Finally getting a grip on my student loan (felt impossible first)

When I graduated in 2022, I had about $38k in federal loans and honestly no clue how I was ever gonna deal with them. I kept pushing the thought to the back of my head, but every time I logged into my account it felt like the number was screaming at me. Interest made me panic even more because it felt like no matter how much I paid, the balance never moved.

What helped was breaking it down into small steps. I picked one loan with the highest interest and started putting extra money on it while still making the minimums on the others. I also picked up a side hustle and threw every extra $100–200 I made straight at the balance. It didn’t make a huge dent at first, but after about 8 months I’d knocked off around $3k, which was the first time I felt like I was actually winning.

The other thing I did was start building my credit properly. I never trusted myself with credit cards, so I switched to a debit card that reports to credit bureaus. That way, I’m building my score while paying down debt, and it keeps me from swiping money I don’t have. My score jumped about 40 points in the last few months, and it feels like I’m finally moving forward instead of just drowning.

I know $38k isn’t crazy compared to what a lot of people here have, but it was crushing me mentally. Just wanted to post this for anyone who feels stuck, small wins really do add up.