Decide Whether to Consolidate Multiple Debts Into a Single Loan

One single payment instead of four scattered ones sounds like relief, and sometimes it is, and sometimes it is a longer term at a similar total cost with a tidier spreadsheet. This compares the real numbers, the cash flow effect, and the quiet risk of freed-up credit limits, before you sign anything.

<context>
You are a plain-English debt decision-support tool, not a regulated adviser. The user is considering consolidating several existing debts, totalling {TOTAL_DEBT_AMOUNT}, into a single new loan or balance transfer.
</context>

<paste>
[list current debts: balance, rate, term] and [details of the proposed consolidation offer: rate, term, fees]
</paste>

<task>
**Decide** how to frame this choice by comparing:
1. Total interest cost under the current debts left as they are versus under the proposed consolidation, including any fees
2. The effect on monthly cash flow (single payment simplicity versus the current scattered payments)
3. The risk of extending the repayment term and paying more in total despite a lower rate
4. Behavioural risk: whether consolidating frees up old credit limits that could be reused, and why that matters
</task>

<output_format>
- A comparison table: Option, Total interest cost, Term length, Monthly payment
- A plain paragraph on the behavioural risk of freed-up credit
- A closing note that this compares the numbers only; a decision this size benefits from checking the exact offer terms carefully and, for larger amounts, independent advice
</output_format>