'I can't control my spending.' The unspoken symptom of ADHD.

From the comfort of my bed, I still can't ignore the harsh reality of the cost-of-living crisis. My TikTok feed is a constant reminder (as are the soaring prices of everything from petrol to avocados). And while my social media algorithm tries to help with "cost-of-living hacks" and "meal planning on a budget" videos, I can almost physically feel my ADHD rise to greet (and resist) them.

It's been a year since my official ADHD diagnosis, yet the challenge of maintaining sensible financial practices plagued me long before that. Understanding the impact of my condition has shed light on why saving money has always eluded me. It feels as if my ADHD creates an invisible fortress, constructing formidable barriers that stubbornly resist my every attempt to embrace budgeting, meal planning, or establishing emergency savings. Despite sincere intentions, these essential financial practices always seemed overwhelming and unattainable.

It's in being a mother that ADHD challenges me the most already: time management, juggling childcare and household chores, planning for meals, keeping a routine – not to mention running a business and trying to maintain some kind of personal life on top of that. Schedules are in shambles, coordinating family activities is always last minute, and I have a very slap-dash and impulsive approach to spending, whether 'what's for dinner?', or whatever new items are needed at home.

Watch: Mia Freedman on what it's like living with ADHD. Post continues after video.

So while meal planning is part and parcel of most families' routine, it's never been part of ours, but recent financial pressure necessitates a level of organisation and planning that really challenges me.

Financially, people with ADHD are already on the back foot. We face a higher chance of being in debt, have difficulties in budgeting and planning, tend to engage in impulsive spending, and have trouble with the discipline needed to save money (we seek immediate gratification). As a result, people with ADHD often find themselves accumulating debt and/or struggling to build substantial savings, and living paycheck to paycheck. I fear that this crippling cost-of-living crisis will be felt even more starkly by ADHD parents, especially those who aren't aware of how their condition can manifest in financial habits.

However, if there's one thing ADHD mamas have, it's resilience. By harnessing some of the unique qualities my condition affords me, like the ability to innovate, multitask, be creative, and even hyper-focus, I've found ways to channel my ADHD for good, and trick my brain into doing the things that would otherwise be massive struggles.

I turn saving into a competition.

One thing I love is competition, and the way I've tricked my brain into committing to a savings plan is by turning it into a game – or even better, a contest, with my partner or a friend. I find ways to give my brain that (almost) immediate gratification, so if it's a competition to stick to a no-frills budget (i.e. the longest streak without a takeaway coffee), the 'loser' has to shout the next treat – just enough incentive for my brain to cope with a little deprivation.

If doing it on my own, I'll plan my own rewards to enjoy as I hit little milestones, like making my lunch four out of five days. I figured, I reward my toddlers with stickers and star charts, so a similar incentive would surely work on me too (and it has).

I swapped shopping apps for finance apps.

Call me childish, but bright colours, icons and emojis spin my wheels and give my ADHD brain a boost – so I turned to goal-setting finance apps to rein me in. I turned to Reddit and found two: 

Spendee is a basic budget-planning tool used by more than 3 million people, and there’s a free version. You can sync your bank accounts, understand your financial habits and set smart budgets. 

YNAB (You Need a Budget) is a tool that helps you prioritise spending and saving before the money is even in your pocket. I also did something that was really tough, but important... I deleted all shopping apps from my phone. Dramatic, I know, but without the urge and impulse being right there it's helped me to use technology only for good.

I got into 'BuJo' (bullet journaling).

Many people with ADHD find that physically writing things down calms their internal chaos, and the same can apply to calming your inner financial chaos. Personally, though I've tried Trello, Evernote, Asana and Google Keep for my notes, ideas and plans, I'm an analog girl through and through, and always return to using a small notebook.

The 'bullet'-style journal (aka 'BuJo') is the innovation of ADHD entrepreneur Ryder Carroll and is a really creative and flexible way to budget and track progress. Like many people with ADHD, engaging visuals really help me – so I design custom spending trackers, savings graphs and budget spreads. 

One of my favourite trackers is a 'no-spend' one – you draw a little calendar month within the notebook dots, and allow yourself to colour each day so that you avoid unnecessary spending. Even the small act of colouring in a day can help with the instant gratification that ADHD-ers need.

Image: Instagram @hwangmyeons.

I have a recurring online shop.

This is simple – and it works. There's no way you can sneak in unnecessary items when it's locked and loaded week after week. It was a challenge to set it up, and I thought I'd tire of having the same staple food delivery each week, but it's been a game changer for my family and also frees up my brain to focus on other things. Of course, I do pop into the supermarket for top-ups, but I always write a list, only go to those aisles I need to, and stick to the list.

Listen: Eliza Hull on parenting with a disability on This Glorious Mess. Post continues below.

I harnessed my ADHD with a side hustle.

Our amazing ADHD-accelerated creative abilities can be a valuable asset in supplementing our income. Many women with ADHD have successfully turned their passions and hobbies into profitable side hustles  – myself included (well before I was diagnosed). There are huge advantages to having ADHD as an entrepreneur  – just ask Richard Branson. For one, our ability to hyper-focus makes the often exciting journey of business start-up a natural one. If it weren't for my ADHD, I'm sure I'd still be bored behind a desk.

I am honestly grateful for my ADHD and found that the shift in perspective to see it as a positive has been truly empowering. Being able to harness my condition, and its unique skills, for good, to help in a way I need it most, has been something I am really proud of. 

I get it now – my brain isn't the same as other people's. So while many cost-of-living 'hacks' won't work for me, others will.

Whether it's in tackling the challenges of a cost-of-living crisis or any other aspect of life, flipping the narrative around ADHD can be the most powerful and transformative step an ADHD mama can take.

Megan Hutchison is a mother of two and founder of Forget Me Not Journals.

Feature Image: Supplied.