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Paying For Emergency Auto Repairs
You never know when that car is going to break down. If your car is out of warranty, this can lead to some costly repair bills. Luckily, you have several options to pay for those bills.
One option is taking out a cash advance. It can help you by giving you the money that you need to get you by until you get paid again. The upside to this is that you get your money fast. The downside is that, as with all high risk loan, the fees are high.
Another option is to work with the automotive shop directly to work out a loan. Many shops know that people do not have hundreds or even thousands of dollars lying around and will work with you, especially since they can use your car as collateral. The upside to this is that the interest might be lower than working with a cash advance company. The downside is that if you default on this loan, they can take your vehicle and sell it to pay for the repairs.
Avoiding Future Auto Repair Emergencies
After you deal with the current emergency, you can focus on preventing them in the future. One option might be to trade in your vehicle on a newer car that might be more reliable. This might seem too expensive of an option but you should add up what you are paying in car bills and fuel (if your vehicle is a gas guzzler). Then you can decide if a more modern vehicle will save you or cost you money.
You may also like our article on ways to come up with several hundred dollars quickly.
Another way to avoid nasty surprise bills is to purchase an auto warranty that would cover surprise expenses. They can be surprisingly affordable but do shop around. They are not all created equally.
Paying For Emergency Dental Bills
Tooth pain, ouch, there is nothing like it. The people who have never experienced such pain should count themselves lucky. If you have an abscess or an exposed and infected nerve in a tooth, you are going to be desperate to get it handled. Options exist though.
The fastest route is with a cash advance loan but the fastest route is not always the best. It depends on your situation. The upside to this type of loan is that you can get your money as soon as the next business day which is important if you are in pain. The downside is that there are fees involved and the loan is for a very short length. You will need to pay it off on your next payday most of the time.
Another option to consider is a dental discount plan. If you can wait for your procedure for this to kick in, you can get some rather large discounts off of common procedures. Most of these plans will cost you about a hundred dollars a year and the doctors might be limited but they could save you a lot of money on fees.
One final route to save money on dental work is by contacting a local dental school. Dentists have to learn somewhere and you might be able to get your work done for free or at a significantly discounted rate. The only real downside to this is being a guinea pig. You will have beginning dentists working on you although they will be supervised. In addition, you will have more people around you while the work is done observing.
Avoiding Future Emergency Dental Bills
The best way to prevent future emergency dental work is to get your teeth in order. Preventative maintenance is much less expensive than emergency work and is far less painful. Get a good discount plan or even some cheap dental insurance and stay on top of things. Your mouth and your wallet will thank you.
Paying For Emergency Utility Bills
Okay, no such thing as a true emergency utility bill but you can get a bill that is far beyond the norm. This could be because of unusually cold or warm weather, it could have been caused by a water leak or perhaps one of your kids charged up the cell phone account.Whatever the case, you have got to get it paid but you have options to deal with it.
First you have cash advances which can get you money directly into your account as quickly as the next business day. These are easy to qualify for, find quickly and can be applied for online. They also have high fees though so be careful about what you are agreeing to.
Another option is to contact your utility provider directly. There are often several different programs that could be available to you. You might, for example, be able to switch to an equal monthly payment plan. These plans spread out the payment over the year so that you pay the same amount each month. They also might be able to spread the surprise bill over a few bill cycles. The last thing that your utility provider wants to do is cut you off.
Avoiding Future Emergency Utility Bills
To avoid bills that get out of control in the future, you need to take steps to monitor your utility usage. Know where your utility meters are and how to read them. You can then monitor usage so that you can tell if your bill is potentially going to spike and take steps to prevent it from getting out of control.
When bad weather hits, consider heating or cooling just one room instead of the entire home. You can accomplish this with a space heater or a small window air conditioning unit. Keeping one room comfortable instead of all of them could save you hundreds of dollars in a bad month.
You may also like our article on how to earn a few hundred dollars quick.
If it is your cell phone that has gotten out of control, set spending limits with your provider or switch to a cheaper one. Make sure that if you reach a certain spending threshold, they cut you off or limit usage until the next billing cycle.
Paying For Emergency Medical Bills
If you get sick and you do not have medical insurance, you could end up with a huge medical bill that you dis not expect. You have some options although not everyone will qualify for all of them.
If you have a relatively low bill, you could go for a short term loan which can help you get through until your next payday. This would cover the bill for say, a sudden illness that requires a diagnosis and antibiotics. It might not cover the cost of more expensive emergencies as cash advance loans are limited int he amount that you can borrow.
Another potential option is Medicaid. You might qualify for this program if you are over 65, if you are disabled or if you are suffering from end stage kidney disease. Medicaid can cover the expenses that you would otherwise be out of pocket for.
Preventing Future Emergency Medical Bills
As with anything else, prevention is the solution. The best way to prevent health bills is to stay healthy and hopefully get some insurance so that you can get regular checkups.
Try to exercise regularly and eat right. During cold and flu season invest a few dollars in several bottles of hand sanitizer. Use it often to kill the germs and viruses that would otherwise make you ill.
Insurance might be an option that is cheaper than you think. Look and see if you qualify for government help with your premiums. Plans to cover you might be far cheaper than you think. Also look at CHIP programs to protect your children and cut health related costs.
