Yep. It's that time of year already... Whether you've got your first kindergartener and you're starting from scratch, or you have a senior in high school begging for a car and some new clothes, or you've got a child just getting into college... The end of the summer usually means the pocketbook starts to hurt just a little bit more.

Let's be honest, no matter how old you were, you had to be in top form when school came back in session. How many of us don't remember getting a new haircut, a few new shirts, maybe a new pair of jeans to go along with the standard school supplies? (As a child of the 80s, for me it was an awesome new trapper keeper and a Fraggle Rock lunch box.)

You weren't cool unless you had one of these.

The first day of school was your number one opportunity to show off and establish yourself as one of the "cool kids." (full disclosure, I wasn't one of the cool kids, but that didn't mean I didn't beg my mom for all sorts of stuff we couldn't afford.)

The economy may be down, but the rules of the playground haven't changed, and the amount of money parents are spending on their kids on back to school shopping reflect that very fact.

According to a study by the National Retail Foundation the money being spent on back to school supplies, clothes and electronics is higher than ever. In 2010 the average American family will spend $606.40 to get their children K-12 ready for school, and despite the lagging economy, this number is up significantly from the 2009 average of $548.72, and surpasses even the $594.24 we saw in 2008.

For many families, this could spell disaster.

According to the study, the combined K-12 and college back to school spending this year will reach $55.12 billion, making it the second highest "holiday" spending event of the year, only behind the Winter Holidays (and eclipsing the $14.6 billion we spend on the 3rd highest spending event of the year - Mother's Day... Interestingly enough, we spent $3.44 billion on St. Patrick's day... Which is more green dye and shamrock shakes than I care to imagine.) While this may be great news for the economy, it can be bad news for parents who are stuck in a bind... December may be the giant when it comes to family spending, but September isn't generally quite as planned for. Far too many families find themselves stuck in a situation where their kids from elementary school to college need supplies, clothes, and/or electronics, and they simply do not know how to pay for it. According to the NRF study, parents are trying solutions from thrift stores to shopping online to save money, but even with these solutions, we'll be spending more this year than ever. Talk to us about cash loans, and don't get stuck in a situation where you bury yourself financially or get trapped in a payday loan to help get your kids ready for school.

Please give us a call and we'd be more than happy to look at some options that will make both you and your kids happy, and get the school season started with the least amount of tears as possible (we can't promise the kids will be happy to go back to school, only that we can help you get them a little less sad.)

Who knows, for the right offer I might even be able to throw in a lightly used Fraggle Rock lunchbox... I can't promise anything though.

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Boy... When you're looking for a small personal loan online, it sure feels like you're constantly being inundated by fantastic claims about getting money fast and easy, doesn't it? Website after website will throw blinking logos and flashy headlines at you, making promise after promise, but when the time comes to see how the loan really works, good luck! You're looking at a long stretch of digging through page after page of jargon in order to figure out what this loan actually means for you.

Obviously these payday loan websites do this for a reason. Just as with any trap, they lay out some appealing easy to get bait, hoping that we all lose track of our surroundings and go charging headlong into the trap, unaware of the consequences until it's far too late. This is why a 6 month loan like our progressive payoff cash loans are such a safer option. Anyone is welcome to view our page breaking down exactly how the loan works, or check out our cash loan calculator to see how much money can be saved. Not only that, but we're more than happy to tell you exactly how much you'll be paying every month.  We make sure that your cash loan is structured for you to be able to pay if off in 6 months without any confusing fees or rules. It's really just as simple as 6 monthly payments, and then the loan is paid off! If you want to make extra payments or pay the loan off early? Feel free! We won't penalize or charge you for doing so.

So beware any website or payday loan company who hides behind confusing rules, or unclear payment options.

Feel free to email us, give us a call, or ask any questions you might have right here on the blog and we'll be more than happy to show you exactly how much money you can save.

In my previous post, I talked real qiuckly about some of the pitfalls about payday loans, but I wanted to take a moment to share just a few further reasons how a cash loan through Progressive Payoff can save you money and heartache.

