Money And Illness

Money AND illness.

There ARE millions OF people living IN the UK that have a long-term health problem that might be entitled TO benefit. ARE you one OF them?

£1,000's of UNCLAIMED benefits for people living with a health condition.
 
Are you entitled?
 
Click here and for just £3.99 you could find out exactly what you can claim  

They often too embarrassed to ask for help and advice. They also do not know who to ask and they do not want to share all of their private / financial information with other agencies. Some of these benefits are what is referred to as,” Non-Means Tested,” Which means that to claim you do not need to share your financial information as it is not taken into consideration.

It will involve requesting or downloading a form that will need completing with the facts of how your condition affects you, your date of birth, GP, your diagnosis, how long you have had the condition. This might feel an overwhelming task but it is worth it if you fulfil the eligibility criteria. If you do not complete the claim form and send it in you will never be assessed and therefore could be missing out on a weekly payment that can be used to make you life a little easier and improve your quality of life.

Just think instead of struggling on the bus you can afford to get a taxi home with your shopping. Pay someone to help you with your laundry, cleaning or gardening. It would be up to you how you spend the payment if your claim is successful.

Also it might be possible for the person that provides the care for the person with the long-term health condition to claim a benefit in their own right. This claim would need to ask some financial questions.

If you need any further guidance regarding this matter, please submit your question and a team member will provide you with confidential advice and guidance.

Common responses are,

“I have never claimed for any thing in my life before as I have always worked.”

“ Not being able to get around as much caused me a lot of stress and also cost me more to live on a day to day basis. Getting good advice enabled me to process a claim.”

“The benefit system is frightening you feel embarrassed asking them for information. It was such a relief to ask someone in confidence for guidance about this matter.”

How can you make the Credit Crunch WORK FOR you?

Why it pays TO walk

Cut out OR AT least decrease your non-essential spending.  WHEN I was a child we would go FOR walks AT the weekend OR play IN the park…ALL FOR free, I now take my children TO a shopping outlet!  AND so do thousands OF other people because they ALL seemed TO be there too.  We drove miles TO GET there AND THEN spent money ON things we could have lived without.  This weekend we ARE going TO wrap up AND go FOR a walk AND take fruit AS a snack instead OF chocolate OR crisps!  AS well AS burning loads OF calories walking stimulates the circulation AND the bowels.  I know we will feel better physically AND mentally knowing we ARE getting fitter, loosing weight AND NOT spending ANY money.  

Walking IS also a great treatment FOR stress, anxiety, depression AND helps TO establish good sleep patterns.  AS you ARE walking you will be releasing lots OF feel good chemicals INTO your body, these chemicals can improve your mood.  If you ARE taking the children they will be getting the exercise AND fresh air too which if combined WITH a good diet will help TO improve their behaviour, concentration, fitness LEVEL AND help them TO maintain a healthy weight.  You will be spending TIME together AS a family IN a stress free environment…AS opposed TO taking the children shopping!
 
Cycling will have ALL the same benefits AS walking AND if you haven’t got bikes try TO borrow them FROM friends TO see if you really LIKE it before investing. THEN look IN the newspaper OR ON Ebay TO see if you can GET one SECOND hand.  

If you have TO take the car TO WORK THEN try parking further away AND taking the stairs instead OF the lift, even small changes will make a long-term difference.
 
Go away takeaway

Stop buying takeaways.  Takeaways ARE a treat FOR every now AND again. Most takeaways ARE high IN calories, fat AND salt content, whilst being low IN fibre AND vitamins. It IS difficult TO know exactly what IS IN them AS they do NOT have food labelling LIKE food bought IN supermarkets. I was reading a news article ONLY a couple OF weeks ago about curries FROM takeaways containing dangerous amounts OF food colouring AND additives.  My ‘late IN FROM WORK AND can’t really be bothered TO make anything FOR tea’ IS jacket potato AND beans. It IS simple, fast AND low fat AND believe me if I can manage it I am sure you can.  I sometimes push the boat out AND OPEN a tin OF tuna!

