GROWING INTO FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (EVENTUALLY)

By Jeanjeanie at Life In Sparkle Motion

Adult ADD and money. If you have ADD, then like me, you probably find that these two topics are inseparable. How many of us can name mismanagement of funds as one of our biggest setbacks in life? Quite a lot of us, I would bet. Good money management is right up there with organized closets, lasting job satisfaction, punctuality and regular sleep as elusive holy grails constantly sought by our addle-brained selves. I once dug myself into such a deep hole that I could no longer make the rent. My choices were either to move back home or become a street person, which is how I came to be over thirty and still living with my mom. Not something I hold my head up about in mixed company, but not so unusual, either, when compared with other ADD-ers. I'm sure someone reading this can relate.

The good news, for me at least, is that I have gotten better at the whole money management concept. I still live at home, but my husband (who doesn't have ADD, but, thanks to a pesky bout with cancer has suffered his own setbacks; he's better now, though) and I are preparing to move out on our own. Where once I would have dug myself further into debt by paying all of my bills with credit cards so that I could use my cash to hurry up and move, now we're diligently saving the money we'll need while still managing to whittle away our debt. I still haven't learned to balance my checkbook regularly, but I keep a Post-it in my wallet to jot down my bank card purchases -- or, if I'm in too much of a hurry even for that, I stash my receipt with the Post-it and deduct it before the next time I go shopping. It's a system. It's not one that everybody around me approves of, or that will work for everybody, but it works for me, and I haven't bounced a check since I started doing it.

My other system works pretty well, too. Sometime after turning thirty I started listing all of my bills for the month in my personal calendar, marking down the due dates and the minimum amounts due. Every payday, before I buy myself so much as a cup of coffee, I log online and go through my calendar, paying every bill that's due between the current payday and the next one. I pay what I can online and make myself write checks right away for the rest. If there's enough left over, I'll funnel some into a savings fund. What's left after groceries and gas is mine to spend on whatever. I'm getting better about NOT spending it and applying it to debts instead. Even if it doesn't seem like much, it's amazing how much a little bit adds up over time. All of this means that late fees no longer get the better of me, I'm no longer dodging calls from collection agencies, and the amount of my debts, while still substantial, is at least headed South.

Somehow, at the age of thirty-three I think I've finally managed to become financially responsible. It took a lot of trial and error, some of which involved soul-crushing feelings of failure, and there's still room for improvement; but I've learned how to stay afloat, and even how to make some headway. As I prepare to move out on my own for the first time in five years, contemplating not only taking care of myself but managing a household... it's terrifying, actually, though not as terrifying as it would have been a few years ago. I can't say for certain that financial setbacks are a thing of the past--nobody can say that with absolute certainty. But I can at least rest assured that, so long as I stick to my system, they won't happen because of forgotten bills and late fees.

Comments

[bluntmoney]

It sounds like your system is working for you, so that's what matters. Good luck on the move, and congratulations on the changes you've made to date.

[Joe]

I know some people have experienced success using text message alerts for bills, e-billpay services, and the like, but I still personally like to have all bills put next to my briefcase so I see them every morning before going to work...haven't missed a payment yet!