by Lina Martinez
There is nothing worse than having a thriving career and working social life and it abruptly coming to a stop. When you’ve had an accident or injury that has taken your ability to work away, you are left in a situation where you have no choice but to learn to manage your now tiny budget. A lot of people cannot return to work after a serious accident, whether that happened at work, as a pedestrian or on the road in a car. It doesn't matter if the injury affected the brain, the legs, the spine or any other area of the body. If an accident has affected your ability to work, you need to work out how to make life easier for you and your finances.
When you cannot physically work, you have options. Ideally, you will have put an emergency fund of money to one side to carry you for six months. Unfortunately, many people don't do this and are left feeling empty when they realize they need funds. You may well have instructed a car accident lawyer to work on your behalf and get you the compensation that you deserve, but that can take some time. If you find yourself in a position where you are waiting for money, you need to take steps to make sure that you can pay your bills and ease your financial pain.
Create a budget. It has to be the basics of the basic while you wait for more money to come in. Cancel social memberships and regular payments that are too much. Get in touch with creditors to explain your situation and set up a budget for the groceries and utilities. Call service providers and ask for better rates while you’re not earning and if they can’t, tell them you’re going to shop around for something better.
Sell, sell, sell. Generate an income by selling household items that are in good shape and you just don't need anymore. If you don't want to go the online route, go to stores on the high street and sell your stuff there.
Coupons. There is a lot of popularity surrounding couponing, because while you cannot take groceries from the budget, you can save how much you spend on them. Digital couponing is easier via apps but most newspapers still print coupons that you can take into a store. It’s a good way to stock up on the things that you need.
Eliminate the unnecessary. It’s a great idea to binge watch your shows when you’re unwell, but you can save by cutting back on those subscriptions. See if a good friend will let you use theirs while you’re recuperating and save yourself the extra cash.
Take the time to research your options and know how long you will be out of work before you touch those emergency funds. Don’t wait around for someone else to figure it out for you, either, because you have to manage your money yourself when you cannot work.