I've been paying my student loans with most of my income since 2011. I will be paying off my last private loan in two weeks, leaving me with about $32k in federal loans. Based on my current plan, I can have them completely paid off in about a year. I can have the smaller of the two done by August. My monthly take home is $4k, and I put about $3k towards my loans every month, with the remainder paying for living expenses. My husband covers all the major bills, we live off of his income. We do not have any car loans, and our credit cards are basically at zero. No kids, and no kids are coming. We live comfortably.
My question is: Should I continue to hammer the federal loans down for the next year or wait things out?
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I want to be done with them. They have been a massive burden for the last 15 years of my life, and I want to be free.
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My fed loans are in deferment til October 2028 because of the court cases, so while no payments are due, they are accruing interest.
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I have two big treats planned for myself when I get them paid off. I am going to get an antique platinum ring fixed which includes repair and a diamond replacement, and I am going to blow an entire paycheck at a fancy spa for a weekend alone. The longer it takes to pay off my loans, the longer it takes to celebrate the completion.
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The US is a clusterfuck right now, and I don't know if I should have cash on hand. I do have access to about $100k in our Heloc if there's an emergency and we need to get out.
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What is the likelihood of loan forgiveness ever coming?
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What seems like the smart choice in all of this? My husband's job is very stable, and he has 15 years of seniority. Not worried about him losing his job. Mine seems stable at the moment, but that could change since we do a lot of work with the Dept of Education.
My options as I see them:
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Continue as planned to be finished. I get to celebrate and reward myself and stop thinking about them every day of my life. I'll be free.
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Pay a reasonable amount to them to stay on top of interest plus a little more, and save the remainder to build up an emergency fund.
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Ignore them til they are due and build emergency fund.
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Pay the interest and save everything else. When we have a clearer idea of the state of the US/war that's happening, I can decide on a lump payment or continue saving.
My brain really wants them paid off, but I think that's clouding my reasoning about the reality of the situation in the US right now. I've been so focused on them for so long, anytime I have money in my account I feel guilty, like it should go to my loans. If I skip a month of payments for us to take a weekend away, I feel like I'm drawing out my suffering. On the one hand, I don't want to be worrying about payment if we fall into a deep economic depression. On the other, the government could collapse and would anyone ever come looking for me for repayment? Or is there a chance that the next president and Congress will actually be able to get some form of relief passed for students?
So, what do you guys think I should do?
Need advice on finishing payment
byu/Hopefulkitty inStudentLoans
Posted by Hopefulkitty