I need help with the cost of living and don’t know what to do

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If you’re worried about how you will manage your ongoing costs as prices rise we’ve put together a toolkit of resources to help you handle your finances.

There is a lot of information out there to help, but we understand it can be overwhelming to sort through. If you’re finding it difficult to know where to start we’ve laid out some next steps to help you move forward.

You can read through these before tackling the resources available, or skip to the toolkit below if you’re ready to explore your options.

🤔 Not sure where to start?

If you think you need help and aren’t sure how to move forward you could follow our suggested next steps below to help you make a start.

1️⃣ Get in touch with us if you feel you need help

It’s really important to let us know if you’re struggling and feel you need more support. Please email us at support@ophelos.com, or respond to any messages we’ve sent you, and tell us you need help.

We will never put pressure on you to agree to payments you can’t afford, we simply want to be aware of your situation so we can assist you.

If you talk to us we can:

Suggest resources that may help you
Discuss your options to find something to suit you
Give you some space if you need time to look into the support available
Keep your lender or supplier up to date so you don’t have to (please note we can only contact companies who have passed your account to us)

2️⃣ Consider whether you could manage making payments in the meantime

If you can afford it, keeping on top of payments may help prevent problems in the future, particularly for your energy bills. If you feel able to make manageable payments for the time being you can set something up through your Ophelos account or talk to our team.

If you don’t think you can manage to pay anything right now please let us know. There is help available, and if you are struggling our team will give you space to look into support.

3️⃣ Take some time to think about what you should deal with first

There is a lot of information out there and it may be difficult to know where to start.

Here are some tools which may help you think things through:

Work out which bills to prioritise
Work out which debts to deal with first
Find welfare, benefits, and grants that are relevant to your situation
Check what benefits you could be entitled to

Your first step could simply be deciding to talk to someone for more advice. You can find a local adviser for benefits, housing, jobs, and legal issues here. You can find a list of free debt advice organisations here.

4️⃣ Don’t forget to reach back out

While we are managing your account it is important to keep us up to date. If we give you some space we’ll always let you know how long the hold will last. This is so you’re aware when you need to get back in touch to let us know how you have got on.

When you update us we’ll be able to clarify next steps for you.

This could involve:

Revisiting your options
Giving you more space
Suggesting further resources to look into
Letting you know what to expect with regard to your account

Cost of living toolkit:

Grants, schemes, and increasing your income

How to check if you can increase your income
Guidance on all the extra payments the government will provide to help with the cost of living if you’re in receipt of certain benefits and tax credits
Find funds and support available if you are struggling with household bills
Find grants and schemes to help with your situation, or check which benefits you are entitled to
Speak to your Local Council about any funds they may have available, such as the Household Support Fund. They may also be able to advise you on increasing your income and help you apply for benefits or grants
Find grants, schemes, and benefits to help with your energy bills

Guides and tools

Help and advice

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