The Real Cost of Being Different
Your Monthly ADHD Tax Bill
Hey friend,
Found three different Home Depot bags while organizing my tools last weekend.
Same project.
Same supplies.
Three different trips because I kept forgetting I'd already bought them.
That's $89 in duplicate hardware supplies. This month alone.
If ADHD had an invoice, mine would be brutal:
• $89 - Those duplicate screws (see above)
• $35 - Library fine (books are definitely somewhere)
• $47 - Rush shipping because I forgot to order till last minute
• $62 - Another phone charger because I left mine... somewhere
• $43 - Groceries that went bad with the best intentions
That's $276 this month. Just in ADHD tax.
But the financial cost? That's the easy part to calculate.
The Emotional Invoice Hits Harder
• 3 hours searching for things I just had
• Guilt over wasting money I don't have
• Shame when I find those duplicate purchases
• Energy spent managing the fallout of forgotten tasks
• That sick feeling when you realize you did it again
Ever calculated your monthly ADHD tax? Or are you afraid to know the number?
For years, I beat myself up about this. Called it carelessness. Lack of discipline. Character flaws.
Then I got diagnosed at 40 and learned: This isn't a moral failing.
It's the cost of navigating a world built for different brains.
Building in Damage Control
So I've started building in damage control:
The Practical Stuff:
• Take photos of supplies before shopping (game changer)
• Automatic payments for everything possible
• "Lost item fund" in my budget - no guilt, just reality
• Digital lists that sync to my phone
• Accepting that sometimes I'll still buy three bags of the same screws
The Mindset Shift:
• It's not waste, it's accommodation cost
• Forgiveness is cheaper than shame spirals
• Systems over willpower
• Progress over perfection
That third bag of screws? Now they live in my "ADHD tax drawer" - proof that I'm human, not broken.
A Note for Leaders
That team member who's always buying new supplies? They're not careless. They're paying a tax you'll never see on their W-2.
The cost of having a brain that works differently shows up in ways that traditional workplace policies don't account for. When we create systems that work with different brains instead of against them, everyone benefits.
The Path Forward
I'm still learning to budget for my brain. Some months are worse than others. Sometimes I find those library books. Sometimes I remember where I put that charger.
But I've stopped treating ADHD tax like a personal failure. It's just... life with this brain.
The goal isn't to eliminate it completely (though we can reduce it). The goal is to budget for it, plan around it, and stop beating ourselves up about it.
Because shame is the most expensive ADHD tax of all.
What's your most frustrating ADHD tax? Mine's apparently home improvement supplies. And phone chargers. And library books. And...
Hit reply and tell me about your most expensive ADHD moment. Let's commiserate together.
Talk soon,
Tyler
P.S. - I'm working on a guide about building systems that actually work with ADHD brains, not against them. Because the right systems can cut that tax bill way down. If you're interested, just reply and let me know.
P.P.S. - Those three bags of screws? I used them all. Eventually. Small victories.