You Want Money For What?

By admin, March 8, 2013

Some of us work hard, pay our dues, but are still flat broke at the end of the month. Then there are those who seem to cruise through life and they are always doing the things we cannot afford to, despite the fact that they have a worse job and yet still drive a more expensive car than that which we drive. It is okay to feel aggrieved, but when you realise those people are bouncing from one loan to another and are rapidly reducing their spending power, it is also okay to feel a little happier. The problem is that those kinds of people always seem to manage to scrape their way out of a financial mess right at the last minute, but is that any way to live your life.

What is a Good Reason?

We all know the answer, nobody wants to dread letters coming through the door because they don’t know if they are going to be able to pay them or not, that’s why it’s important to make sure we use loans responsibly. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get ridiculously in debt for a family holiday to Cancun, it just means we shouldn’t do it twice in a year, although many people do just that. On a less serious note, some people have come up with some crazy reasons for loans that are definitely worth sharing.

Top Five Mad Loan Reasons

1. I want to buy a pet snake, Spider, Monkey or other exotic animal

Fair enough, exotic animals need the correct environment and a great deal of care. Bills at the vets are liable to run into thousands if animals lack proper care, but borrowing a few thousand pounds to kit out a spare room like a Brazilian rainforest is a little eccentric. It’s a little more worrying when there is not spare room and the person states that they live in a one-bedroom flat.

2. A loan for a Friend

One sure way to lose friends is to lend them money. Well, that’s not strictly true. Lending the money is fine; it’s asking them to make repayments that often cause the arguments. If someone cannot get a loan, it’s usually for a reason so you are well advised to leave them to deal with their own problems. Things come to a head when repayments are late and the friend is out on the town every weekend.

3. Borrowing to Invest

In all fairness, most businesses borrow to invest, but that is a lot different from someone taking out a personal loan to invest in a business venture or worse, the stock market. There is no safe investment out there that provides a better income than the cost of a loan; otherwise, the loan companies would put their money into those investments instead of risking it with customers.

4. A loan to pay off a loan

This is not to be confused with a debt consolidation loan, which in certain circumstances is very useful. The type of loan that is not useful is the kind that people use to cover missed payments, late payments or any other short-term problem. People are far better off when they speak to the company they have a loan with and explain the situation.

5. A loan for Cosmetic Surgery

This is a new one, but both men and women are becoming so conscious of their appearance, they are prepared to take out huge loans to achieve a certain look. The problem is they are rarely satisfied even after spending thousands and of course, the cost rises even higher when interest is on top. Most plastic surgeons offer finance solutions to customers and this is nice little side earner for the practice who already rakes it in with the surgery costs.

Most people are not silly enough to get themselves in a great deal of debt because of something as stupid as the five reasons here, but we are all guilty of putting the odd thing on a credit card when we know it’s not a necessary purchase. The important thing to do is make sure you stay within your means. In other words, live the life you can afford to live and avoid plastic surgery, exotic pets and high maintenance friends if you want to protect your credit record.

William Bancs is a writer who enjoys blogging about his financial experiences and often writes interesting articles to offer advice to help loan companies communicate better with customers.