Anyone who is the parent of a teenager will tell you that teenagers challenge their parents by providing a lot of surprises. They particularly like to surprise their parents with large, sudden, and expensive things that they simply must have, right now.
Something similar happened to a friend of mine a little while ago, so I thought I would share how they got themselves out of this particular jam with a little ingenuity and an internet search.
The Surprise School Trip
Remember when your kids were little and they would tell you everything about their day when they came home from school? They just could not contain themselves, and they simply had to tell you everything immediately.
Apparently, sometime around high school, that stops happening. At least, that’s how it happened for my friend, Barney, and his fifteen-year-old, Madison.
Usually, when Maddy forgot to tell her dad about something school-related, it meant a late night in the garage creating a science project or last-minute purchases. This time, however, she’d forgotten to share that she needed over a thousand dollars for a major school trip. That kind of money is something that most of us just don’t have to lie around, and of course, like any teenage girl, it was a matter of life and death.
Recovering from Bad Debts
To add to Barney’s woes, he has been recovering from some bad debts that he incurred (through no fault of his own) during the recession, and while he’s got some credit, he hasn’t quite reached the point where he can walk into a bank and walk out with a personal loan.
Barney was in a panic, and he mentioned it to me. Fortunately, I’d seen a flyer for a Miami auto title loan a couple of days before, and knowing how important it was to him to make sure Maddy went on her trip, I suggested he apply online.
At first, he felt hesitant, worried about his credit rating and all kinds of other things, but as any dad with a not so little princess will tell you, he was willing to look into any option that would make his little girl happy.
Quick, Easy, and a Happy Ending
Luckily for Barney, one of the things he had managed to do since he started his financial recovery is buy a new car, and thanks to the title loan he got, he was able to get the cash he needed for Maddy’s trip, and continue to drive his car, just like he had all along.
He only has a few more payments left to make on the loan, but thanks to this creative financing solution, everyone wins. More importantly, Madison still thinks that her dad is the best!
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