LJ: credit crunch affecting consumers yet?

[glatt]

I'm fine with automatic payments. Honestly, my wife handles setting them up and I don't know how she does it. I don't think it's online. I think it's through our bank. I just don't know how you set it up to pay more and have that additional amount applied to the principle. I've heard of people sending an extra check once a year and enclosing a note asking that it be applied to the principle, but I don't know the logistics of setting up an automatic payment that's the same every month where they will apply that extra $100 or whatever to the principle. It's not something I'd want to bother with every month. I like to set stuff up and forget it.