Committing to a long term loan can certainly be a daunting idea, if for no other reason than the sheer inflexibility it offers. Once you have realized that the loan that looked so promising a few months ago is turning out to be a burden, it might be worth looking at refinancing it with another loan. The idea behind refinancing is pretty straightforward. You simply pay off any outstanding balance on your original loan (interest included, don’t forget) using a loan designed for nothing other than that purpose.
If you think it all sounds too easy, then at least you’re thinking ahead rather than trying to jump on the first method that you hear about that could work for you. The first question that you need to ask yourself is whether you need to refinance your loan. In effect, you’d simply be transferring your current debt from your current creditor to another who allows you to pay it off in a different way, now that you think it necessary. The options available vary a lot, too. You could try to take advantage of a lower interest rate that would mean your fixed rate loan (that you got when the interest rates were higher) would now cost you less. Likewise,...