Break your buying habits

It IS a fact that we waste one third OF the food we buy, so try TO shop MORE sensibly. Plan your meals FOR the week before you go shopping, WRITE a list OF items you really need before you go TO the shops AND stick TO it, do NOT GET tempted by END OF isle promotions OR buying three FOR two WHEN you will NOT use three. The ONLY EXCEPTION TO buying ON impulse has TO be ‘Buy one GET one free’ if you actually use the product.  If you do AND it doesn’t go out OF DATE (OR has a long DATE) buy enough FOR the YEAR! I have a loft FULL OF dishwasher tablets AND toilet roll.  Try buying the brand below your normal, so if you usually buy branded baked beans try the shops own brand, better still try the VALUE beans.  Martin Lewis has loads OF shopping tips ON his website, there IS a link IN ‘Can you save money today?’

I live along way FROM a supermarket AND find that buying online IS much cheaper.  Although I pay FOR delivery I would have had TO use the petrol TO GET there AND I buy ONLY what I need which IS usually similar TO LAST week! The TIME I save NOT TRAILING around the supermarket I could use going FOR a ‘stress free’ walk OR peeling fresh vegetables FOR tea (OR just relaxing IN front OF Deal OR NO Deal!) 

Just LIKE it was IN the ‘Olden days’

GET used TO USING LEFT over food the NEXT DAY OR IN another recipe OR freeze it TO use another DAY.  Cutting down ON your portion SIZE will help you TO steadily loose weight AND save money.  If you struggle WITH portion sizes FOR you OR your children, buy smaller plates.  We shouldn’t be giving children adult SIZE plates AND portions it will make it MORE difficult TO manage their weight.
I am cooking a chicken AND vegetables FOR tea tonight AND I will cook DOUBLE the amount AND plate it up FOR tomorrow night’s tea.  WHEN I GET IN FROM WORK tomorrow I will put it IN the microwave FOR 3 minutes while I make fresh gravy.  It doesn’t take twice the amount OF gas TO cook meals FOR two days AND it cuts down ON the washing up!  Cooking good old nutritious food will help TO boost your immunity AND WITH winter upon us we ALL need TO be able TO fight off colds AND flu.
Drink lots OF water. We ARE so lucky TO have clean drinking water straight FROM the tap.  Swap your fizzy sugary drinks TO water AND you will be cutting out lots OF useless calories AND saving money.

Can you save money today?

This week the supermarkets have taken the lead TO reduce fuel prices but it still remains one OF our biggest expenses.  The fuel TO fill our cars AND the fuel TO run our homes IS costing us a fortune!

If we change the way we drive we could save up TO 50% OF our fuel cost (according TO Martin Lewis) ON the GMTV website he claims that driving less aggressively AND NOT accelerating will save us money.  Try TO keep the revs under 3,000 AND see how many MORE miles you GET out OF a tank OF petrol!

Put SOME TIME aside TO review ALL OF your energy, insurance, television, telephone AND Internet providers.  Decide what you really can’t live without AND THEN SET about trying TO GET it cheaper. GET ALL OF your paperwork out AND go through them one by one.  Once you have ALL the documents out go TO www.moneysavingexpert.com AND just look AT the various sections.  Martin Lewis will take you through each step TO make savings AND gives lots OF other information ON ALL things money.

Have a go AT making SOME money.  If you haven’t already look around FOR things you don’t need anymore AND sort them INTO two piles.  GET a car boot pile OF things that you don’t really think will sell AND you will be surprised what goes!  THEN GET an Ebay pile OF things that ARE IN good condition AND other people will pay money FOR.  You ARE bound TO know someone who IS making money ON Ebay so ask them how TO GET started OR just visit the website, it IS that simple.  Whilst you ARE selling ON Ebay have a look FOR things that you would usually buy new AND see if you can pick up something SECOND hand.

CHECK out MORE ways TO save money ON the blog

Updated: 20th May 2009