Once the money hits your account (usually within 3 working days, sometimes same day if you cry hard enough on the phone), do. not. celebrate. I did that once. Bought a pizza and a cheap bottle of wine. Then I realized I had nothing left for the bus to work the next day. Use the advance for exactly what you told them: rent, bills, food. Treat it like sacred survival cash.
Also, mark your calendar. The repayments will start. Write down the amount and the month they start so you don’t get a nasty shock when your UC statement shows up. And hey, if you handle this right, you’ll never have to do it again. Or you will, because life is chaos. But now you know the cheat codes. You’ve got this. Go feed your cat and sort your life out.
