What are 'essentials'

Can't sleep so.

Just nosing on one of the government websites about sanctions- I remembered about the I Daniel Blake film and it brought this up.

Help if your payment is stopped or reduced

You can ask for a hardship payment if you can’t pay for rent, heating, food or hygiene needs because you got a sanction. You’ll repay it through your Universal Credit payments - they’ll be lower until you pay it back.

You must be 18 or over.

You’ll have to show that you’ve tried to:

• find the money from somewhere else
• only spend money on essentials

It doesn't say what essentials actually are does it, but isn't it a tad insulting if they cut your money and then dictate where you spend it?
The money somewhere else, begging off friends or family I presume. 
And because its linked to the rent element, stopping it might effectively stops your rent. Hasn't anyone high up not thought that's a really **** idea! If there is one thing I think is a bad idea about UC, it's that.

I've turned off the heating because what I get now to live on it needs to be only when its 'essential'. But according to this they will give you a hardship payment. So how many of us live in hardship already. 

Pointless thread. Can't sleep.