First time
September 8th, 2010 at 08:47 pmI once asked a financial advisor for his opinion of my financial situation, he responded after a long pause "well, it doesn't look good does it?"
So here it is:
I have $120k in student loans
I make $75k a year
I have no other debts - cc, etc.
I have 7k in savings
I have 4k in a 401k
I live in an expensive area and cohabitate with my bf
I don't own a car
Right now my student loans are killing me. The interest rates vary from 4 to 7.5%. I have stretched some over 25 years and opted for graduated repayment for others. I am over the salary threshold and can't take any interest as a tax deduction.
About two months ago I started to live on a budget. So I have gone from buying coffee, lunch, and snacks everyday to bringing everything from home. I used a special discount program to reduce the price of my cell plan. I am not shopping unless its necessary,I replace clothes only when something gets worn or stained.
I don't want to deal with these loans for the rest of my life. But I may not be able to buy a home or switch jobs until these things are gone. Any ideas on what else to do would be much appreciated!