Do you have ADD? If so, does this sound like you, "Payday isn't until next week, and I'm totally out of money!" or "My credit cards are maxed out and I can't keep up with the payments," or "Oh no, I forgot to pay that bill again. Now, I'm going to be hit with a $30 late fee!" Any of these situations can happen to people with ADD because most of us don't really like dealing with money. Here are some tips to help you cope with your money situation better:



A Simple Bill Handling System

Take some time today to buy some colored, hanging file folders. If you don't have a file cabinet, pick up a file box, too. Then, when you get home, make some labels for the folders, and give them names like bank statements, utility bills, automotive expenses, etc. Don't make it too complicated or another ADD trait will rear its ugly head---procrastination.

Then, each day when you get the mail, sort it right away. Stand over the shredder or trash and choose which pieces go into the trash and which stay with you. Take care of anything that needs attention right away and pay the bills that you get right away and then file those into an appropriate file in your file cabinet or box. If you can't pay a bill immediately, put it in a special place, like the front of a desk drawer, so that when the money becomes available to pay bills, you'll know exactly where to find them.

If you don't already use online banking, stop worrying about the security because banks are pretty secure. Nothing is 100% of course, but your chances of getting into trouble with an online banking account are slim. So, once you have this set up, and as each bill comes in, go to your account and fill in the information for the payee. You'll only have to do this the first month. After that, all the information is right there, and you can just point and click at the bills you want to pay. Not only will this help with your ADD boredom over dealing with finances, it will save you lots of time.

When you're finished paying your bills, be it online or off, put the paid bills with the date of payment written on the front, into one of the colored file folders. That way, when tax time comes around, all your financial records will be at your fingertips.

Avoid the Dreaded Spending Urge

Go out today and buy some hanging file folders, make sure they're colored. Get a file box, too, if you don't have a filing cabinet. You can buy them quite inexpensively, probably in the same aisle. Then, go home and make a folder for each class of your expenses, like utilities, credit cards, medical payments, etc., and keep it pretty simple. Otherwise, if you break it down into each credit card, rather than just one file for credit cards, you may run into another pesky ADD trait---procrastination. Anything looking too complicate might cause this response.

And don't carry a pile of cash or a debit card. Find a bank that offers free checking and open a separate account for yourself. Each month around payday or whenever you get paid, give yourself an allowance that has to last until your next payday. If you run out of money, you don't get any more to spend until the next pay check arrives. After you run out of money a time or two, you might be less likely to indulge yourself with unneeded purchases.

And if you want to buy something, decide whether you need it or just simply want it. If you think you need it, just walk away and take 25 hours to consider the purchase. Once it's out of your site, you may find that it's really a want, disguising itself as a need.

Always Pay Yourself First

You should also have a savings account, one that you never touch for any reason, and put at least 10% of every paycheck into that account. That way, when you need money for a house, or money for a car down payment, or whatever, it will be there. This account is only for very big, very important items. But no matter how much you make, always pay yourself first.

These tips are great for people with or without ADD. Put at least one of them into practice and see how well it works for you. We guarantee that you'll be back to try another.