"Now I when I take one, I plan on using the full 12 weeks to pay it back," as allowed for loan "roll overs" under Utah law, she says.

She says she has missed an extension date for loans on occasion. She has had lenders try to deposit the post-dated check she had given as security, only to have them bounce because she did not have enough money in her account. But she worked through such problems. She said payday lenders were happy to loan more money once such problems were fixed.

Pedersen, who now works as a receptionist and plans to graduate from college soon with a marketing degree, says she still uses payday loans on occasion because, as a student, money and her lower-fee student loans were not sufficient.

Her advice for others? "Use them only as a last resort, definitely. Do not use them for fun or extra cash. It can put you in a cycle that is hard to get out of. It is really hard. Don't do it unless you are confident you can pay it back. If you do roll over a loan, pay back more than you have to. It will save some on interest."

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E-mail: lee@desnews.com