Lending a thought to Logbook Loans

It would be great if we could always afford to pay for whatever life throws at us, and if Christmas, birthdays and car repairs were all budgeted for well in advance. But this is reality. The real world isn't always quite so kind, so predictable. And so, there are times when we all have to reach out for a little financial help in the form of a loan.

There's a wealth (see what I did there?) of people queueing up to lend you money to help stretch to meet the unexpected, especially if you believe the all-singing, all-dancing, brightly coloured friendly adverts on the telly. But the telly doesn't tell the whole story. Loans come in all shapes and sizes, and it's important to find the one that fits you, so you have to look at the small print.

The APR is the easy bit, though it doesn't tell the whole story – if you only want to borrow for a relatively short time it's not all that relevant, though it does give you a rough idea of how expensive or cheap a loan may be. You also need to look at any arrangement fees, transfer fees, early repayment fees, and the PPI that's still in the news. All of these can add to the cost of a loan, and aren't always so easy to spot upfront, so it's a good move to check them out before you commit.

Obviously, when we take out a loan, we expect to be able to pay it back. It's kind of the deal. But life can get complicated sometimes, and if circumstances change it can be a whole lot harder than planned, so it's a good idea to look at what might happen if you can't pay the loan back. Some lenders add penalty fees, others sell the debt on to a collector who adds their own fees. Some take you to court and try to get a County Court Judgement (CCJ) to force the payments, or if your loan is secured on your property, a lender could repossess or force a sale on your home.

Securing a better deal

Offering security can be a good way to get a cheaper rate loan – as I said a loan secured on your home is an option, but only if you own your home in the first place. Pawn shops are making a reappearance on our high street, with a new shiny exterior. Or there's the option of a log book loan, where the loan is secured on your car. 

With a logbook loan, you keep the car and drive around as normal, and as long as you make the payments, nothing changes. Aside from a more accessible lending rate, they can be arranged and the money lent within hours of application if you need funds urgently. Also, you know from the start what the risks are: as with any secured loan, your car could be repossessed if you don't keep up the payments.

A responsible lender won't lend you more than you can afford, and will make sure everything is clear to you before entering into an agreement. If you're not sure what the terms mean – ask!

Late or missed repayments of a loan can cause you serious money problems. For help & advice, visit Money Advice Service or Citizens Advice Bureau. 

This post has been sponsored by Auto Advance, one of the UK’s longest established logbook loans companies. Auto Advance is a member of the Consumer Credit Trade Association (CCTA) and adheres to its code of practice.

Simple Christmas Craft - Rudolph prints

You will need:

• Light brown paint
• Dark brown paint
• Red Paint
• Card or paper
• Googly eyes
• Glue
• Baby wipes
• A child (or more than one if the mood takes you!)

 What you need to do:

• Paint one of the shades of brown on your child’s foot.  Print this onto the paper/card to make the reindeer’s face.
• Clean the foot!
• Paint the other shade of brown onto each hand, and print this onto the paper, at the top of the face/foot print to make antlers.
• Clean hands!
• Paint red paint onto a thumb, and print this onto the face to make a red nose.
• Clean hands!
• Glue googly eyes onto face

Great for personalised cards, or decorations.  What grandparent could resist?  And it's a lovely way to watch your child grow, making a new Rudolph each year and measuring their hands & feet against the previous ones.

Christmas in Squeaky Mansions

If only...  But as it's December tomorrow (have you got your advent calendar ready?) I thought I'd start our Christmas posts, to give you a little insight into the World Of The Squeak.

Neither of our families has a huge number of "Christmas traditions", except they both share one very important one (aside from the dinner, obviously), namely Avoiding The Queen.  Walks, feeding ducks, washing up (if things are really desperate), the age of satellite telly has been the death of this age-old family tradition, because there's always a repeat of a 1970's Christmas Special on somewhere.

So as we didn't really have any family traditions, we decided we'd try to make our own, so that Squeaky will have things she always associates with a family Christmas.  First off, the Christmas Pyjamas. It seems to be quite a popular tradition this one, at least round South Wales, so much so, I don't know who I "borrowed" the idea from. Quite simply, everyone in the family receives a brand new pair of pyjamas to wear to bed on Christmas eve night, which they then wear to open their presents the following morning.  OK, this is a tradition that involves spending a little bit of cash, but everyone needs pyjamas, so it's a good chance to get everyone in decent condition for at least one night of the year!

Second of our traditions is one that truly is part of a traditional Christmas.  After the dinner has been eaten, the pots & pans washed & put away, and at least one round of turkey sandwiches has been made, it's time to break open the cheesy footballs, and gather round the table for a game of cards or two.  Good chance to turn the telly off (please!), cards are always a source of entertainment, and someone will have to remind me the rules of almost every game.  They're much less prone to arguments than scrabble (my dad is legendary for cheating at scrabble and inventing new words), and it's a great way to get an insight into what people are REALLY like - who is determined to win at all costs (me, usually), who throws a temper tantrum when they're first out (brother-in-law), and who is just not paying attention to their cards?  And if you can win actual cash from your nearest & dearest (pennies, admittedly), then all the better!  I have an admission though, the Greek Gods, snooker mascot & Bali Beaches cards above are strictly not for playing with. I have a bit of a love for pretty playing cards, these are for looking at, boring brewery corporate cards are for playing with.  Cards cost next to nothing, especially compared to the board game du jour, can be tailored to almost any age (snap & happy families spring to mind), they're fab for a budget Christmas.

More to follow, another time.

My letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good girl this year, and for Christmas I would like:
A shiny new car
A shiny new house
A winning lottery ticket...

You get the picture.

I was thinking about this the other day, the Letter to Santa thing.  It's turned into quite a business now, there's a whole selection of companies and charities who will send your child back a letter from Santa, in return for a chunk of your hard earned cash.  But that causes a couple of problems - 1) which one to choose? and 2) have I really got that hard earned cash to spare?

I think I've found the answer.  The real Santa, as we all know, lives in Reindeerland, not a PO Box number, or a trading estate somewhere on the edge of Leicester.  And the real Santa will read our letters for free, and reply to as many as he can (sadly that means there's no guarantee, but FREE!)

If you, or your child, want to write to Santa, and tell him how good you've been, and what you want for Christmas, his actual, real & proper address is:

Santa/Father Christmas
Santa's Grotto
Reindeerland
SAN TA1

Just 3 things to remember:

• Write your name & address on your letter, or Santa won't know who it's from.
• Attach a 1st or 2nd class stamp to your envelope
• Make sure you post your letter before Wednesday 14th December, to make sure it gets to Santa on time.

I got this information from the Post Office, I have not been compensated in any way for sharing it.  This is the first of my Christmas On A Budget posts.