Sally needs to have some drywall and insulation work done in her house.  She has received a quote from a professional drywall contractor to complete her repairs for $1,200.  Her neighbor Steve says he can complete the same job for $800.  Sally could use a credit card to pay the contractor, but Steve can only accept cash.  Sally’s credit card has a 14% APR for credit purchases and a 32% interest rate for cash advances.  Expecting to pay $50 of the principle plus appropriate interest each month, S

Answer:

Contractor: For $1,200 at 14% for 24 months, Sally would be have to pay $57.62 per month, or $1,382.88 after 24 months. Neighbor Steve: For $800 at 32% for 16 months, Sally would have to pay $62.08 per month or $993.28 after 16 months. Even with the (much) higher interest rate, Sally would pay $389.60 less if she went with Neighbor Steve. Even better is that the monthly payments would be about the same for the given timelines. Sally would still want to weight the benefits of contracted work vs. non-contracted work.