#neurodivergent finance

[dreams-of-klag]

A lot of people see credit cards as either a sort of casual loan or as sort of like gambling-- a scary scary nightmare debt machine that you shouldn't touch. And yes, they can be a scary nightmare debt machine if you use it like a loan, but when you use it right, a credit card can be really useful.

Just to note, i am not an expert, just a 28 year old with ADHD who has been using a credit card without incident for six years. So here are my tips for how to use a credit card without screwing yourself over!

It is not a loan card. Do not. DO NOT. DO NOT purchase things on a credit card that you could not purchase on a debit card. "But my paycheck is coming next week" NO. "But I can pay it off over a few months" ABSOLUTELY NO. You don't know whats going to happen between now and then or over those few months. If something comes up and you need to spend your paycheck on something other than your credit card payment and you're stuck with that debt on there, it will start piling up interest and that shit adds up FAST. This is a cycle you do not want to get stuck in. Pay your card off IN FULL EVERY MONTH. I am not joking. Pay it off. In full. Every month. Don't spend money you don't have.

Set up an autopay for the minimum monthly payment. I have my bank automatically pay the $25 minimum every month. This way even if i forget to pay the full bill exactly on time, I wont get hit with a fee for not paying the minimum.

Your credit limit is not money that you have. The credit limit is the maximum amount of money that a credit card will let you spend in one month. In theory, it is the amount of money that the bank trusts you to be able to pay back. In practice, it is a way for a bank to entice you into spending irresponsibly so that they can charge you more interest. When i got my first credit card at 22, they gave me a $10,000 credit limit because BANKS DO NOT CARE IF YOU LIVE OR DIE. To be clear, if i spent $10,000 on my credit card today, i would spend the rest of my life paying off that balance and the accrued interest. Your credit limit has no relationship to reality. Do not spend money that you don't have.

Dont wait to the end of the month to pay your bill. Pay it whenever you think of it. Hell, I sometimes send four payments in a month. Most credit card companies make it easy enough to check the balance on their app, so whenever i think of it, I'll check my credit card balance, then go to my bank account app, and pay whatever the amount was. It does mean i need to have other ways of tracking monthly expenses because i dont get one clean total at the end of the month, but it just eases my mind to know i wont miss a deadline or completely miss paying it.

Just get one. People go out and get like seven credit cards. This can work for people who really game the rewards system, and if thats you, more power to you. Sometimes it can be beneficial to have one separate card that you use for online purchases, but i do not feel the need to do this.

Ok so given all of this, why use a credit card in the first place instead of a debit card? There is nothing wrong with using a debit card if it works for you. I just get nervous having something with a direct link to my bank account just out and about in the world, so a credit card gives me some level of protection there. Also, the really big evil banks that host credit cards have really robust security, so if a suspicious charge comes up, they're really good about detecting it and reimbursing.

Rewards points! I forgot about my cashback rewards for a hot minute anthey piled up! i just ordered $120 boots and used my cashback so i only had to pay $2. If i were spending on a debit card, that would just be money I'm not getting.

We all have to live in this bitch of a system, and truly the only way to survive is to know how the game works (not that I do). This is not to say that everyone should go out and get credit cards. If you struggle with impulse control or compulsive spending then this is not for you.

TLDR: Credit cards ARE inherently evil and WILL try to scam you out of your money, but if you know how to use it and follow its stupid rules, you get free boots and your checking account will be less likely to be compromised.

[feline17ff]

Found a new YouTube channel called The Financial Diet. Videos include:

"You're Not Ugly, You're Just Poor": A Deep Dive (watched)

How The Wealthy Gaslight America

It's Not Just You: Jobs Didn't Used To Be This Terrible (watched)

The Toxic Boomer Money Advice You Need To Unlearn (watched)

3 Lessons From My No-Buy Year That Totally Changed My Finances (watched)

3 Things I No Longer Buy After My No-Buy Year (watched)

4 Lies From The Beauty Industry That Trick You Into Spending More Money (watched)

4 Minimalist Principles I Practice After Quitting Shopping For 1 Year (watched)

Overcoming "Post-Traumatic Broke Syndrome" & Building Real Wealth (watched, features TheBudgetnista Tiffany Aliche who talks about the finances of grief, the lasting effects of being broke, and what it means to be truly good with money)

Why ADHD Makes Money So Hard (And What To Do About It)

[shrine2mylife]

If there’s something I want to talk about I will find a way to rope it back into the conversation again and again. You will hear about my hyper-fixation weather you like it or not.

