A home equity loan gives you another option for financing big ticket items at a lower interest rate. Consumer debt is the single largest reason why consumers try to get a home equity loan. There are many ways for the average American family to buy more and spend more on credit. All it takes is one small regular monthly payment to keep the process going.

So how do you know which items are manageable on your existing salary, and which items might be better financed with a home equity loan?

The key idea is that the debt should be large, high interest, and be a one time or infrequent charge. If you use these three key items to measure the effectiveness of getting a home equity loan, you can pay off your debts and avoid a relapse which is very common for consumers with massive debt.

One of the most popular reasons for getting a home equity loan is to pay off large credit card debts. If you plan to pay off any kind of revolving debt, try to limit the amount of cards or the credit limit that you will have available after you pay off your debt.

Once the credit cards are clear, if there is no change in your spending habits, you can easily rack up more credit card debt on top of the home equity loan that must be repaid. If this happens then it might be time for some professional help to manage your budget or extensive credit counseling.

The second criteria is that the debt should be a one time or infrequent debt. Another popular use of a home equity loan is to finance home improvement projects. This seems like a good idea because an investment, especially an improvement in the aesthetics and features of your home can lead to a dramatic increase in the value of your property.

Try to get a professional appraisal before and after your home improvement project to make sure that you will see in an increase in the value of your home. You don?t want to spend $50,000 to see an $8,000 net increase in value. This is not the best way to use your home equity loan. Educational loans and large medical bills can also be financed with a home equity loan if they are a one time, large expense.

The third criteria for getting a home equity loan is that the debt should be high interest. Usually credit cards bills are the first source of high interest debt in the average household. But, what if you?ve got a great card with a $3.9% rate for the next two years?

This is definitely a pretty low rate that you can handle with a payment plan. Some schools loans, small business loans and personal loans would also carry a much higher interest rate than you could receive on a home equity loan. These would also be good candidates for a one time home equity cash out to eliminate the high interest rates.

Regardless of the type of debt that you are trying to finance, a home equity loan is one the cheapest and most effective way to exchange large, high interest debts for a consolidated, low interest loan.