# What do you spend disability living allowance on?



## GypsyDancer

Ive just received a cheque of a backdated payment for LO's dla..

I didnt want to apply for it when his nurse first suggested it..partially because i dont see him as having a disability in any way...i also felt like abit of a fraud for trying to get money for him for the same reasons..when theyre's so many people worse off than him..

Anyway his nurse suggested the money could go towards bits he needs ect or i could just save it for when hes older..so i applied..and its been accepted..since then he's been weaned and i can see how abit of the money would help to get him a few bit of extra food that i wouldnt normally buy..

So now ive got this cheque..im unsure what to do with it..

Its lo's birthday next week and i was really hoping to get him a few extra presents but ive been abnit strapped for cash..would it be bad to use some of it for presents? 

Im unsure of what im reallly meant to be using it for :shrug: other than his extra food bits..and maybe a winter coat!


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## ticking.clock

use it for whatever you need hun....
extra towards heating, extra food, presents, lil holiday together ANYTHING

i used my sons to have my bathroom revamped which will benefit my son as it allows more access,
I also use some of it for a private tutor to help him keep up in school.

I also save the rest for holidays/christmas/ days out.............. MEMORIES!!!!


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## Lottie86

DLA is designed to be used to help with the extra costs of things a person needs because of their disability.

We have used it towards sensory equipment for F, towards taxi costs (£100 round trip!) for hospital appts if my OH has been unable to take us, we are currently using it towards payments for a car so we can actually go away and fit everything he needs in (F has a lot of bulky medical stuff and stuff like specialist seating etc to take away with us and so will Iona when she gets out of hospital) and we will be putting it towards equipment we can't get funding for (like at the minute we are waiting for someone to come and assess F in a special walking device to see if he fits etc but Physio told us we'll have to find the money for it ourselves as the NHS won't fund it even though it will be an essential item for him and it costs several thousands of pounds to buy :shock:) and towards paying carers if social work don't give us as many hours of help as the hospital have told them we need.


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## louisechippy

i spend mine on things for our son for instance i have to travel to school on the school bus with him everyday ( as they dont have another adult on the bus ) i have to pay for this privalidge. we go on days out with it with the kids. we buy clothes for our son , infact just did the school uniform shop on it lol....


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## Midnight_Fairy

I buy whatever is needed. I dont feel bad for spending it as long as it is spent on the kids. I dont have the money separate it just kind of adds on to our monthly total. However, he costs me alot because we pay for karate/swimming/taxis to or from school as needed....his food he has to eat at home/school...clothes...sensory items (constantly adding to this sensory room- items are pricey!) sensory toys, days out etc.

We use alot of electric/gas in winter as he refuses to wear anything other than boxers in the house and has to have his bath filled to the brim (rolls eyes)

So I just spend it on whatever you need. Until my driving lessons were funded, I even used part of it for that. Just use it to benefit your child and help with the financial stress of day to day life x


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## Midnight_Fairy

Oh just paid for private assessment with OT that was 100 so that came out of DLA. x


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## Marleysgirl

DLA here goes towards running the car.

If Andrew didn't have to attend so many appointments at the hospital, if we didn't need to meet regularly with his support team, iif it didn't benefit him to be taken to sensory rooms and to sensory support groups ... We could manage without a car. We live close to a Tesco Extra, and close to a railway station (I get the train to work each day). 

Having a car enables us to support Andrew's various needs. Without his DLA, we couldn't afford to run a car.

The increased CTC and Carers Allowance enable us to have one stay-at-home parent, which means Andrew gets the one-to-one attention he needs to progress his development.


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## Aidedhoney

Mine goes in to the household pot.......but Alex does attend 4 groups a week, i run the car, buy him things as suggested by Ot etc etc days out.........treats for him new clothes or new toys to assist in his development.


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## JASMAK

Makena has autism, so we use it for extra curricular activites for social interaction. We get autism funding from the government, but, we also get $500/mth for her dissability (well, that is combined with the child tax benefit so it is for all my kids...but it is mostly Makena's)...and that is what we put toward all the kids with all their needs in mind, Makena in particular.


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## Foogirl

We don't have ours yet, and at the moment we don't need it. My mum gave us a big chunk of money towards private physio and equipment. I intend to put it into a savings account for Abby whilst we don't need it, so it is there for her to help her later in life when the government decides they will stop providing things for her, just because she is an adult.

But the fact is, it is a benefit you are entitled to and how you choose to spend it, is up to you.


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## mom22boys

Over here its called ssi. We had to meet the income guidelines ect... We used it on diapers, extra formula, my sons clothes, we bought him a really nice swing set that could be used during therapy. What ever he needed.


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## Caezzybe

I've not applied for it yet, but when I do I will be using it for the extra costs I spend my own money on right now such as early intervention sessions, a replacement high chair as the old one wasn't suitable for a child with hypotonia, baby music and movement classes, Makaton training, sensory toys, social interaction/role playing toys etc.


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## Midnight_Fairy

yeah I used it for alot of sensory things and sorting his bedroom xx

^^ family fund can help with sensory toys too. x


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## Tegans Mama

We use it to help with general living costs. We use a lot more petrol since Tegan has a lot of appointments. SHe gets through clothes like wildfire because of her crawling and going through the knees. We buy continence products. Specialist toys since she can't stand. Energy bills since we need to keep the house warm or it causes neck pain for Tegan. We do 4 washes a day since she is incontinent. 
We also use it to make up our "general" income. Only one parent can get carers allowance but there's no way it only takes one person to look after her - one person getting up every 90 minutes through the night AND caring for her through the day whilst the other works is impossible.


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## helenb

you should be using the money for anything your family needs hun. there is no reason you should feel bad that you want to use some of it for birthday presents, it is money you get to make him happier and your life easier! 

we use ours for heating (alex needs the house to be kept at a constant temperature, both in the summer and winter), our car (we do have motability for it as he uses an electric wheelchair and we can't transport him any other way), i ensure we get at least one holiday a year to get away from it all and have a break, birthday presents, christmas presents, food (his special diet costs around £100 a week), clothing and equiptment i struggle to get from the nhs. alex needs a particular type of bed that i can't get from the nhs, i save some of his dla for when it needs replacing and then due to his continence issues we need to regularly change his bedlinen etc. 

hope your little one has a fabulous birthday xxx


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