I’m still not sure how I managed this, but I have just submitted the final payment on $21,000 of student loans. As of Monday, four years early and on an income that never exceeded 23K a year, I am debt free. All the years of deprivation? So worth it.
Yes, it’s bragging. I’ve earned it. Now to research the grad schools that will probably put it all right back.
Congratulations on the debt! Whether or not I congratulate you on your plans for grad school depends entirely on what you intend to study.
Congratulations!!!
I just paid my last dollar of debt off about a month ago. It feels good. I don’t owe anyone a dollar… until we buy a house I guess.
Congratulations. No small feat indeed, I’m very happy for you.
Good for you! Be proud! And don’t let anyone make you feel bad for being good with a budget - it’s not being cheap, it’s being smart!
Secondary education/biology with a teaching certification. Elementary ed certifications aren’t really job grabbers in this economy.
Excellent, Schrodinger’s Platypus!
Hopefully you can continue to make wise decisions, balanced with a little fun.
Or…like you said…that grad school thing. 
Bio teacher sounds like a great job. Mine was a nerdy bald guy who had all his framed collections of dead butterflies on the walls. I’m pretty sure he intended to sew them all together into a suit at some point.
Dissecting that fetal pig was pretty fun, though.
Oh, there will be fun mixed in, and a few basic luxuries. Though I will give a bit of advice- if you’re looking to cut expenses, don’t do it by living in a hippie commune. That was… interesting.
Congratulations on making that last payment!
Congratulations on sticking with it! It is a good feeling; I achieved it a year after my divorce.
congratulations! It feels great, huh?
If I could pile on though, keep living lean until you get $10k in the bank. YMMV but that gave me great peace of mind.
impressive!!!
You did great. And more importantly, you demonstrated the will-power to succeed very well in your future.
Go you.
Three words: solid gold hat.
You’ve earned it.
Congratulations! I’m near the end of accruing student loans and the beginning of chipping away at that mountain, so my most heartfelt congratulations go out to you for working through your debt
Well done!
I would like to subscribe to your news letter.
Congratulations! I still have many, many years ahead of me to pay off all of my student loans (grad and undergrad). I bet it feels great I know just paying off all my credit cards was a fantastic feeling and I love not having that stress anymore.
Congratulations! I’m on track to get credit card debt paid off by the end of 2014 (hey, it’s a long-term goal ) After that comes the focus on the student loan debt and paying it down.
Congratulations! I never had student loans, but I had the next best thing, a mortgage. I made the last payment and had the paper form framed, with that red stamp that says “PAID IN FULL”