Why Budgets Don’t Stick: ADHD and Money Management Strategies | 107

You start a budget feeling motivated… and a few days later, you’ve already abandoned it. Not because you lack discipline — but because the system was never built for your brain.In this episode, we break down why traditional budgeting methods fail — especially for those with ADHD or busy, unpredictable lives. You’ll learn how to simplify your system, reduce overwhelm, and build a flexible budget that actually works in real life.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• Why budgeting failure isn’t about discipline
• How ADHD and “out of sight, out of mind” impacts money
• Why static budgets don’t work in real life
• How to simplify your budget into 3–5 core categories
• Practical ways to stay consistent without overwhelm

Full Show Notes: https://www.jewlzthebudgetnerd.com/blog/why-cant-i-stick-to-a-budget

Podcast Disclaimer

This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. As a financial coach, I share insights, strategies, and tools to help you make more confident decisions with your money—but personal finance is personal. Your situation, priorities, and goals are unique, and what works for one person may not be the right fit for you.

This content should not be considered financial, legal, or investment advice. I encourage you to seek guidance from a trusted financial professional who can understand your full financial picture and provide personalized recommendations.

Additionally, while we may discuss topics related to stress, habits, and behavior, I am not a licensed medical or mental health professional. Any insights shared are based on personal experience and research and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace professional medical or psychological advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for support in those areas.

By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that you are responsible for your own financial and personal decisions.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Right, So why can't I stick to abudget?
Have you asked yourself this before?
Maybe you've asked yourself thisnumerous times and you're just
like, you know what? I'm going to give up.
I'm not going to do it. So today's episode, if you have
ever made a budget, abandon it afew days in and you're like,
this is not for me because you feel like you lack discipline.
I want you to stick around todaybecause it is not because you

(00:22):
lack discipline. It's because the system was
never built for your brain. So stick around because today's
episode is just for you. Now, if you've been listening to
the show for a little while, youmight have noticed a little
pivot happening. And that's because I really
decided to lean into something that I have found I've learned
about myself. But also as I started talking to
more listeners of this show and also the, the people in my world

(00:46):
and realizing that many of us struggle with ADHD, whether
we've been diagnosed before or if we are self diagnosed, maybe
we're like, you know, I really relate to all of this.
The traditional ways of doing things might not feel like
something that works for you. And so that's what this show is
about. Because I, that was something

(01:08):
that I learned about myself muchlater, even though I studied
economics, I got a degree in it.I have studied personal finance
for the last 25, actually over 25 years, accumulated over
$107,000 on my own personal debtand paid that off.
And then this last year was diagnosed with ADHD.
And so I started talking about it more because one, it's been

(01:32):
really helpful for my process. But also I have learned there's
so many of us that this is something that we're like the
traditional ways or maybe the ways that we are taught to do
things, especially when it comesto our money management might
work for a maybe for a hot 2nd, but then they just, we cannot
stay consistent. Or we maybe, you know, budgeting
just sounds so restrictive. And that's what I always thought

(01:53):
of. But I was like, OK, I'm really
great at putting these together and I love it.
I mean, I'm Jewels the budgeter for Pete's sakes, right?
So I love creating budgets, but following them was very
challenging until I learned a few things.
And so I want to talk about those today.
And this is kind of kicking off a miniseries talking about money
and ADHD and some of the most common questions that I get

(02:15):
asked. And so I also, this is part of a
celebration for the podcast because it was nominated for a
women podcaster award again thisyear.
So I'll make sure to put the info in the show notes so that
you can vote for that starts April first voting does.
So if you're listening to this live, you might have to wait
just a little bit longer. But I wanted to dig into these

(02:35):
most commonly asked questions because I feel like answering
questions is like, this is my gift.
And especially when it comes to money management because I've
learned things the hard way. And so I'm here to teach you and
share these things with you so that you don't have to do things
the hard way anymore and you canfeel better about spending your

(02:57):
money. You can feel about better about
reaching your money goals. And so if you have ever felt
like, you know what, I'm going to do this budgeting thing, I'm
going to pay off my debt and you're super motivated and you
get it all set up and then you never look it again.
This is this is this is for you.Because that is one thing that
was challenging for me too. So the thing that I want to make

(03:18):
sure that you hear me say is budgets don't fail because it's
not because they don't work. It's because they aren't created
the traditional way, maybe of budgeting is just the, it's the
way that doesn't work for us. And so if you've tried other,
you know, other budgeting methods and you're like, hey,
this, this doesn't, this doesn'twork for me.

