Suze Orman says that if you have a home you love and want to live in your entire life, then you should pay off your home loan.
She says that by paying off your home loan sooner than later, you will be able to put more money into your retirement home. In addition, if your mortgage is paid in full before you retire, that retirement money will go a long way.
I completely agree that with the advice to pay off your home loan.
The economists say there's no reason to panic just because the economy seems to be in a downturn. But if you are already in a panic, like many are right now, it can be hard to compose yourself and think rationally.
There some things you can do however to make your life more comfortable for the moment until the rough spot in the economy, or in your life, passes.
I recently came across a story about a coupon train. A coupon train happens when a group of people gets together in an effort to share coupons.
The first person (the conductor) cuts all coupons from the paper and takes what they need. They pass the other unwanted coupons to the second person who takes what they need from the coupons and then adds their unwanted coupons to the pack.
Each consecutive person does the same thing, discarding any expired coupons along the way. Coupon trains are usually limited to a group of 10 or so people, and each person pledges to keep the train going. The group may re-start the train with the beginning person, and add or drop members at the end of each train.
Growing up, Goodwill was somewhere you went when you needed to pick up a trundle bed for guest sleeping. Or, if you needed a costume for a play.
As a young adult, I went to Goodwill to furnish my home. When I had kids and saw how quickly they outgrow clothing, I realized it might be a god idea to buy clothes from Goodwill, as well.
As time passed, I began buying less from Goodwill stores, and donating more. Because I was not necessarily needy, I stopped shopping at Goodwill.
That was then. This is now.
There is nothing like seeing a Title Loan Shop or a Pawn Shop to signal that a neighborhood is going downhill. Likewise, seeing an increased number of commercials for such places on television is a bad sign for the economy.
There are a few other ways to get cash fast when faced with an emergency...
If you're in the market for a new home, it is a good idea to take a step back and ask yourself if you might be buying a house too soon. Or, if you are buying too much house right now.
Are you sure that you are ready financially?
If you watch "buying a first home" shows on TV, you will hear them talk about qualifying for a loan. The standard rule in qualifying for a home loan seems to be getting the largest loan that the bank says you qualify for. Even if this means you home payment may be a reach for you, the hope is that salaries will increase and the burden will become less difficult.
For a few people, who are just starting out in high paying industries this is a very valid approach. To most people however, who never knows when they might lose their job, this is a very bad idea.
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