[vizthedatum]

I don’t want to do poorly at my job - I want to improve healthcare with my skills. I work with people who do care about their projects and patients.

I am upset at the lack of transparency and the EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL PAIN of being neurodivergent and having disabilities within academia.

I know I can appear healthy and as a “woman” but I’m not either. I am healthier and more productive when I am supported.

Including support from my social supports as well.

And I want to be financially stable after upending my whole entire life last year so I can have the family I want.

—

I am realizing that people who are able to be in my life without causing me harm… is up to me.

I need better boundaries.

And I need to not take it personally if someone can’t match what I expect.

And I can feel what I feel… and express that.

(I am upset and annoyed that this is all so hard to do - like, it’s all up to me?! Stfu 🤬)

[kneptoon]

Shoutout to leftists who are too poor/disabled to give back to their community.

Shoutout to leftists who are too poor/disabled to shop at local/small businesses.

Shoutout to leftists who are poor/disabled and have to buy things from Amazon and other megacorps because it’s the most cheap or convenient.

Shoutout to leftists who are too poor/disabled to reduce their environmental footprint because they need the single-use plastics.

Shoutout to leftists who can’t go vegan because of dietary needs, disordered eating, or neurodivergence.

Shoutout to leftists who can’t volunteer or go to community events/protests/noise demonstrations because of inaccessibility.

Shoutout to leftists who can only be politically active online because they’re housebound.

Shoutout to leftists who are disabled and are rarely politically active because they simply don’t have the energy.

Shoutout to leftists who can’t be politically active because they’re under the care of a guardian or are trapped in an abusive situation, and they don’t have control over their finances/belongings.

Shoutout to leftists who can’t read theory, or who have trouble reading theory, but still do their best to learn.

Shoutout to leftists who can’t understand theory at all because of cognitive/intellectual disability.

Shoutout to leftists who want to be more active in their community but can’t because they struggle with anxiety, socializing, or maintaining relationships.

Shoutout to leftists with personality disorders, complex trauma disorders, conduct disorders, OCD, psychosis, and any other leftist whose personality or thoughts often unwillingly go against their beliefs due to a trauma response or chemical imbalance.

Shoutout to leftists who don’t have any “practical” skills that would be needed in a commune (i.e farming, building, sewing)

Shoutout to leftists who are too busy simply trying to survive to even think about being politically active.

Shoutout to leftists who have to always ask for mutual aid but can never give back.

Shoutout to all the leftists who can’t do this and can’t do that and can’t do the things that leftists are “supposed” to do. No one person is perfect.

You aren’t a fake leftist for not being able to do these things. All that matters is that you put in the effort, in whatever way that you can.

It’s not about your abilities as an individual. It’s about our power as a collective.

[maryleemaynard]

The Creative & Finances

I say creative, but I really mean the Neurodivergent individual… My latest discovery around my own healing was how financial trauma can affect your decision making. Aside from your general nature, your traits, your background and how you were raised, the fact that the school system does not have a diverse set of programs that include budgeting and basic investment and savings education is a…

[authenticallyspicy]

Navigating Money and Success with the Wisdom of the Chinese Finger Trap

In our capitalist society, money and material wealth are often equated with status, worth, and security. The logic follows that the more we accumulate, the happier and fulfilled we’ll be. But the Chinese finger trap teaches that grasping too tightly suffocates rather than satisfies. Could there be another way to approach prosperity that creates genuine and sustainable abundance? The Risks of…

[atlas-accidental]

Hello!! I'm having financial troubles lately and I need help getting a car so I can find a better job to support myself.

Hi! I'm Joey, but I use Atlas online. I'm a 20 year old neurodivergent transmasc who loves fandom. I write fics sometimes and make silly doodles and memes of my blorbos, for whom my brain functions like a centrifuge.

