# I have successfully clawed my way out of debt. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 20, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268 "2013-04-20T23:07:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schrodinger_s_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/1 "2013-04-20T23:07:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/2 "2013-04-20T23:11:23Z")
Congratulations on the debt! Whether or not I congratulate you on your plans for grad school depends entirely on what you intend to study. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/3 "2013-04-20T23:11:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/4 "2013-04-20T23:11:51Z")
Congratulations. No small feat indeed, I’m very happy for you. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/5 "2013-04-20T23:23:29Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schrodinger_s_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/6 "2013-04-20T23:24:26Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Congratulations on the debt! Whether or not I congratulate you on your plans for grad school depends entirely on what you intend to study. Secondary education/biology with a teaching certification. Elementary ed certifications aren’t really job grabbers in this economy. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/7 "2013-04-20T23:28:10Z")
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. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/8 "2013-04-20T23:33:01Z")
> [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](#): > > Secondary education/biology with a teaching certification. Elementary ed certifications aren’t really job grabbers in this economy. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schrodinger_s_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/9 "2013-04-20T23:33:34Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > 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. 🙂 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. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/10 "2013-04-21T00:16:05Z")
Congratulations on making that last payment! ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/11 "2013-04-21T00:34:08Z")
Congratulations on sticking with it! It is a good feeling; I achieved it a year after my divorce. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/12 "2013-04-21T00:41:35Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/13 "2013-04-21T00:42:15Z")
> [@Schrodinger\_s\_Platypus](#): > > 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. impressive!!! You did great. And more importantly, you demonstrated the will-power to succeed very well in your future. Go you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/14 "2013-04-21T00:49:46Z")
Three words: solid gold hat. You’ve earned it. ---
**Author:** ![TnTangent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@TnTangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TnTangent)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/15 "2013-04-21T00:54:50Z")
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 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/16 "2013-04-21T01:05:09Z")
Well done! ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/17 "2013-04-21T12:24:26Z")
I would like to subscribe to your news letter. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/18 "2013-04-21T12:32:42Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/19 "2013-04-21T12:42:56Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268/20 "2013-04-21T13:06:51Z")
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” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-successfully-clawed-my-way-out-of-debt/656268.md?page=2)