(03:38):
Then I want to talk about something today that has helped
me kind of shift things around and prioritize certain things
over other, other things when I'm talking about spending,
because it has helped us, my family and I be able to spend
with confidence and not, you know, get the grocery store and
go, Oh my gosh, I hope there's money in the account.

(03:59):
Like, I know, I know what's in there.
And so couple of the things thatcome up when we're talking about
money management and ADHD is outof sight, out of mind.
And so maybe maybe that's you. Maybe there's just too many
categories. Have you tried to put everything
down that you spent all of your money on?
And so if you struggle with decision fatigue and maybe just
like being overwhelmed by all ofthat, then maybe you need to

(04:21):
scale it back a little bit. Me personally, I have to make
sure that I don't, I get certainthings, I will prioritize some
spending one month versus another.
And so I put my, if you look at my personal, our household
budget, there's a lot of categories in there, but that's
what's helped me. And so that might be different
for you. And that's why personal finance
is so personal is because we have to figure out what works

(04:43):
for us. And the other thing that comes
in when it comes to figure out what works for us is static
budgets are not real life. They don't match the, the real
life, especially for raising kids, just basically breathing
right now. It's just not the way we set our
spending at the beginning of themonth.
It's going to change throughout the month because of our lives
are going to change, where our priorities are going to change.

(05:07):
Things are going to come up. And so if we give ourselves the
grace and know that those thingsare going to change, it makes it
a little bit easier. So when those things come, we
don't have to go down those shame spirals or the the self
loathing of we can't do it again.
So the one thing that's really important is you know it for

(05:29):
that out of sight, out of mind, if that's something that you
struggle with is keeping it at the forefront.
So if you use a budgeting app tomanage your finances, then put
that, maybe that's on the home screen of your phone so that you
remember. OK, I'm going to check that out.
Maybe it's setting up reminders.I know that we have a standing,

(05:49):
my husband and I have a standingbudget meeting every single
month to just go over and look at our spending for the month.
And sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn't.
And that's the part where we have to give ourselves grace and
go, OK, but we, it's not that wehave gone back into debt.
We, it's a conversation that we have on a regular basis, but we
do have it on the calendar. So we make sure, hey, we've

(06:11):
checked in, but typically throughout the, you know,
throughout the month, we'll havea little, you know, conversation
like, Hey, you know what, let's focus this month in on this, on
this goal. So for us personally, right now,
that's preparing for the weddingof our oldest daughter.
And so our spending looks a little bit different than it
might in, you know, the springtime of any other year

(06:31):
because we're not focused on on that big event every year,
things like that. So a simple action that you can
do today to help with this, helpyou answer that question, why
can't I stick to a budget is giving yourself some grace.
And maybe it's cutting your budget down to three to five
main categories this week. So maybe it is, you know, it's

(06:51):
keeping a roof over your head. So it's those expenses that are
going to go in there. So maybe that's housing and
mortgage or housing or mortgage,it's going to be your utilities
and then maybe it's going to be food.
And then other categories that could be in there are, you know,
health, so medical expenses, gymmemberships, that kind of stuff.

(07:11):
And then a couple other categories that matter to you
and your family. So keeping them a little bit
more general might help you as you get started.
And it's just like, if you've gone to the gym after being, you
know, away from the gym for a long time, and you're like,
like, oh, this hurts. So like, let's let's break into
this slowly and gently. And so creating those categories

(07:33):
that aren't, you know, every single subscription that you
have. Maybe you just lump
subscriptions together. So if you want to make a budget
that actually works for your brain and not against it and
allows you to feel empowered when it comes to spending your
money and you can spend it with confidence.
So when your kid asks that question, hey, can I get this?
You'll have an answer. This is exactly what we build

(07:54):
together inside the Alliance coaching member, so you don't
have to figure this stuff out alone.
So I'll drop the info in the show notes so you can check that
out. But I hope that this episode was
helpful for you and encouraging for you to get some clarity on
why budgeting has been so difficult in the past.
And so stay tuned. We're gonna be talking about a
few more questions that come up often about managing your money

(08:17):
when you have ADHD. All right, talk soon.
Thank you for tuning into the Debt Rebel show today.
Ready to take your family budgeting to the next level?
Stop that paycheck to paycheck grind and start living debt
free? Head over to my website,
debtrebelpodcast.com. That's DEBTREDEL podcast.com to

(08:41):
grab resources, tools and tips to make it happen.
And don't forget, subscribe, leave a review.
And if you know another family that will love hearing today's
episode, it would be such a giftfor both of us, your friend and
me. If you share this episode and
remember your debt free life starts with one brave step and
I'm cheering you on every step of the way.

(09:03):
We'll talk soon. Debt Rebel.