Recently, I've been having car troubles (among others) nonstop and have been without a vehicle for some time now. I hate to do this, as everyone seems to, but my lovely girlfriend has made a GoFundMe to help me out. Truthfully, it would be benefitting her as well.

She's doing her best to help me get around, but she can only do so much and my city doesn't have very viable public transportation options.

I'm hesitant to ask for this sort of support because posting this here puts a lot more of my personal info on this blog than I ever intended to, but I'm truly in a bind. Needs must and all that.

Any help would mean the world to me, even just spare change or a signal boost. I don't expect anyone to donate if you don't feel 100% financially comfortable doing so, but support of any kind goes a long way.

Thank you thank you thank you for even so much as reading this post. If you can't spare some cash, even knowing people care enough to pause means a lot.

[mosephf]

You know what? I've tried to make it through on my own but I can't anymore. I'm asking for help.

Hey all. I'm a queer, neurodivergent graduate student, and though my school pays us a stipend for TAing, it's below the poverty line. They ban any outside work (I would be labeled a part time student and lose my scholarship), and this last summer I was required to take a class that took 50 hours a week, ignoring my 3 hour a day commute. We do not get paid over the summer, and it's not like I had time to cook food or work, so I accrued a lot of credit card debt from commute and takeout costs. Any liquid cash I had went towards rent and my commute costs.

If we count out rent ($913), monthly train pass ($360), and bills (~$200), that leaves me about $20 for things like food and meds each month. I was barely breaking even before inflation, but now I can't get my feet under me at all. Interest is building, and I just want to see that number finally tick down.

If you have a dollar, I would extremely appreciate it. My venmo is maefei. Any little bit helps.

[thearticulateautistic-blog]

While many companies are beginning to better understand how the autistic brain works and how it can bring new and beneficial perspectives to the workplace, autistic people are often still “typecast”, in a fashion, as fitting into only a few specific roles.

If you’re unaware of the term “typecast”, it’s used to describe actors who continually get very similar roles in movies and television because their audience can’t easily separate them from a specific character type. (Hence the name.)

Ironically, due to the limited portrayal of autistic people in media, real-life autistic people are often viewed and treated in a similar way. For example, they are often seen as savant-types who struggle with social cues but can solve complex mathematical problems in seconds or build a new computer from scratch in a day.

(Click on the link below to continue reading the article.)

https://www.us.specialisterne.com/avoid-typecasting-autistic-people-into-tech-only-jobs/

[spacelazarwolf]

I think part of the stupid idea that adhd (and other meds) are addictive is the false (but deeply held for some reason???) belief that our adhd/neurodivergence and/or other conditions are obviously temporary or a phase and underneath we're quote on quote "normal"? But of course we'll need those meds for a long time, perhaps forever, because our brains will be wired the way they are forever! It's so frustrating.

YEAH!!!! meds are seen as a stopgap until you’re able to magically cure your adhd through sheer willpower. and if you can’t and still have to rely on meds, that’s a sign you’ve somehow failed to do the work to manage or “overcome” your adhd. like. i’m sure there are absolutely people out there who are saying diabetics don’t need insulin and they can just treat it through diet or some shit, but truly in the same way that diabetics need their insulin in order to function, i need my adhd meds in order to function. being unmedicated is miserable. every time i have to go through periods of being unmedicated because of insurance or finance issues, it’s always some of the hardest times of my life bc i literally cannot get my brain to do the things it needs to do. sheer willpower is not going to fix a chemical imbalance in my fucking brain!!!!

[flowercrowncrip]

I’ve just found an amazing organisation in the UK who provide audiobooks for disabled and/or neurodivergent people who struggle with physical books!

I recently signed up and on first impressions there are lots more options than my local library’s audiobook choices. Some of them have a little bit of a wait for them but it’s not too bad.

https://www.listening-books.org.uk/

It’s £20 a year but they can cover the cost if finances would be a barrier.

[bynux]

Asking For Donations — This Will Likely Be My First & Last Time Doing This

Cshpp - $d1pl0mat

Hey all, I'm a neurodivergent transfeminine person who could use a bit of a financial boost. I've been unemployed for over a year due to autistic burnout and a lot of life circumstances piling on in a short time. Thankfully, things seem to be settling into place and good things are on the horizon, but I need a bit of a push to get there.

