I often think about what I could do with an extra $863.27 a month. I'd finally get around to replacing the brake pads on my car, no problem.
It could pay for a good deal of that flight to Japan, which is at the top of my travel wish list. I could have a second apartment somewhere — not in Los Angeles, where I currently live, but , surely. I could save it for a rainy day.
I think about $863.27 a lot because that's what goes toward my student loan debt each and every month. I've been paying that for years, and many years lie ahead.
I graduated with a bachelor's degree from New York University in 2015. As it stands, I have $74,236 remaining in private loans and $21,525 in federal loans. (I haven't qualified for any of the , although my federal payments were paused during the height of the pandemic.
) I'm used to the astonishment and horror that washes over people's faces when I tell them about my student debt. I often explain that the number is so high, it feels abstract, and that helps me cope, I guess. Now, please spare me your lectures on personal responsibility and how I did this to myself.
Yes, I know I over future financial stability. I could have gone to a more affordable college, and I didn't. And truthfully, I have few regrets: I had incredible journalism classes, made lifelong friendships, and landed valuable internships throughout college, which helped me jump-start my career.
Nearly a decade after graduating, however, I do find myself resenting the financial flexibi.
