This is the time of the year when some extra money would come in handy.  The bills for the extra purchases for the holidays will be coming in soon and if you are like I am they will be substantial.  My credit cards,  if not paid off,  will be charging me a lot of interest and I do not want to carry that all through the next year.   That is why I am considering taking out a consolidation loan after the first of the year.  The interest is about half what my credit card will be so I will be able to pay it off a lot faster.