Struggle with budgeting your Disability/LCWRA/UC/ESA

Phillfroggy

Hi to the scope community.

Myself like many others have found it difficult to budget my monthly UC/LCWRA. I find after putting between £150 - £200 on my utilities and the main shopping I'm not left with much and I struggle to buy fresh milk ..bread and other items as I'm out of money. You can contact the DWP/UC and request your payments every 2 weeks. All you have to do is fill out a form with incoming and outgoings and they make a decision within a few days. I've been accepted as I'm classed as valuable and struggling with monthly payments. I hope this bot of information helps. 

JBS2022

Yes this is not uncommon people with addiction problems can also request 2 payments a month.

bg844

JBS2022 said:

Yes this is not uncommon people with addiction problems can also request 2 payments a month.

4 payments a month in exceptional circumstances too.

Starlingbird

That is a very useful nugget of information @Phillfroggy.

If you are struggling to afford things such as fresh milk and bread, it might be worth considering using a community food pantry (I mentioned this in a different thread recently). I don't think many people are aware of these.

They all work slightly differently, with some having a yearly membership of around £5. They often have free bread and milk, plus very inexpensive veggies, fruit and tinned/frozen/etc. Some work on a donation basis (so you just fill a couple of bags up and pay what you can, often with a suggested amount of a couple of quid). Most get surplus food from supermarkets (Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, etc) and catering suppliers. 

Food pantries are not the same as food banks. You do not need a referral, don't need to be on benefits and don't need to prove your financial situation. They help save on food waste, so are not only helpful if you need to stretch your money further, but also help with the tragedy of so much food going to waste. 

I hope this helps someone.

Hannah_Alumni

Thank you for letting us know this @Phillfroggy. I'm sure this will help more people who are budgeting. 

We also have a page on accessing free food and food banks, which you might find helpful to read. This includes some information on getting free or cheap food without a referral, as well as a with a referral.