Ok - wrote a long reply and mn lost it grrr!
So short version:
Pip - Get help to claim - I also have ocd and my “mobility” is mainly impacted by this as it has made me agoraphobic, it’s NOT just if your mobility is impacted by physical limitations although it sounds as if you are by the IBD
I highly recommend using your local welfare rights office which are in your council usually part of the social services/social care dept (purely in terms of organisation)
I have NOT had good experiences with CAB on this subject and I have tried several different offices.
The forms are deliberately designed to be LESS likely to lead to a claim being upheld, and while it’s disheartening be prepared to appeal. Very common for first claims to be declined - as you’ll have seen in the news a large number are overturned on appeal.
I made the mistake of trying to do the forms myself at first, long story short when I took photocopy of initial claim to an advisor they were quickly able to point out LOADS of omissions and errors - because we naturally tend to want to paint ourselves as “coping” and not include any embarrassing info. I had also made the mistake of thinking I was only supposed to answer re main condition - no you include EVERYTHING that affects you on a daily basis.
I appealed with support and the initial decision was overturned AND the claim backdated.
I actually am wondering if you may be eligible for ESA/UC on the basis of disability - again this includes mental illness when severe. I’m on ESA.
With either you can still work, with ESA there’s “permitted work” and of course with UC there’s sliding scale allowances.
I’m not saying you’ll definitely be successful, but I do think with the right advice and support it’s very likely you will be and it certainly won’t hurt to at least get the advice.
If you’re not using the car it makes no sense to hold onto it. At the very least SORN and reduce the insurance although I would caution against some posters advice to add someone who never drives the car into the insurance as that would be fraud.
Generally on budgets:
Do a spreadsheet with ACCURATE information.
I suspect - as many of us do I’ve done it myself - you may be over estimating income and under estimating expenditure
Go through bank statements thoroughly and check the ACTUAL amounts.
My online banking app makes this very easy to do eg I’ve increased my grocery budget as prices have gone up with lockdown and I needed to adjust for that.
PLAN - don’t just budget for monthly outgoings, but for EVERYTHING
I was a single mum on a tight budget for many years and learned early on I had to get organised!
After the first tough couple years I caught on to myself (and discovered money saving expert!) and started to set aside money each month for “occasional” outgoings. Everyone’s pressure points are slightly different and they change over the years too. Mainly for me it was a case of:
Jan - jun - this block was savings for summer holidays and back to school costs
July - Dec - this was for Christmas and dds birthday (which is a few weeks after Christmas and I struggled with initially)
Also things like new clothes and shoes seasonally (winter coats, summer swimsuits etc - top tip for kids before they hit fashion conscious years - buy in the sales at the END of each season in the next size up for the next year eg buy winter coats when they’re in the Easter sales - I never paid full price for a winter coat for dd till she was at least 13!)
Haircuts (although admittedly I learned to cut ours as we both hated going to hairdressers for different reasons - me with the ocd I don’t like being touched, dd has a physical disability which meant the seats and sinks were uncomfortable for her)
New specs (keep an eye on your favourite opticians website for sales and offers to take advantage)
Loyalty schemes and shopping around - not just groceries but for EVERYTHING! I’ve been with Plusnet for 11 years and I pay less than £20 for phone and broadband with a mix of special offers and haggling!
To those pps questioning the issue of access to mh treatment - this is how things are in many places now, those of us with long term “incurable” conditions we are seen as too much of a drain on resources and frequently fobbed off and ignored. I’ve recently started with a new psychologist after over a year of no support at all and it’s only happened due to me kicking up a stink basically! My gp, Mp and msp have ALL gone to bat for me and it’s still taken all that time to get any help. I have friends and family all over Uk who also have long term dx - bipolar, ocd, schizophrenia... and they’re having the same experiences. It’s very much deteriorated in recent years but that’s really a whole other thread! So I completely believe and accept what the op is saying on that and would like to point out that while I totally understand it was NOT the intention of these posters to do so, but doubting the ops experience on this is another form of prejudice, and it’s very frustrating and quite honestly heartbreaking when people don’t believe what the mentally ill are telling people of their experiences in having difficulty accessing treatment. We ARE telling the truth yet so often the mentally ill are disbelieved.