without flaw because i always have more money from paycheck than what's owed but somehow i never have enough $$. I don't include groceries or gas on that spreadsheet. Those commodities are just way too variable to add. I'd be happy to email an attachment to anyone who is interested in seeing how I do things. I'd like to see yours too. Just add me as a friend and then we can email. :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:25am: Comment by Tara McGillicuddy on August 7, 2009 at 2:42pm FYI - Starting a new discussion up above instead of commenting will help the discussion be easier to find and reply to.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:29am: Comment by Patty ZD on August 7, 2009 at 2:59pm This is a wonderful idea! I personally find money to be almost as much of a mystery as time. The concept is a bit ethereal. I know you can actually SEE & TOUCH money... but not when you use your ATM so you don't spend all your money!

I'd love to read some of the things that work for others. The best thing I can do at this point is keep a excel spreadsheet in which I post bills due and I track when I pay them (highlighted) and when they clear the bank. I keep a "sort of"... more like a snapshot check balance... but nothing that I can say works flawlessly.

Can't wait to get some new ideas!

-Patty; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:30am: Comment by Sara Yano on August 14, 2009 at 2:26pm I definitely need help--i go from the extreme of listing every item i buy on my Excel spreadsheet to not even putting things in my check-and-credit card register.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:32am: Comment by Karen L on September 6, 2009 at 9:29pm Okay, how do I make it through the next 11 days with $60? How does this happen? Poor planning, not keeping my checkbook in check, impulsive spending. Doesn't matter that what I spent the money on was only a couple bucks. It adds up. I'm already pushing out a prescription to the 18th. Can't push out the car insurance due on the 15th. How do you put gas in your car once or twice a week at $2.71/gallon? How will I get things like milk? And heaven forbid there should be an emergency with the car or something. I never seem to be prepared. I suck at budgeting. Anybody with any suggestions how to make it to next payday (the 18th) and how to prevent this from happening again???; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:38am: Comment by Bridget on September 26, 2009 at 3:50am Money - blech. About 5 years ago we found ourselves in debt with more than $155k in unsecured debt. We sold our home before that so we own nothing that can offset that with sale or refinance. Monthly we pay the bills and hold our breath until the next pay day. To manage dates and balances, I use a combination of an excel spreadsheet and a program at www.mvelopes.com which is online model of the classic envelope budgeting system. We have been using it for 2 years and it has helped like thing else I have tried has.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:39am: Comment by Tara McGillicuddy on November 5, 2009 at 2:47pm Money Matters: Help for the Fiscally Disorganized

Date: Tuesday December 1, 2009

Time: 9:00 pm EST

Instructor: Dr. Stephanie Sarkis

Space is limited

Sign up now at: http://www.addclasses.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:41am: Comment by Karen L on November 9, 2009 at 9:53am I was so anxious about affording Christmas this year that I bought my first gift over Easter weekend. Throughout the summer, I made candles, pillows, firestarters, and a mat for my folks and bought some other items. My Christmas shopping is just about complete (except for a few more things). I wasn't going to count on getting a bonus from work. And I've also scaled back. Those people who didn't reciprocate the gifts last year won't be getting gifts this year. Not that I'm bitter but it was the only way I could decide on who to cut back on.

I can now enjoy the Christmas season - decorating, wrapping gifts, listening to music. I will send out Christmas cards but even that will get scaled back. Postage is expensive!

I'm pleased (okay, proud, boastful but I think it's okay to boast when most of the time money is a nightmare) that I've been so successful in my planning. I do have to pay off the credit card which I purchased my new pre-lit tree but I didn't buy the most expensive tree. I wanted to, but I restrained myself (my daughter helped with that restraint too). Money has been super, super tight this month and I'm glad I won't have the added stress of Christmas shopping on top of the everyday bills.

My suggestion is to always start early in the year. Either buy the items in the spring, summer and fall or put money in a Christmas Club (I'd find a zillion excuses to not put the money in so that wouldn't work for me).

I'll update when I'm completely done which should be by the end of the month. :) Thanks.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on February 19, 2010 at 1:42am: Comment by Jo Ellen on November 9, 2009 at 1:13pm Delete Comment Karen L: We should start a thread that is called "Toot Your Own Horn" for every time one of us completes a project they set out to finish or a plan that went together and worked for just us. So, congratulations on your Holiday preparation plan. I used to try to by ahead, but then I'd either forget that I bought something or forget where I put it.

Jo Ellen; ▶ Reply to This