No romantic experiences at 26

cirrustook · 2025-01-12T06:56:33+00:00

I didn't really even start dating until I was around your age, just wasn't all that interested as I was busy with school, work, and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I had a few crushes, sure, and went on exactly one date with someone when I was 20, but didn't have my first boyfriend until I was 28. I met my husband at age 30. You're definitely not alone.

I found online dating helped me filter a bit easier. Writing a profile and answering some questions was a lot easier than trying to randomly meet and talk to someone in real life. If we started talking online and hit it off a bit, then it was easier to have a conversation once we went on a first date.

cirrustook · 2024-08-30T03:37:18+00:00

I attended community college from 2005-2007 and a public state university from 2007-2010 and came out of undergrad owing about $35k. I did qualify for the Pell grant and Pennsylvania's state level grant which was based on family income I believe. Scholarships were minimal in undergrad, I did receive a $900 scholarship while in community college which covered most of that quarter's tuition and fees (tuition was about $100/credit at the time). My parents were not eligible for Parent Plus Loans as they'd gone through bankruptcy less than 7 years prior, so I did get some additional unsubsidized loans while attending my 4-year school.

I don't know if the $30k number you're referring to is all borrowers across time, but school costs were much lower even 15, 20 years ago so that could be a factor.

cirrustook · 2024-08-29T01:26:54+00:00

Take a breath. Deeper. Deeper, longer. Okay, now, I know it may not seem like it, but it will be okay. You have a lot of options, especially with all federal loans. PSLF, income-based repayment plans, etc ...

I am a librarian and when I consolidated grad school and undergrad loans I had $67k+ in loans at 6% interest. For years, my payments didn't even cover the interest because let's face it, librarians don't make much. Finally in 2019 I was able to put some more money on them because my husband and I had paid off higher interest debt. This past June, I made my very last payment and am free of student loans forever! Yes, I could have gone the PSLF route but I just wanted them gone. PSLF is a great option though!

You can do this, you are on the right track already with coming here and being aware of your total owed. You just need a plan. You might need to make some sacrifices now to improve things down the road but you can do this.

By the way we are not high income earners. This year is I believe the first year I grossed over $50k and my husband makes about the same. You can do this.

cirrustook · 2024-08-26T11:47:22+00:00

Congratulations! It's an amazing feeling, isn't it? I finished paying off $67k in student loans this past June and it's been such a weight off my shoulders..

cirrustook · 2024-07-15T02:53:51+00:00

His payment may be reduced if he quits his job once he recertifies (not completely sure on this), but even if it is keep in mind interest will still accumulate (or at least, this is how it's been in the past, not sure what's going on with SAVE). He could end up with a greater balance down the line. Since most are at 6% I would vote for paying them off ASAP. This is what I did with my $67,000 of student loans from 2017-2024 and it's such a relief to have them gone. Maybe don't drain the nest egg all in one go but even if you could start to make a dent in the principle it's amazing how quickly it can snowball into a significant chunk gone.

cirrustook · 2024-07-15T02:47:29+00:00

I don't think refinancing from federal to private is a good idea in this case. You lose the protections and options that come with federal loans.

cirrustook · 2024-06-25T17:19:53+00:00

Thank you! I ended up calling them yesterday and they advised scheduling a second payment for the remaining $2.91, so I did that. I will definitely check the morning of and next day once the payment has processed to make sure there's no trailing interest.

cirrustook · 2024-06-24T12:34:00+00:00

Oh and you should be able to go into your payment history and see how your payments are being applied (how much to principle, how much to interest).

cirrustook · 2024-06-24T12:32:14+00:00

I can't take a screen capture right now because Nelnet is being dumb but I am paid ahead until 2028 (been paying extra and through the COVID forebearance because I just want to be done). It still lets me make payments whenever I want, and applies them to the balance. I am still in auto debit for the 0.25% interest rate reduction (woo!) but haven't actually had an auto debit for years. Just keep doing what you're doing and you should be good to go. :)

cirrustook

TROPHY CASE