5 Things You Should Never Borrow Money For
There are times when borrowing money is a wise decision. Most people wouldn’t be able to go to university or buy property without a loan. Meanwhile, when it comes to emergencies such as pet treatment or fixing plumbing leaks, loans can also be an option for those that wouldn’t otherwise have the funds.
Unfortunately, there are also many times when borrowing money isn’t so wise. Here are just a few examples of things you should never get into debt for.
Clothes shopping
Personal treats such as clothes aren’t worth getting into debt for – and yet many people are all too willing to go on a shopping spree the moment they get a credit card. As soon as you start having to pay back your debts, you’ll immediately regret spending money on these clothes. Only buy personal treats with your own money so that you feel as if you’ve earnt them.
Going on holiday
Holidays can cost some families hundreds if not thousands. Few people have this money stashed away, which may make it seem like a suitable time to borrow money. However, a holiday is still a treat and you could similarly regret it afterwards once you start paying back the debt rather than looking back on it fondly. Always try to save up money for holidays rather than paying for them with a loan – look into the best online banks to find the highest interest rates and you may be able to save up more quickly. The only time you may want to borrow money for a holiday is if an emergency comes up and you’ve already paid your deposit and would have otherwise been able to afford it.
Funding a gambling habit
You should never gamble with borrowed money. If you lose, you’ll have got yourself into debt for no reason at all. Borrowing to fund a gambling habit could be a sign that you can no longer gamble responsibly and that should probably quit gambling altogether. Borrowed money should similarly never be used to fund other bad habits such as smoking, drinking or buying drugs.
Taking out a loan for someone else
If somebody else asks you to take out a loan for them, it’s probably because their credit score is so low that they can’t get accepted for a loan themselves. A poor credit score is usually the result of not being able to make payments on time – whilst this person may promise to pay back the debt, there’s no guarantee that they will keep to this if they’ve previously struggled with making payments on time. Don’t let other people drag you into debt and potentially ruin your credit score too.
Paying off debts with more debts
Taking out a loan to pay off existing debts can be done strategically – you may be able to consolidate lots of small debts with one big loan or you may be able to refinance a debt so that you pay lower interest. However, most people simply aren’t savvy enough to do this and so instead end up getting into a vicious cycle of paying off debts with debts and then trying to pay these debts off with more debts until eventually the overall amount due is huge. You’re best only paying off debts with loans under the guidance of a debt advisor.
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