If you’re like most Americans, you owe money toward a large loan. Whether that means carrying thousands of dollars in credit card debt, having a hefty mortgage in your name, or making car loan payments each month – loan debt is part of your life.
It can all get kind of depressing—but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can pay off your mortgage, auto loan, credit card debt, and any other debt you’re carrying quicker than you thought possible with a carefully applied technique. These tricks won’t hurt your finances in any dramatic way, but they can make a big difference to the total interest you’ll pay over the life of the loan and help you become debt-free faster.
A note of caution before we explore these tricks: Check with your lender before employing any approach, as some loan types have penalties for making extra or early payments.
1. Make bi-weekly payments. Instead of making monthly payments toward your loan, submit half-payments every two weeks. The benefits to this approach are two-fold:
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Your payments will be applied more often, so less interest can accrue.
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You’ll make 26 half-payments each year, which translates into an extra full payment on the year, thereby shortening the life of the loan by several months or even years. If you choose this method with a 30-year mortgage, you can shorten it to 26 years!
2. Round up your monthly payments. Round up your monthly payments to the nearest $50 for an effortless way to shorten your loan. For example, if your auto loan costs you $220 each month, bring that number up to $250. The difference is too small to make a tangible dent in your budget, but large enough to knock a few months off the life of your loan and save you a significant amount in interest.
3. Make one extra payment each year. If you can’t make bi-weekly payments, but you like the idea of an extra yearly payment, accomplish the same goal by committing to just one more payment in the year. You’ll only feel the squeeze once (tax or bonus time, perhaps) and you’ll still shorten the life of the loan. You can also spread that extra payment throughout the year. Divide your monthly payment by 12 and then add that cost to your payments all year long. You’ll be making an extra payment while hardly feeling the pinch.
4. Refinance. If interest rates have dropped since you took out your loan or your credit has improved dramatically, contact DoverPhila Federal Credit Union to ask about refinancing, whether the loan is with us or not. Refinancing makes the most sense if it can help you pay down the loan sooner. You should easily be able to afford shortening the life of the loan with a lower interest rate.
5. Boost your income and put all extra money toward the loan. Cut the life of your loan short by earning more money and putting the extra cash towards your loan. Consider selling stuff on Amazon, moonlighting as a consultant, or taking on a side hustle. Even a job that nets you an extra $200 a month can make a big difference in your loan.
Triumph over your loans by using one or more of these tricks to make them shorter and pay less interest. Feel free to contact DoverPhila Federal Credit Union if you have questions about loan repayment or if you need a fresh perspective on debt repayment. Our free, on-staff financial counselors can help!