- Applying from home: let's be honest here, payday loan locations aren't exactly the merriest establishments on the block. With Progressive Payoff, all you'd need is either a fax machine or an email address and you're on your way. No need to go into a payday loan center, and feel trapped into taking out a loan with incredibly high fees. Just go to our website at http://progpayoff.com/ and apply for a cash loan online - then we'll help you take care of the rest!

-Saving yourself from payday loan traps: In my last post, I talked about the 2 week fee cycle that payday loans use to ensnare you into a never ending cycle of payments, and just like I wrote then, all you'll have to worry about with a cash loan through Progressive Payoff is monthly payments that will go towards your principle every time. No intrest only payments to keep you tied down with no end in sight.

-Refer a friend, get 100 bucks: Hold up. A cash loan company paying you $100? Yep, as a Progressive Payoff customer, you'd be able to participate in our easy (and profitable!) referral program. All you'd need to do is print off our referral application and pass it off to a friend, family member, co-worker, and anyone you know who needs some quick cash, is considering a cash loan or payday loan, or who is trapped in a payday loan and needs help getting out. Once their approved and their loan is funded, you get $100 in your account! Easy as pie. Shoot, you could pay off your entire loan through the referral program!

-No early payoff fees: If you want to pay your loan off as quickly as possible, who are we to tell you no? We want you to save money by paying it off quicker, so feel free to make extra payments, pay the loan off early, do whatever you need to pay your loan off. You won't be penalized.

-Peace of mind: Yeah, that may sound a bit clichéd, but let's be honest here. Sometimes we need cash, and we need it quickly. Emergencies happen. Tough times happen. And the last thing we need to worry about when we're in a bind is the stress that high fee payday loans bring with them.

Have questions? Don't hesitate to give us a call at 866-319-0290 or email us at info@progpayoff.com - we'd be happy to help you with any questions you have.

I've heard this question a lot lately, especially in this economy. The sheer fact is that there are a lot of people out there who need help financially, and they just don't know where else to find it. Payday Loans appear to be a simple and quick solution to your problems. And when you're in a situation where you need cash, and you need it quick, it can easily appear to be a saving oasis - however, all too often you'll just find yourself stranded in a desert with no relief in sight. So what other options do I have?

I looked online and read a lot of great articles, with a lot of sound financial advice. However, I felt like if I put myself in the shoes of someone who was truly in need of immediate financial aid, a lot of these tips and suggestions wouldn't have really been able to pull me out of a dire situation without months of pre-planning. So what about those of us who are looking for payday loans or need cash now? Is a payday loan really the only option out there?

Obviously, the point of this entire article is to tell you that you don't need to get stuck in a never-ending cycle of payday loans. I found story after story of people who had gotten a payday loan for as little as $200 and found themselves unable to get out from under the weight of their loan. One guy shared a story about taking out a $300 payday loan he was convinced would be paid off by his next paycheck. When his next pay cycle hit and his check wasn't quite as high as he had expected, he was desperate to pay off his loan to avoid an additional $70+ fee, so he simply went and got another payday loan to pay off that loan. Just a few months later he had taken out 9 payday loans and faced numerous fees and penalties. What started out as a simple $300 loan had transformed into over $1,000 and served as a financial trap.

So what does Progressive Payoff do that's so different? We're not looking to trap you, we're looking to help you pay your loan off. With a simple 6 month loan, you're able to pay off your loan in easy monthly payments. The guy from the story above was desperate to avoid the high bi-weekly fees that payday loans trap you with, but with a Progressive Payoff loan instead of staring down the barrel of paying somewhere around $370 within two weeks, he would have just had easy monthly payments to make for 6 months - paying a total of $453 - not over $1,000.

Check out our calculator at http://progpayoff.com/ and see how much you can save. Have questions about how our cash loans work, or want to hear more about how we can save you from a payday loan trap? Contact us here.