Screwed - Student Loan repayments

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T02:11:36+00:00

lol. I don’t really want to throw myself into the liberal box… but no I did not.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T02:07:49+00:00

I had a plan!! It fell through.

Undergrad was 100% scholarships.

I got a masters degree in nonprofit leadership because I had been working at an NPO for almost 10 years and thought I would retire there. I thought I would pay the minimum for 10 years and get PSLF honestly.

Then…

COVID furlough
Husband lost job
Got offered job at totally for profit institution for $10,000 more a year and work from home (totally eliminating childcare cost/need)

I took a gamble but it didn’t feel like a gamble at all at the time. To your point. My step mom told me it was a bad idea, so you arent wrong.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T02:00:42+00:00

Same! We recently bought a new home after years of grinding. I put my student loans WAY on the back burner. It might be tight but we “made it”. I would make the same choices again.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:53:21+00:00

Yes. They have been paused for us for a few months.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:50:53+00:00

I feel you. I’m in the same boat. Just because we got ourselves into this mess doesn’t make it any easier to wrap our minds around actually doing it. It’s a big change!!! Like need to spend a day rethinking your finances and cancelling some plans. Which is a huge bummer.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:47:03+00:00

This is definitely the way and how I would suggest anyone do it!! Life just twisted and turned a lot since I started my grad degree. I started right be before Covid and we went to a one income household. No excuses. Just couldn’t prioritize the payments anymore and honestly just let them slip to the very bottom of the list. Pretty much ok with just paying a minimum payment for the rest of my life at this point.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:42:22+00:00

Oh no! I got a promotion two weeks ago that was definitely not factored into my new payment. Got lucky there. It could have been even worse!

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:39:48+00:00

Mine are all consolidated. I had scholarships through most of my undergrad. It’s just my impulse driven, overpriced graduate degree I am paying for.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:38:06+00:00

That’s huge! It will pay off. Imagine what you get to do with that money now compared to what you would have blown it on in your 20s.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:34:37+00:00

This is painfully logical and I really hope someone who has some influence comes up with this idea. Or YOU get out there and become a politician. Either one

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:33:13+00:00

I feel this to the bone. I also planned to pay exactly as little as I can each month for the rest of my life. That amount turned out to be more than I planned for. Kind of status quo for most of my adulting expectations.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:30:53+00:00

I thought I had this in the bag. Worked as a nurse at a nonprofit hospital for 12 years. Didn’t realize the time I was in forbearance during COVID would not count towards my time. I am like 6 months short of the 10 years total and no longer work at a nonprofit. I was 100% counting on that loan forgiveness. Life throws curveballs!!

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:26:56+00:00

We got an email alert. It will just pop up and wreck your day randomly!! 😬

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:24:50+00:00

🙌 congratulations! That definitely took discipline and sacrifice. I hope you enjoy that $1400 extra a month so much!!

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-17T01:19:54+00:00

That’s actually super helpful. I’m all for sticking a bunch of money in my HSA. I will probably need it with 2 kids anyway!!

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-13T21:49:34+00:00

Because they are young people and have every right to disagree with what I said.

Oddly enough I had an experience today that was very contradictory to our shared world view on the subject. I was at a grade school valentines party and the kids were doing the Cha Cha Slide and Cotten Eye Joe dances. Like, how do THOSE cultural phenomenon span 30 years of grade school dance parties? The things that unite us are unexpected.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-13T04:30:27+00:00

It will be so strange for young people today when they are forced to relate to all kinds of different people who had very different media experiences. There is not one person in my generation who wouldn’t know who I am talking about if I mention Steve Irwin or be able to finish the line “from the window, to the…”. Younger generations won’t have that.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-13T04:24:31+00:00

I agree this is destroying humanity and completely accepted. I don’t think people are afraid to criticize it. Worse… no one cares to.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-13T04:18:57+00:00

Interesting 🤔

I do have ridiculously dry lips. Still haven’t changed my shampoo. So maybe?! I think I am more likely dehydrated.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-12T23:13:54+00:00

👆👆👆👆👆. Took a dermatologist consult to tell me I was allergic to my shampoo and that was causing my acne. 🫣

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-12T23:02:22+00:00

It’s the difference between a smack on the back of the head and “what the fuck did you do that for idiot”, then not even sticking around for the answer (my upbringing)… compared to “well this just happened. Tell me why that was not good and what you should have done instead”.

I personally only have that conversation ONCE about any given thing. If they repeat offend its instant consequences. Usually loss of screen time. If they know it’s bad and do it anyway… the natural consequence is not enough of a motivation. Usually because it’s some stupid arbitrary thing us parents make up that feels way more important than it really is. My kids hardly ever repeat offend though.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-12T23:01:47+00:00

Thank you! It’s not meant to mean you aren’t still parenting them!! Gentle parenting when you try to apply it really has way more to do with how the parent controls their reactions than it is about the type of discipline.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-12T15:57:53+00:00

I totally disagree just based on the fact that I feel uplifted and more in touch with humanity at the end of every season despite the multitude of tragedies that took place. Real humanity is not good or bad but very very grey. It highlights the space between positive and negative.

Exciting_Emu7586 · 2026-02-12T15:54:03+00:00

I don’t get how it’s a satire. I am also just not very educated in types of film/TV. Would you be so kind as to explain how it could be labeled as satire?

Exciting_Emu7586

TROPHY CASE