My stimulus package will be going towards credit cards, mostly, but I want to send a little to Planned Parenthood just as a symbolic FUCK YOU to the administration whose money it is.

flea, Tom and I got $1200 as a married filing jointly.

I am putting it toward credit cards, and, like Steph, a bike-- I think that will help with my commute to my 2nd job, because the way buses work in Rochester is that although the 2 places are close-ish together (not more than a 10 minte drive, there are no crosstown busses, so I have to go all the way downtown, and then back out.

I haven't gotten my $600 yet, but it will go directly to credit cards. Guys, I am so depressed about money right now. 2008 has not been kind, financially.

Also, I just found out that what I thought was this great deal from my credit union refinancing my car loan was actually not such a great deal. They lowered my interest rate, but they had told me that they were taking the loan over from the point at which I'd paid (it was a 75 month loan, and I'd paid 24 months), but they actually refinanced me for 72 MORE months. The interest rate is still 3% lower, but I am really annoyed. Grr. When I called the rep to confront her about it, she--I kid you not--tried to tell me that I was going to be paid off a year early because "You were at 75 months, and now you're at 72!" Um. Huh? Even if they HAD taken over from the 24 month point, that math is not so much with the making sense. No, I told her, I was at 75 months and had paid 24, which means I only had 51 payments left. Now I have 72 payment left. That puts me almost two years later than I would have been.

Silence as she processed this. Then: "Oh. I guess you're right. Well I can change your payment to 51 left if you want. That changes your monthly payment to $xx!" $xx is $20 a month less than my original payment.

So now I have a dilemma. I pay out $140 a month less if I stick to this new 72 month loan, but the loan matures 22 months later than it should. If I switch to the 51 payments, I only save $20 a month, but I'm done when I would have been originally. I was planning on overpaying each month anyway, so the question is, should I keep the lower payment so I have cash on hand each month and pay extra when I can...but accept that I'll ultimately pay more in interest and likely not get my car paid off before I need to sell it, or do I switch to the 51 month plan, deal with the fact that I'm not saving all that much month to month, but have a chance to pay the car off before I sell it.

Advice?

I'm thinking I'll give at least half mine to my dad, since apparently people living the good life on social security and VA disability payments are only getting half of what I as a single person with reasonable income receive. @@

I'm actually less @@ about this. I honestly didn't think I'd be getting anything, because I don't pay any taxes in. So, half is better than nothing! Even if we are in the group of people who probably need it most.

Advice?

Can you pay down the principle without penalty on the new loan? If you can, I think that would be the best plan. Keep these much smaller payments you have (even though it's greatly extended your terms), and make double payments when you can.

Can you pay down the principle without penalty on the new loan? If you can, I think that would be the best plan. Keep these much smaller payments you have (even though it's greatly extended your terms), and make double payments when you can.

This.

Honestly, I'd keep the longer payment plan -- attempt to keep as close to the old payment as possible. Or pay the lower payment but send extra. It looks like you could use the flexiblity of being able to have a lower payment - say in Nov and Dec - so you don't build up the CC debt. I picked those moths because those are my bad months. 3% intereston a car loan is way less than any interest on a cc

Yeah, unless you really think you'd not do it, I say keep the lower monthly payment, and just overpay as often as you can. UNLESS there's a prepayment penalty.

I could never make double payments. Yes, I can pay down the principle without penalty, which is why I have the dilemma, but I'm just so annoyed. I guess I need a financial genius type (billytea? Jon B?) to tell me if there's a financial benefit to doing so. Because having that extra money was supposed to make paying the other bills easier, which means that I wouldn't be putting as much toward the car each month anyway. Maybe it's better to just have the higher payment, which will force me to pay enough to be paid off in two+ years. Grr. Argh.

ETA: The loan isn't 3%, it's 3% less than it was. I think it's 4.3% or therabouts, so still pretty good.

ETA2: But yeah, if I look at the big picture, I should probably pay the lower payment and put the extra toward the credit cards or the 10% loan I had to take to pay off the time share thing from the divorce.