HATING my student loans, anyone else?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2002
HATING my student loans, anyone else?
11
Fri, 11-14-2008 - 10:44am

I absolutely hate our (my bf's and my) student loans.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Fri, 11-14-2008 - 12:11pm

I do hate my student loan and yet I know that it is a necessary evil and that I make more than 2x what I made before I went back to school.

Erin, for your circumstances, I would not necessarily focus on what you can't have right now because of your student loan payment. I would instead see if you can try to focus on making that education count and getting the jobs that will pay commensurate to what you paid for that education. I encourage you (and I think I've mentioned this before) to consider a move to an area where you'd be more likely to land a full time teaching position and maybe where DF might make more money. Even if you did it for a few years and moved back if that was really what you wanted. I think you might need to take some risks and get out of your comfort zone to make that education pay off. If you aren't willing/able to move, what do you need to do to make more money and build your career? Are there things you could be doing today that make it more likely that you'll be the choice the next time a teaching oppty opens up?

I would have DF contact the student loan place right away and see if he can make alternate payment arrangements. Even if he can't consolidate them right now, see if they have some income sensitive options that might lower the payment for a while.

I also think you'll want to think long and hard about a philosophy that says you should wait to get married and start a family before this is paid off. This size of loan is not the type of thing you put your life on hold for. If it takes you 25 years to pay it off, so be it. It won't btw. You and DF will make more money through the years and will start to make progress. I know you are impatient but these money issues will resolve themselves as long as you both remain proactive with moving your careers along.

Stay focused on living within your means and finding ways to build your career and these loans will take care of themselves in due time.

Sending you hugs...you sound really frustrated.

Peg

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-14-2007
Fri, 11-14-2008 - 12:44pm
I hate mine too. 32 grand...I heard that joining the peace corps or army you can get them payed. I know people who joined the army national guard ( one weekend a month) to get them repaid. Im thinking about it lol.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2002
Fri, 11-14-2008 - 1:37pm
Thanks Peggy.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2008
Fri, 11-14-2008 - 5:14pm
I am probably among a select few who was really happy about my student loan.......I borrowed about $10,000 to get my Ed.S. Through the Stafford Teacher Loan Forgiveness program, I was able to get about $7500 of it forgiven. I paid the minimums until I had taught for 5 years in a Low Income School in a shortage area and then they forgave the rest of the loans. Earning this EdS did not cost me a whole lot and I got a 13% raise for earning the degree. Just in case you are wondering, I think I read that if you consolidate your loans, you are not eligible for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. It might be worth researching but I know that you can get up to $17,500 of your loans forgiven if you teach in a Title I School in a critical needs area.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-20-2005
Fri, 11-14-2008 - 5:47pm

I hate mine as well, but I know I earn a lot more because of them.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-07-2008
Fri, 11-14-2008 - 10:25pm

I despise mine because of how little of my payment each month goes to principal on the loan. I finished college with a B.A. in Spanish, and only $8,000-some in a loan. Four years later and I've not quite paid off half. Do I use the degree? Nope. I work in the jewelry business.

But I know that once I get my credit card and car loan paid off, I can start snowballing it and GET RID of this debt. It's looking like the credit card will be paid off this December and the car in June. So it will probably be March of 2010 when I get it paid off, and I will be out of debt. That seems so far away...




iVillage Member
Registered: 10-02-2008
Sat, 11-15-2008 - 7:32am

It takes money to make money.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-12-2007
Sat, 11-15-2008 - 2:39pm

Hi, Jennifer.


I noticed your ticker and wanted to give you a big "'Atta Girl!!!" on your weight loss.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-12-2007
Sat, 11-15-2008 - 2:43pm

Hi, Erin.


Glad to know your car is okay.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-10-2003
Sat, 11-15-2008 - 6:16pm

I must confess to be incredibly spoiled in this regard. I have about $30,000.00 in loans. I was paying on them for about a year. My dad decided that instead of paying for a wedding (PS I'm not even CLOSE to being married) he was going to take care of them for me. He has been paying on them for a year which works well for me cause I still get the interest break come tax time (not much, but anything helps!!)


I have so many friends that are just drowning in loans. A lot of them moved home for


Bex -

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