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MoneySaving tips for disabled people

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  • Disabled blue badge holders can get free or reduced road tolls. Merseyside residents can apply for free passage in the Mersey Tunnels-250 transits a year. Apply through Merseytravel. People outside Halton can get free transit on the Merseygateway bridge for 3 years after a £5 fee. The M6 toll also has a similar scheme+it was £15 for 3 years when I last applied 6 years ago.
  • 50Twuncle wrote: »
    Thanks for this - is there a link

    Here, with some other useful stuff too:

    https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-help-health-costs

    Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?
  • SouthWest Water run a scheme called 'Water Sure' which means we pay a capped price for our water (it's about £48.00 per month) even though we are on a meter. We applied for it on SWW's website, and it saves us about £500 per year.

    I don't know if you have to be in receipt of at least one of these benefits as well as having a skin condition - I think you do need both - but it's worth asking for sure. Thinking on it, I do believe you have to be on a low income (hence the benefits proof) as well as having the skin condition.
    .
    Water Sure should be supported by all water companies (Yorkshire Water do) but it's means tested, so you (if I have this the right way round) need to be on income related ESA, not contributions (and therefore also PIP doesn't count)

    Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?
  • Several of us in the household are on lifechit meds & so have Medical Exemption tickets - I've recently used mine plus a snap of my prescription to get a disabled persons railcard which is seriously useful.

    I bought a case for keeping mum's Blue Badge & clock together, which the family picked out as being both luridly tasteless pink and also very tactile, so easy to find in the depths of the handbag. (I became much more aware of the texture of things as a result - the optician was baffled that I'd pick glasses in seconds but agonise over a hard case so I could find it by touch!)
  • In Wales, Welsh Water have a discount scheme, and also a scheme for priority service in the event of an outage.


    Also look up "hynt" - it's a card you write off for, which gives your carer free access to the cinema or theatre when they accompany you.
  • egarobar wrote: »
    In Wales, Welsh Water have a discount scheme, and also a scheme for priority service in the event of an outage.
    To mirror this info for England: Again I think all companies offer the priority service, not just water but also gas/electric, Cadent (gas infrastructure) and whatever the equivalent for electric is. I have found however that these utilities have a short memory and so less than a year after signing up you may need to remind them when that 'scheduled works' letter shows up.

    Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?
  • gingerbreadmen
    gingerbreadmen Posts: 150 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 18 September 2019 pm30 9:31PM
    Really? That's very cool! I shall have to keep it in mind for whenever I'm well enough again to go out for more than a few hours.

    If you need a basic powered wheelchair not covered by the NHS but can't afford one new, do your research on different models, decide which would likely be most appropriate for you, then look on eBay. (Make sure you can test it out first before committing to buy though.) Also many mobility companies have sales on ex-demo models or stock clearance - not as cheap as eBay but they are practically new and usually come with the standard warranties.

    Ebay is also good for other mobility equipment or daily living aids, but if it's from a business seller make sure they don't charge yous bay VAT.
    This is against Ebay Rules you are not allowed to go and see the item before you buy it.
  • This is against Ebay Rules you are not allowed to go and see the item before you buy it.

    ...but thinking out loud, if you have a reasonable vendor and there is trust then maybe the sale can be voided on the spot and the goods 'returned' just like any other ebay purchase (?)

    Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?
  • ...but thinking out loud, if you have a reasonable vendor and there is trust then maybe the sale can be voided on the spot and the goods 'returned' just like any other ebay purchase (?)
    One would hope so yes. I think its madness that you can't go and view an item before you bid/buy it.
  • If you are an injured/disabled veteran and receive a war disablement pension, there is the free Transport of London Oyster card. You don't have to live in London to get it and you can travel free on the buses/tube/trams/trains in and around London. Also gives a discount on the Emirates Cable car over the Thames and the River Bus/Boats.

    https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/veterans-oyster-photocard?intcmp=54722#on-this-page-2

    Also if on Motability, a grant of £660 if you need an automatic car - it is to help cover for the difference in advanced payments between manual and automatic cars on Motability. It is not means tested either.

    and the free AA membership - Disabled Drivers Assistance complimentary membership card.
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