Ways To Stop Impulsive Spending with ADHD

Excited Shopping Woman isolated on white

Many individuals have experienced buying something impulsively without a second thought. However, when you have ADHD the impulsive spending increases.   This doesn’t mean that you can’t limit the impulsive spending, and here are some tips on how.

Take Care of Your ADHD- One of the main reasons why adults with ADHD enjoy shopping so much is because of a thing called dopamine.  When a person buys something they get a shot of dopamine.  This is because your ADHD brain has less dopamine than those without ADHD.  We as human beings like to do certain things that make us feel good, so the impulsive shopping will continue. On the other hand, if and when you treat your ADHD your levels of dopamine increase and impulsive shopping doesn’t seem like a real problem.

Carry Cash – One of effortless ways to stop impulse spending is to only carry cash, so that you can only spend a limited amount. You will find that you think much more carefully about spending, and may even find that you hang on to all your cash. Leaving your cards at home will avoid the temptation of picking up any expensive luxury purchases.

Wait 24 Hours Before Buying – If you see something that you like and you want to buy it, instead of giving into your impulses, walk away and give yourself 24 hours to think about it.  The chances are you will lose interest in the item or you will realize that you didn’t like it anyway.  Don’t buy an item on the grounds that you can always return it, and it will just sit in your closet with the tags still on it.

Shop with a list or a plan -Having a game plan is important.  Try to only focus on the items that are on your list.  Great deal or deal of the century you say?  At least give it some thought while you’re shopping.  Don’t immediately place the item in your cart.  Stick with your list!

Track Your Spending – The best way for an adult ADHD to determine if you have a problem is to review where you’re spending your money every month.  Good tracking of where you spend money and on what will tell you where your spending priorities are.

Create A Want List – Creating a want list is a great way to avoid impulsive spending. By having this want list you have already established the items that can potentially entice you to spend.  Putting them on the list allows you to think about how important they really are and prioritize them for future purchase.

 

 

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