Just because my gas got cut off and my old microwave is dead doesn’t mean I can’t make a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  I have my creative ingenuity – and a car good for collateral on a loan.

The year started out badly.  I lost my job in February but am happy to report I got a new job just last month. But not all the problems went away right away.  During those months without work my bills piled up and I got bad credit.  Then then a transmision repair set me back another $300, which I had to borrow from my aunt in  in Shawnee Mission.

When my gas was shut off in August I hit a low point. They asked for a $190 security deposit to get it restored.  With other bills it was hard to prioritize that one.  So when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. I found a combo microwave/convection oven at the WalMart on Roe Boulevard for about $200. This solved two problems (no gas and no working microwave). It’s possible to cook most foods in them like you would with a conventional oven.  It’s possible to cook a turkey in one.

But I didn’t even know where I’d get the $200 for the new microwave in time for Thanksgiving.  I went on the Google and searched for “holiday loans” and “fast cash” when I stumbled on Car Title Loans in Kansas City. They said my Subaru (paid off about 14 months ago) could get me a loan for the $200 plus the $300 I owe my aunt.  The online application could not have been easier. It took about fifteen minutes to complete. The $500 was in my bank account in one day and I bought the oven two hours later.  The first night I made braised lean hamburgers and chipped sweet potatoes – healthier and cheaper than drive-thru food.

Loans on car title work under conditions of duress.  That’s now passed: I’ve already invited my aunt to join us for a little holiday dinner this year.

- Kerry L.

By the way Kansas city is near Independence, Shawnee, Lenexa, Riverside, and Gladstone.