A personal loan could be a lifesaver if you need money to cover expenses. A fair proportion of borrowers prefer personal loans because they can serve a multitude of purposes. Be it taking your family for a vacation or paying for home improvements; personal loans have you covered.
However, you should consider repayment options before taking out a loan. It is always to your advantage to pay off your loan as quickly as possible so that you can save a substantial amount on the interest. If you have borrowed a loan for the first time, you may be wondering how to efficiently pay it back. Let us walk you through the steps that will enable you to pay a personal loan like a pro:
- Increase Your Payments
If you pay more than the bare minimum amount on a loan payment, it will take you less time to pay off the loan. Adding simply an extra $100 to your monthly payment might be very effective in the long run. Or, depending on your financial standing, you may choose to pay a round figure. For example, if you are liable to pay $360 every month, paying a lump sum of $400 might be ideal for you.
- Lay Down A Budget
Setting a budget should be one of your first steps when formulating a repayment strategy. After calculating your monthly repayment amount with the help of a calculator like the NZ personal loan calculator, it is critical to keep track of how much money you still have. For this, you can utilize reliable budgeting tools that simplify monitoring your monthly expenses. Aside from tracking your monthly spending, these applications allow you to save money for your installment by set saving goals.
- Boost Your Payment Frequency
For an even greater impact on your loan, you should increase the number of times you pay. It bears worth mentioning that interest is calculated daily. So, according to the rule of thumb, the more often you make payments, the less interest you will have to pay.
Switching to biweekly installments instead of monthly repayments can make a significant difference, more so if the biweekly payments are exactly half of your monthly amount.
- Explore Lender Debt Pay Off Plans
Some lenders offer various plans to pay off your debt more quickly. Though some of these programs may impose additional costs on you, pay the fees if you think they help your cause. In addition to lenders, other third-party companies also charge a small fee for a reliable debt payoff program.
They have comprehensive systems and software programs that may take care of everything for you or at least tell you what to do. In most cases, borrowers do not require these services unless they are not disciplined enough.
- Cut Costs
If you leave your flat and move to a less costly neighborhood, you could probably save hundreds of dollars per month. However, by doing so, you will most likely bring misery upon yourself. Hence, it may not be worthwhile to go to such extremes. You are better off cutting the following minor expenses from your budget to free up some additional cash for extra payment:
- Avoid buying coffee from outside; brew it at home
- Opt for a lower-cost cellphone plan
- Try working out at home instead of going to the gym
- Skip eating outside at least once a week
- Get rid of cable. You can purchase a quality streaming service for a fraction of the price of cable
They may not add up to much when taken individually. But if you stay on top of all these measures, they will surely give you some wiggle room to pay more to your lender.
- Do Multiple Jobs
To help pay down your personal loan, you may want to consider taking on a second job during the nights and weekends. If you are ready to sacrifice some of your free time for a brief period, this will put you in a much better financial position to pay off your loan.
You might want to think about working as a nanny or a waitress on the weekends. In case you have not had a part-time job in years, it can be difficult to overcome pride and apply for hourly-paid work. That being said, if you have free time, it is a worthwhile endeavor by all means.
- Keep The Door Open To Refinancing
If you had taken a personal loan because it was the best deal available at the time, there is a good probability that the market has improved since then. After making on-time and timely repayments for some time, your credit scoremay arise. As a result, you might receive loan offers with lower interest rates than those of your existing loans. Although personal loans typically have a short term, it never hurts to shop around for a better deal.
- Consult A Credit Counselor
Many nonprofit organizations provide free or low-cost credit counseling services to the public. With a credit counselor, you can sort your budgeting issues and review your finances. Thanks to a debt management program, these professionals may also negotiate with your lenders to halt collection actions.
To work with a credit counselor in your state, contact the attorney general of your state. We recommend you have a minimum 30-minute phone, online, or in-person session with a counselor before allowing them to take matters under their control. Also, have all of the pertinent financial information ready, including your monthly expenses, amount of loan, household income, and so on.
- Seek Debt Settlement
You might be able to minimize the amount of money you owe by engaging in debt settlement. Borrowers can negotiate their debt settlement by directly contacting creditors and suggesting repayment arrangements that include lower interest rates.
Taking out a loan is a significant financial commitment. Therefore, you should only do so if you are sure that you can afford it along with your other obligations. But the good news is that if you do a little bit of planning and abide by the tips listed above, you can live a wonderful life without your lenders ever troubling you.
