Sometimes with a job loss, medical bills or credit card spending, bills can get ahead of you. If you find yourself in that position, don't panic. If you own your home, you can use a home equity line of credit to consolidate bills.

Very much like a home equity loan, you can obtain a home equity line of credit and use it to consolidate your bills. The only difference is a home equity line of credit may have a minimum required payment each month but as long as you pay that, you may take as long as you wish to pay back the balance.

When you consolidate bills with a home equity line of credit, you only pay interest on the amount you are using. This can save you money if you need to use your line of credit frequently because of non-steady income.

Home equity lines of credit happen to carry some of the lowest interest rates. Because they are secured by your home, lenders can provide very good rates making this technique one of the least expensive. Over the long run, lower interest rates will save you a great deal of money.

Unlike a home equity loan which ends once you finish paying it off, a home equity line of credit provides you the flexibility of always being available. When you consolidate bills and then pay off your line of credit, you can keep using it to manage other debt. For some, certain types of bills, medical expenses or job loss are not exactly a regularly planned event so having the flexibility of the home equity line of credit to manage these surprises can be a great help.

If you find yourself overwhelmed at the end of the month, you should consider using a home equity line of credit to consolidate bills. It allows you to pay back the balance when you can while only paying interest on the amount you are using and it will be available to use again once you have paid off the balance. This kind of flexibility can be what you need when surprised by a job loss or unexpected medical bills.