[USER]

I’m trying to get a sense of how other families manage. If you’re living on SSDI or SSI and raising children, I’d really appreciate hearing your experience.

How do you handle essential expenses like rent, groceries, kids’ activities, and utilities?

Do you have pets, and how do you budget for their care?

We live in New Jersey, where the cost of living can be high, and it sometimes feels overwhelming trying to stretch every dollar.

I’m hoping to learn from others—whether it’s tips, resources, programs you’ve found helpful, or just how you make ends meet day to day.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share. Your insights could really help others in similar situations.

[Patricia]

Idk know if it’s possible. Even single people getting ssdi can’t afford live alone usually.

You might have to get snap for food and Medicaid for medical coverage.

[April]

I live in the Midwest, no way we’d make it in the Northeast. Cost of living is cheaper here.

Budget, budget, budget. Find free or nearly free activities. I’ve started delivering groceries to have money for extra groceries and activities too.

I “make too much” for food stamps so there’s that so occasionally I utilize food banks.

I go to the ones I can shop myself because otherwise we end up with foods we won’t or can’t (allergies) even eat.

Shop second hand stores or garage sales for clothes, sometimes I’ll buy clothes during the off season when they’re on clearance.

I do all my own home repairs.

We’re lucky to live close to a park so the kids are there a lot so minimal entertainment needed.

[Irene]

As a resident mentor of a church 15 cottage complex with single women and children we taught home economics, small space square foot gardening and window sill herb gardening to save every and any penny with sales papers, printable coupons, and taking advantage of irregular cut or price reduced meats.

The struggle is real, prayers your way.

[Denise]

Go to your local office on aging and disabilities. They are a big help

[Keyra]

Hang clothes up around the house to dry and turning off hot water heater when you don’t need it.

Save big bucks

[Barn]

Nebraska ssdi here .my husband works two jobs we also doordash and sell stuff we don’t use on Facebook.

I don’t eat a lot so that there is plenty for my husband and child (my husband doesn’t so I can eat if he knows I’m really hungry) I’m trying to learn to make bread and things like that.

If you drink pop / soda save your cans my little recycling place offers money per pound of cans.

Off brand is all we buy. we only eat chicken because that’s what’s the cheapest meat where we’re at. We get veggies from a local greenhouse.

Our utility’s are in our rent so that helps. Whenever I cook, I make enough to make a freezer meal for later on.

we don’t go on vacation and if we do, it’s something that we can make a day trip out of and be back home so that we don’t have to pay for a hotel.

I stayed home with the kids not because it’s a luxury but because we can’t afford daycare, we make too much to qualify for honesty assistance from the state we only shop for groceries at Walmart and dollar tree the only time we go to like our other stores is when they have flash sales on different things that we consume.

We hardly ever buy anything new.

[Kay]

Make sure you apply each fall for energy assistance for those NJ winter heating seasons. You should be income eligible.

They may even have crisis funds when the cold months end if the initial help given was not enough to get you thru.

[Brandt]

Maybe re-home the pets (they are expensive) and focus on low cost activities for the kids (like scouting) and free town programs (movie nights etc) for the family.

Good luck

[Sharon]

Are you in affordable housing? If not, please apply and enter the lotteries.

Reach out to your county office and they will help you find programs you qualify for.

Also there are many churches with food pantries.

[Emily]

I will have child support for the next 4 years. All my kids but 1 are living with me.

The older ones work and pay bills.

We will all rely on each other.

[Melinda]

Also, some churches do free dinners, no questions asked.
The church I went to as a kid has spaghetti dinners once or twice a month and they always encourage people to bring a plate home.

It’s family style so people would talk with each other and it kinda felt like going out to dinner without the high cost.

[Phillips]

Also, in Nj- it’s ridiculous.
Me and my parents will literally just work until we die.

I can’t even get on SSDI- they keep refusing me.

I am so bad I can’t drive far so it hard to find work.

[Katee]

Reach out to every food pantry you can get food from, if at least if there’s a few you can go to at least once s month it’s something,
also if you go to the kids school they should a a social worker and help with finding resources for the kids, summer is come of might have something to help with summer camp,

If you go to your local animal shelter and ask if they have some food they usually will have extra and should have list for help with vet care

[Samantha]

From my understanding most people that live off disability as their only income have to live with other people to afford housing, unless you can get into hud housing or section 8.

Please be aware that disability can take over a year to get an answer about and they often deny you the first go around.

Purposely make it difficult to get.

[King]

If you are on ssdi make
Sure, you have filed to get it for your children as well. They are entitled to it if you have worked enough for yourself
To get it. This does not apply to SSI.

It’s hard. Apply for food stamps. Plan meals. Buy what’s on sale. Hit clearance items for meat.

Get pet insurance if you plan on getting pets for emergencies and save monthly for normal care.

My girl is 10 and I got insurance to have peace of mind. Well she has dry eye and IVDD and they have paid out $30k in claims.

It started at $29 a month in 2016 and now is $42 a month. I will never not have it.

For kids activities look for free things to do. Also check with children’s museums in the zoo because chances are if you’re on public assistance, they give discounted prices.

[Norma]

My best advice is to call 211. They are the United Way, the umbrella organization for all the organizations in your area.

They know about the HUD and Section 8 housing, about emergency funds, about food pantries that have registered with them in your area.

[Author]

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