College Debt Free at 23!

What an exhilarating blog title to type! Yes, you read that right. I am officially college debt free at age 23. I’ve been thinking about this point in my life since I graduated college a little over a year ago, constantly working on different budget plans to figure out the best way to pay off this debt in the most efficient, quickest way. Only took one year, one month, and 20 days to get to this college debt free portion of my life!

College Student No More

When I graduated college and finally moved back home, thus entering the “real world”, the thought of paying off my student loan felt like a distant dream. I had to slowly strip away the lifestyle of a college student and start evaluating where I wanted to go next in my life. What was my next step going to be? How was I going to get there?

I’m not going to lie, that transition was incredibly tough for me. I enjoyed college, I loved the routine of being a student, I was working two part-time jobs, and most of my time was spent surrounded by friends who made my early 20’s memorable. But once I moved home, I didn’t have any of that anymore. I was unemployed, unsure of my next step, and felt isolated and alone most days. It was a complete 180. But I knew that I was the only one who could bring myself out of that and make my own transition better for myself.

The Thrill of the Job Hunt

One of the things I knew I needed and wanted to do when I moved back home was to look for a job. I worked two jobs the entirety of my senior year and held at least one internship every quarter of the school year. I was used to being busy and enjoyed being able to make my own money. I also knew there was no way I was going to be able to pay off my student loan if I just continued to bum around my house, watching hours and hours of TV, and eating my way through my pantry. But job hunting was not something that necessarily came easy to me.

Like I said before, the transition from college life was difficult for me to adjust to. I didn’t take looking for a job that seriously at first. I would maybe apply for a handful of jobs every two weeks, assuming something would just fall into my lap. And when nothing did, I would get upset and discouraged, never once really holding myself accountable for my lack of trying.

It was my mom who gave me that change of mindset. She had to get tough with me and really drill it into me that looking for a job had to be a full-time thing. I couldn’t sit around on the couch, wasting away my days, and expect to get something. I had to constantly be looking at job sites and getting my resumes out there.  Once I started dedicating my free time to job hunting, good things started coming my way. I got an internship in October and once that finished up in February, I hit the ground running again, and spent only a month unemployed before I found the job I’m currently at.

Money, Money, Money

Once I started steadily working, I had to really manage my money if I wanted to pay off my loan and start myself off on a good foot financially. I made numerous budget plans, mapping out how much of each paycheck to put towards my loan, calculating how many months it would take me to accomplish this goal depending on how much I took out. I had to get smart about it. I decided to put at least 80% of each paycheck towards my loan and focus on making wise purchases in other avenues of my life.

Other things I had to keep in mind where other ways I could effectively manage my money. I had to limit online shopping and tried to use random gift cards I had lying around. I packed a lunch more than I went out to eat at work. I looked for deals in any way I could, even when it came to half-priced Mariners tickets.  I would have a few drinks to pregame before Ubering out on a Friday night, so not to spend more money on expensive bar drinks. Any way I could save a little here and there, I would. I also took on the mindsets of “do you want it or need it?” and “do you love it or like it?” Having those thoughts in my mind whenever I would go out, especially shopping, became super helpful for me. I could easily tell if I thought a shirt looked okay on the mannequin or if I knew I would wear it all the time.  It became a gauge that would help me logically evaluate my spending.

Priorities: This or That?

When you have a financial goal you’re trying to reach, you have to start deciding where your priorities lie. Do you want to work a lot or focus on having fun? Do you want to travel as much as possible right away or save a little before going off to explore? Do you need your own space or can you live with someone?

For me personally, I knew that my priorities were that I wanted to save up a bit and pay off my loan first and foremost.  So for me that meant living at home and working as much as possible.  I had to get my priorities in check to keep a clear mind of how I was going to accomplish what I wanted to do moving forward.

Shout Outs

I cannot talk about being college debt free without giving credit where credit is due. I know that I was very lucky that I came out of college with a manageable loan. My parents saved up for most of my life and when my grandpa passed away, what he left me went to my college payments.  My parents have been beyond helpful and supportive and I 100% would not be where I am right now without them. They let me move home and focus on working to pay off my loan, which was the most helpful thing for a college grad who was unemployed at the time.  My gramma has been there for me all throughout college, helping me in any way that she could. She wanted to do whatever she could to keep me going.  Definitely could not write this post without giving her a shout out.

All together, I was extremely lucky to have the support that I did when it came to becoming college debt free at 23. But now I have a clean slate and I can look forward to the future with no more student loans!