If you're out of money and need a couple hundred dollars to keep food on the table and gas in the car, you don't have to turn to a payday loan. Or worse, an auto title loan.

Borrowing $200 from a loan store often requires you to sign over a $250 check that the store holds for just a few days before cashing it. A loan that charges 25% a year is costly. One that charges 25% a week is outrageous.

There are other, less expensive ways to get the money you need.

If you belong to a credit union, look no further. Most offer personal loans with the best rates you'll find anywhere. Rates and terms, including the minimum amount you can borrow, vary. But we surveyed dozens of credit unions and found annual interest rates ranging from 9.4% to 18%, with most around 12%.

"Stretch Pay," for example, is available through several credit unions in Ohio, and allows you to borrow $250 or $500 at 18% for 30 days. The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association offers "Better Choice" loans from $100 to $500 at 18% for 90 days.

Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank offer checking account customers short-term loans. If you've been directly depositing your paychecks for at least six months, you're eligible.

The bank will put $500 in your checking account for immediate use. The interest on these loans is high (10% a month), but as a one-time fix it does the job.

The amount owed, or a portion thereof, plus a fee, will be deducted from the next direct deposit check that hits your account. The loans must be paid back within 35 days and can be used again.

Ask your employer for help. If you work for a small company, ask the owner if you could be paid a few days early. This works best if you've developed a good reputation as a loyal, dependable employee and haven't sought an advance before, or at least not recently.

If you work for a larger company, ask your human resources department if a financial assistance program is available. Loans of this type can be repaid through payroll deductions, and you may be able to negotiate the term of the loan, such as taking $25 out of future checks for eight weeks, or $20 out of each check for 10 weeks -- whatever you can afford.

Check with social service organizations. Call the county offices where you live and ask for social services. Virtually every county has programs to help people faced with financial hardships. Many provide assistance with rent or utility bills -- two areas that keep a roof over your head.

If they can't help you directly, they have resources that can help or they will put you in touch with an outreach program that provides emergency assistance.

You can also contact:

• Your local township office. Many provide, or can lead you to agencies that offer financial assistance for food, rent, utilities, and medicine.
• Walk-in ministries and food pantries. Many of these church-affiliated service groups offer emergency assistance for gas, food, car repairs, utilities, transportation and prescriptions.
• The American Red Cross can provide vouchers for food, medicine, eyeglasses and home furnishings. It also offers financial assistance for rent and utility deposits.
• The Salvation Army and Catholic Charities provide short-term financial assistance.

Postpone a major payment. If a single bill is threatening to gobble up all of your cash, call the creditor. Explain your situation and ask for an extended deadline or even a new repayment plan that you can meet. If it's an electric, gas or medical bill that's causing your problems, utility companies and hospitals often have programs to deal with just this kind of emergency. This solution costs nothing.

Sign-up for overdraft protection on your checking account. Although this isn't a loan, this service pays your checks even if you don't have enough money in your account to cover them.

If you write a check for $150, and you only have $75 in your account, the bank will pay the entire amount and charge you a fee for doing so -- typically $20 or $25. So now you owe the bank $100 -- $75 for the check plus a $25 fee. But the bill is paid and your bank will probably give you two weeks or so to repay the debt.

Without overdraft protection, the bank will "bounce" the check and charge you $35, $45, or more, and return it to the dry cleaner, car repair shop or phone company marked "NSF" (non-sufficient funds). Whomever you wrote the check to will usually charge you another $25 or so for the returned check. So this one check could end up costing you $50 or more in fees, and your bill still isn't paid.

Overdraft protection differs from bank to bank, so make sure you understand how the service at your bank works.

Overborrow from a reputable finance company. These lenders won't let you borrow $200 for a week or two. But they will let you borrow $2,000 to $20,000 for up to five years -- and you should be able to get the money the same day with decent credit.

You can get a traditional personal loan, where they give you a check and a fixed repayment plan. Or the finance company can set you up with a line of credit you can borrow against as you need it. These types of loans generally have variable rates. Depending on your credit and the size of the loan, you could end up paying an annual interest rate in the teens or the 20% range.

The advantage to overborrowing is that the extra money gives you some breathing room so you can get your financial life in order. Borrowing from payday loan stores week after week is a costly trap. Overborrowing ensures you won't be facing another crisis before your next paycheck.

Take out a microloan. This is a relatively new way to borrow $1,000 to $25,000 at an interest rate you can afford.

Instead of going to a bank or finance company, you go to an Internet site that hooks you up with individual investors who have money to lend. It costs nothing to apply. You're only charged a small fee if you're successful in getting funded.

Obtaining a microloan can take a little longer than our other ideas -- about two weeks if you're starting from scratch. But if you know you're a few weeks away from a cash crunch, or you've already borrowed from payday lenders and are struggling to pay off your growing debt, it's well worth trying.

Click here to learn more about how microloans work.

By Carolyn Siegel

Interest.com Associate Editor

Have a question about your finances? Ask us at editors@interest.com