A guide to managing your finances if you’ve been injured

Posted on 2:39pm Friday 11th Jun 2021

Unless you’re lucky, you’re probably going to be injured at some point in your life, if you haven’t already been. Sometimes these injuries are small and can be easily fixed, like a scrape or a light sprain. Other times, they may be big but temporary injuries and you may not be able to work as a result of an injury. And, of course, there’s always the possibility that an injury could lead to permanent damage. Injuries are something we all want to avoid – they can have severe physical and mental impacts. Aside from that, however, the treatments for these injuries often cost a lot of money, which could lead to financial strain, or not being able to afford the necessary treatment. We’ll be sharing a few tips that may help you manage your finances a bit better during this stressful time.

Personal injury claims

If your injury occurred as a result of someone else’s actions, you may be able to claim money from them to cover the expenses relating to this injury. There are various types of personal injury cases – from a slip and fall in a mall to a car accident to an injury that occurs on work property. However, they can be very hard to prove, so we’d recommend that you talk to a personal injury lawyer if you want a better chance of winning your case and receiving monetary compensation.

Insurance

Insurance can seem like all it does is drain your finances. After all, you spend money on it every month. However, if you have medical insurance and you get injured, we promise you that it’s worth it. Depending on your medical insurance provider, you may be able to put in a claim and have some – or even all – of your medical expenses covered. You can click here to learn more about the subject.

Make some budgeting cuts

Look, your health should come first. Sure, you may be accustomed to a certain way of life, and be used to having a lot of luxuries, but if you need to sacrifice them to cover the financial fees of your injury, then it’s a step you need to take. This doesn’t need to be permanent – it should just cover your medical expenses until you have a better long-term plan. Of course, you need to make sure that you still have enough money to cover the basic expenses such as rent or food, but you can reduce your monthly expenses in other areas of your life. Then you can start getting your finances back on track after an accident.

Assess your work situation

Hopefully, if your injury prevents you from working, you have sick leave or some other type of leave that you can utilize while you recover so that you don’t lose your income. If, however, you will have to go on unpaid leave and you can’t afford your medical bills without an income, you’ll need to try and find a way to work. Talk to your employer and see whether arrangements can be made for you to work half a day, or to work from home. This way, you don’t have as much pressure each day, but you’re still earning an income. And who knows – it might just help you achieve a better work-life balance.

If you need more money in the current UK lockdown then check out my blog post 19 ways I've made money at home during the lockdowns for some inspiration and these: