Tips for living independently and managing bills
Amber
Amber tells us her top tips for living independently as a young disabled person during the cost of living crisis.
Recently the cost of living has gone up. The gas and electricity have gone up in my flat. The petrol that I put in my car has also gone up.
As a person who has a disability, I feel anxious as I worry they may go up each year. I worry if they become too expensive, it might cause problems for me in the future when I'm older.
My tips for managing anxiety
- Speak up if you are worried, and find a person you know and trust.
- Keep all your bills together, so you have a record if you need one.
- If you bank online, this might be useful as you can see what goes in and out.
- If you're entitled to benefits, then this is worth looking into now prices have gone up. Make sure you get advice if you're not sure how to apply. There are organisations you can get advice on about benefits and housing. If you're unsure about anything, you can get advice from them.
- Write things down. This might be useful so you can track where you're up to.
- Setting up a direct debit will help you manage your bills, so you have not got one big bill to pay each month for everything.
Where you can get support
The organisations you can go to get advice about benefits are:
I hope that by having the list of organisations you can get help from regarding benefit enquires does help you, and they give you the advice you want.
When mum explains things clearly, it helps with my independence. If things are explained clearly, I am more likely to understand something.
Things I do to help manage my finances
Day to day, how I manage is if I am not sure about my bills or they don't make sense, I'll ask mum and show her the bill I got through the post.
When my mum shows and explains to me, it really helps as it means I can understand how much I have been charged for that month. When mum explains things clearly, it helps with my independence. If things are explained clearly, I am more likely to understand something.
- Walking or using the bus instead of using my car saves money.
- I look around for the cheapest places to get petrol from.
- I have direct debits, so I can spread the cost and not one big bill.
- I put an extra layer on instead of putting my heating on, saving money on my heating bill.
- I switch the light off when I am not in my room, saving money on my electricity bill.
- I keep my bills altogether, which helps me track where I am up to.
I hope this blog has helped you think about how we can get through the cost of living crisis. But remember that if you are feeling cold, switch the heating on if it comes to it, as you don't want to get hypothermia. Remember to keep safe and look after yourself.
Get support
You might be finding cost of living pressures overwhelming. Remember, you're not alone and support is available. We've pulled together a list of charities and organisations that can provide support.
