I use my washing machine none stop most weeks due to having a big family, there’s never a day when there is not at least a load being done. There are also times when the washing machine is flat-out more than usual, for example after one of the boys returns from camp or during school holidays (for some reason the children seem to go through clothes faster in the holidays!)
This week saw the children break up for the Summer holidays and we were all very excited about the prospect of six and a half weeks of fun and making memories. Luc was excited about a weekends scout camp and was busy getting his kit together. When on Wednesday we discovered his sleeping bag needed washing. I had just finished a load of school uniform so I put the sleeping bag in the machine and set the machine to the correct setting. The washing machine had been going for about fifteen minutes when it started beeping so I went to find out why. The red light was flashing the cycle had stopped, I pushed a couple of buttons in the hope it would sort out the problem. When it didn’t I turned the machine off for five minutes then back on, hoping it would reset and enable me to open the door but it didn’t. I rang dad of 3 who was in work to explain what had happened and he said my only option was to get someone in to repair it. It couldn’t have come at worse time for me as I had literally just paid my car tax that morning and now had no spare cash to pay for a repair and dad of 3 had another ten days until pay-day. It really wasn’t an option to wait until pay-day to call the repair man in so my only option was to take a short-term loan in order to have the repair done.
First I found a local repair man who quoted me £150 for the call out and repair fee, I explained I just needed to sort out my finances but confirmed he would be able to come out within the next 48 hours once I had this is place. I then popped online to do some research for a short-term loan. I came across www.vivus.co.uk who provide short-term loans between £100 – £300, they provide loans which are then repaid when you next get paid. One thing I am aware of is the need to borrow sensibly. To me this means ensuring that I can afford the repayments and making the payment on time to avoid incurring additional charges. I’ve previously had a unauthorsied overdraft on my bank account and it has meant I have occurred additional charges which have made clearing the overdraft harder and also made budgeting harder for me. So a short-term loan has been more manageable for me and recently I read an article on the BBC website where Which magazine acknowledged that short-term loans are cheaper than unauthorised overdraft which is currently true in my experience. You can find the article here if you would like to have a read. Any way I digress, using Vivus I quickly applied for £150 for my repairs and within minutes I was relieved that have been approved for the funds and fifteen minutes the money was in my account, such a relief.
I wasted no time in ringing the repair man back and arranging for him to come out. The following day (Thursday) the repair man arrived mid morning and set straight to sorting out the problem with the washing machine. I waited while he got to work and twenty minutes later I heard the washing machine come back to life. I asked what the problem was and he produced a soak which had got caught in the mechanism and stopped the cycle. See I always knew the washing machine swallowed odd socks! I was so relieved to have the problem fixed and the washing machine working again. I paid the repair man and thanked him for resolving the issue so promptly. All I need to do now is repay the loan and all will be sorted. I am relieved that I had the option of a short-term loan to help me out of a fix however it is important to make sure that a short-term loan is right for you before you take on out. I have everything crossed that the rest of the holidays will go smoothly now.
Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post however the content is 100% my own.