[Image ID: a Reddit post on r/ADHD by user u/Phaesporic. the text is white, with a black background, and reads:
When you buy things, pay the ADHD tax upfront.
I've seen a lot of posts about the ADHD tax-- the late fees, the groceries that go bad, lost items, impulse purchases we never touch... you get the picture. It's real, and it sucks.
One thing I've noticed lately, though, is how sometimes, you can get away with paying a smaller ADHD tax if you plan ahead when you buy things. Hear me out.
1. I could buy a whole crown of fresh broccoli for like, $1.50, but I won't get around to washing, cutting, and preparing it. A $2.50 bag of pre-cut, pre-washed broccoli will get eaten. Instead of a $1.50 ADHD tax for broccoli I won't eat, it's a $1.00 tax for broccoli I will eat.
2. A cute planner or notebook with a great layout is worth $30 if I will actually use it. An awkward-to-use planner that I'm not motivated to ever touch is useless, and not worth spending even $5 on.
3. With vitamins, if they're not gummies, I won't maintain the habit of taking them. I'll pay extra for the gummy vites that I will use versus the regular ones I will waste.
Other things include: paying for Spotify Premium because I know that ads (or going to find music elsewhere) will distract me. Only buying clothes from stores with really long return windows, even if it's pricier (REI lets you return things for a full year, bro). Paying more for a phone with a really long battery life so it's not dead half the time.
As someone who was raised to be frugal, a lot of this stuff feels kinda shameful almost? But when I stop and think about it, I stand by my assessment that it's actually cheaper this way.
Edit: thank you! but please don't spend money on awards. spend it on pre-washed, fresh cut broccoli, pals
Edit 2: Y'all make some great points. The encouragement and understanding in the comments is making my whole week.
After some further reflection, some things really stand out to me:
1. Viewing willpower and energy as limited resources is critical. Purchases are cost + willpower + energy. Whole, unwashed broccoli is lower on cost but higher on willpower and energy demands.
-> I feel like we can punish ourselves for wasting time. Like I convinced myself "don't buy pre-prepped veggies if you're gonna waste 8 hrs on video games, you can spare the time." But that's basically punishing myself for having ADHD by depriving myself of vegetables I'd actually eat.
-> Besides, maybe the 20 mins I save by having pre-prepped broccoli means I have enough mental energy to wash some dishes after I eat, which means washing dishes on Saturday takes 40 minutes instead of an hour, which means I have enough energy to clean my room, and so on.
2. Frozen vegetables & fruit, meal kits, and bulk purchases help. I will also add: did you know you can freeze bread?? Then toast it and it's good!
3. Point of caution: spending more on something doesn't necessarily mean it's more likely to be used. We have all been there. But if something will genuinely be more usable or more functional at a higher cost, it might be really worth it.
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