Four ADHD-Friendly Speed Bumps to Stop Impulse Spending

Vanessa, an ADHD money coach and host of The Distracted Dollar, explains that “buy now” buttons are dopamine traps that hit ADHD brains harder due to impulsivity, time blindness, and emotional spending, and that shame after impulse buys reflects a system designed to exploit this. She shares how she paid off $24,000 in debt by understanding that the dopamine rush comes from imagining an item’s potential (e.g., planners promising an organized life) rather than the purchase, which leads to a crash, disappointment, and more spending. She teaches four concrete “speed bumps” to create space before buying: name the emotion, use a better-question protocol, do a partner check-in, and apply a 24-hour screenshot-and-wait rule. She recommends choosing one to start and mentions her course at https://vanessamdean.com/mastering-your-impulsive-spending-course-1.

00:00 Dopamine Trap Intro

00:31 Why Impulse Buys Happen

01:20 The Promise of Potential

02:07 Break the Shame Cycle

03:06 Build Spending Speed Bumps

03:37 Speed Bump Name Emotion

04:21 Speed Bump Better Questions

05:18 Speed Bump Partner Check

06:07 Speed Bump 24 Hour Rule

07:04 Why These Work for ADHD

08:58 Start Small and Practice

09:57 Course and Closing