Being sick could leave you without a decent income. While many employers may offer sick pay, this is not always enough to live on. Fortunately, there are other ways in which you can financially survive when too sick to work. Here are just a few ways to fund yourself when sick.
Take up odd jobs online
You may not be able to do your job, but you may still be able to do small odd jobs online. This could include anything from answering surveys to doing people’s online shopping for them. Such work may not make you a lot of income, but it could still be something to help you get by.
Sell stuff you don’t need
A lot of us have possessions in our home that we don’t need or want. Being ill and off work could provide you with the perfect opportunity to sort through these belongings and sell them for cash. There are many sites online that allow you to sell such items locally – people can come and collect these items from your home. If you feel that you don’t have the energy to sort through your stuff, consider asking a friend or family member to help.
Know what you’re legally entitled to
If you’re likely to be sick and off work for a long time, you may be able to apply to social security benefits. In other cases, you may be legally entitled to compensation from a company or individual for an injury that they may have caused you (this could be the reason that you are off work). Workers’ compensation lawsuits are just one option that you could look into if you were injured at work. Such compensation could also help to pay for any medical treatment that you may need.
Reach out to your close network
Friends and family may be able to help support you if you are ill. Don’t be too proud to ask for help – your friends and relatives will likely be sympathetic to your needs. It could even be a simple case of doing shopping for you.
Take preventative measures
There are many measures that you can take to financially safeguard yourself in the future from periods of long-term illness. Starting up a rainy day fund could be one option – this is a savings account that you can dip into when disaster strikes. You could also consider setting up forms of passive income such as renting out property or making money from ad revenue or investing in peer-to-peer lending – this could provide you with a steady income even when you are unable to work. Of course, the best way to stop yourself financially struggling as a result of sickness is to not get sick in the first place. By making an effort to live a healthy lifestyle, you may be able to ward off many illnesses and diseases that could cause long-term sickness (you can’t protect against all health problems, but there are many that you can avoid).
