A Debt Consolidation Loan: Smooth Out The Financial Rough Spots Word Count: 510 Summary: Most people have times in their lives where their income just doesn't meet expenses and they need to find ways to get through those tough times. One of the most stressful times in someone's life is when they find themselves out of work for any reason or if available hours at work are reduced so they have far less take home pay. If you are one of these people, take heart. While you are looking for a new job, there are actions you can take to reduce your expenses and keep more ... Keywords: debt consolidation loan Article Body: Most people have times in their lives where their income just doesn't meet expenses and they need to find ways to get through those tough times. One of the most stressful times in someone's life is when they find themselves out of work for any reason or if available hours at work are reduced so they have far less take home pay. If you are one of these people, take heart. While you are looking for a new job, there are actions you can take to reduce your expenses and keep more money in your pocket to help you and your family survive. If you are like most people, you will have debt and if so the most helpful thing you can do for yourself is to combine your debts into one debt consolidation loan at a low interest. When times are hard it is very important to keep as much of your income as possible to cover necessary expenses. Debt repayments can rob the family of food, clothing and even a roof over their head. It is vitally important to get this financial craziness under control and the first step in doing this is to take out a debt consolidation loan. While you cannot cancel your debt unless you opt for bankruptcy (and if things are too bad, you may have to consider it if your family's survival is at risk), you can certainly reduce your monthly debt costs just by shopping around for a low interest debt consolidation loan. If you don't have the time or ability to do this for yourself, there are many debt consolidation services that will be able to do it for you. By consolidating all your non-mortgage debts into one lower interest debt consolidation loan, your monthly payments will decrease and you will have more (sometimes a lot more) disposable income every month. This extra money can make the difference between your family's survival or failure under the sort of financial pressure unemployment or underemployment can cause. There are a number of debt consolidation loan options available to you including a home equity loan, an unsecured personal loan and a low interest credit card. Home equity loans and unsecured personal loans are two of the best options because they have lower interest rates than most credit cards and consumer loans while at the same time offering a fixed term at the end of which you will be debt free. Other more flexible options do not guarantee you will ever pay you debt off which doesn't improve your future prospects. Once you have found the best debt consolidation loan for your needs, you need to take proactive steps to avoid getting into another future financial mess. Cancel any credit cards or lines of credit still operating after the balances have been paid out. If you keep them 'just in case' of an emergency you will probably use them and your debt will begin to climb again and your monthly payments will increase. You don't want to undo the benefit of your debt consolidation loan.