The Good: I currently have an apprenticeship lined up that will pay me well and get me into my desired field of software development. I only have to do a behavioral interview (which I expect to pass with flying colors) and I'll be starting training next month. This will enable me to move in with my partners and largely get my life back on track.

The Not-So-Good: That still leaves me with about a month and a half of not getting paid yet. Like I said above, I've been unemployed for just over a year, taking odd jobs and helping my partner(s) with finances as a way of keeping afloat. However, the family I'm living with has their food assistance on hold and I'm unsure when that problem will subside. This is on top of running low on gas, medical weed, and with a phone bill due in the very near future.

This request isn't quite as urgent as some of the others you might see, but if you have $10-20 to throw my way I'd be insanely appreciative. I'm seeking a total of ~$300 to be solidly set with groceries, gas, meds, my phone bill, and a little overhead for incidentals.

Thank you in advance <3

[jeaninesfavouriteserum]

Genivive's Esmé Squalor Headcanons

this is more fun than therapy, hope you like them! i might add more :) (i'm following TV series canon!)

- she used her commonplace book to record everything people said about others and everything she overheard others say about her, meticulously organized by what was said and who said it. it was her own little book of secrets

- she was always better with numbers than with words, and she always felt like a bit of an outsider for that

- she was the only one to ever sweeten her tea. she tried to ignore how her friends looked between each other every time

- her birthday is the 28th of August, making her a Leo

- she HATES using typewriters with a passion. having her nails done all the time means it's far too easy to make typos

- she got her master's in theatre but was still constantly plagued by the fear that she'd never make it: and ended up going into finance instead

- some kind of neurodivergence?? i haven't decided what yet, but there is so definitely something

- esmé had had a fascination with fire long before the night at the opera, but she'd always carefully concealed it. when she watched that taxi drive away, she finally gave up trying to hide it

- officer luciana was her favourite disguise of the lot

- her handwriting is perfect cursive, which is almost comical when put next to count olaf's chicken scratch

[confessionsofa-roleplayer]

A lot of people in the RPC don’t realize that people don’t owe you their life story when it comes to why they aren’t able to do things. I’m disabled. I’m neurodivergent and I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder. I’ve alluded (briefly) to the fact that it’s been rough balancing new medication for these conditions and being off work (i had to take mental health leave, previously worked full time). What I HAVEN’T said is that said stress, culminating from severe anxiety, was leaving me so crippled I’d lay on the floor for hours sobbing. I didn’t talk about being in so much emotional agony from panic attacks that I had very, very scary thoughts about making that pain stop. I didn’t talk about the fact that my family doesn’t prioritize me, that my manager was abusing me as an employee (managerial abuse), or that I had to go NC with one of my parents. I haven’t talked about how dealing with money and finances has only added to my stress, or about how I’m financially struggling (and no, no donations posts on my blog—that’s not my vibe and feels wrong for me personally). I don’t owe anyone that information. So being pissed and upset that I can’t get back to you on a prompt when I’ve barely been able to get a post out here or there? That’s icky. There’s far more going on behind the scenes that your mutuals may not talk about or may not WANT to talk about, and people need to be FAR more empathetic about “activity” and “slowness”.

[learningfromlosing]

I literally ran out of options before I could get to a "multiple options, all options, or no options" section to be able to click. But feel free to add all that! I'm really struggling right now, and I just feel a little more connected when I know I'm not the only one who struggles and there are others out there like me. I know this might seem, idk, personal, and you don't have to answer it. I just.. don't have a group of friends to ask or anything like that. You don't have to participate, but if you want to it would help the world feel a little less big and a little less empty.

I have borderline personality disorder, cptsd, ADHD, and agoraphobia. I struggle with it all, but I think how my parents make me feel dictates my entire life if I'm honest. I'm struggling and I can't ask them for help because they think I'm just lazy and do it to myself instead of being told by doctors not to go to work. My fiance is autistic, ADD, ocd, and bipolar. We struggle everyday it feels like. What do you struggle with?