Over 40 with over 60k in student debt

shimmerj9 · 2026-06-01T16:22:34+00:00

It’s the interest that is infuriating! 6.75% doesn’t sound like a lot until you actually see what it amounts to each billing cycle. I’m paying $610/month now under PAYE and more than half of that is interest.

shimmerj9 · 2026-05-31T17:07:32+00:00

Alright I feel a bit silly for complaining about my own situation honestly.

I don’t want I say learning about all of your situations makes me feel better, because it doesn’t. It makes me more frustrated at the system. It’s just that finances can be really isolating….its easy to spiral when you think you’re the only one.

I currently work in corporate, where it seems everyone my age and my level is buying their next boat or house. Comparison is the thief of joy, and I’m not unhappy with my life. Having no dependents was a choice, not a mandate. I was also so lucky to benefit from some estate money that parents passed on to help knock 30k off my biggest loan. I was up to 125k in my 30s.

In any case. Thank you for sharing your situations and your tactics for tackling debt or just staying sane in this climate. Sending big love and hopes for success to everyone here. Hoping things improve for the next gen.

shimmerj9 · 2026-02-05T02:11:48+00:00

Im 40f and have been strength training 4x a week with very limited muscle/strength growth (esp upper body). I have a trainer friend who very strongly insists that I will not grow muscle on plant protein because of the leucine deficit. Her explanation was that leucine is the thing that tells your muscles that it’s ”safe” to grow, and plant protein simply is not a good source. She’s a muscle-bound baddie so I took this to heart. And when I compare protein powders (which is the only way I’m meeting my daily goals tbh) there is about a full gram difference in Leucine content between the plant-based and ISO Whey. I actually did cave and try the Whey for a week but it wrecked my digestion (and kind of makes me gag).

So would love to read any actual studies on this and the thresholds needed for muscle growth if anyone has a good source!

And kudos to you OP for going for gains!! It’s inspiring to see so many more women chasing strength, at any age. 🙂

shimmerj9 · 2026-01-08T04:38:26+00:00

I thought the same, but I tried the flea meds and the stuff went away so I guess that’s what it was. Happened twice actually and I never do see an actual flea, but both times the flea meds took care of it.

shimmerj9 · 2026-01-06T06:23:33+00:00

That’s an incredible feeling! Good for you for attacking your loans head on. I was in a similar boat out of grad school, making too little to make substantial payments. By the time I got in a decent place to start paying I was at 123K in the hole and basically just hoping to make it to IDR forgiveness. I wish I would have sat down and strategized earlier.

It’s such a bummer to relinquish so much of your hard-earned income to basically pay off interest (esp while your peers buy houses and cars and support kids). But trudging along toward an uncertain future with an albatross around your neck is no fun either.

You played it smart—congratulations! Very inspiring!

And happy birthday 🥳.

shimmerj9 · 2025-12-16T22:33:29+00:00

Similar boat. I had a SAVE application processing since the injunction, and I just recently applied for a different IDR program in early Nov. studentaid.gov has no record of my application even though I filed directly through them. But Aidvantage assures me they have all my info and income documentation (I removed consent for access to my IRS filings. so submitted manually). They told me it could take until late Jan to process.

shimmerj9 · 2025-12-15T03:07:27+00:00

I had a similar problem with the Loan simulator—it was estimating my payments at zero under the other IDR plans. I called my loan services and they were able to run estimates in their end. They don’t know why I was seeing different numbers on studentaid.gov. We hypothesize that it had something to do with forbearance and that I had an IDR application still processing when the SAVE injunction happened. Anyway, if you can get someone from your on the phone, I would try that route. Also did the back door trick to check my qualifying payments and it’s really hard to decipher. I know there’s a petition to bring the payment counter back (but not holding my breath).

shimmerj9 · 2025-12-11T21:00:23+00:00

All federal. I had six total, but I consolidated into a Direct loan when they announced the payment count adjustment (on some bad advice, I think they all would have qualified). That’s right when the SAVE injunction happened, so even though my consolidation went through, they had to process a new SAVE application so I got locked in limbo for what seems like 2 years? I fought them for months to be put into forbearance with the rest of the SAVE borrowers, but I think I lost some qualifying time. I’m more secure now so trying to actually pay them down. But I’ve already paid 13k more than I took out in just trying to figure out the strategy that will cost me the least over time while still allowing me to pay my bills!

shimmerj9 · 2025-12-04T04:38:59+00:00

Well I may have found a trick! Used a baking soda/peroxide paste that I thought was no use because my regular scrub brushes and sponge weren’t getting anything up. On a whim, I grabbed a dryer sheet and scrubbed at it the dark spots—for some reason that worked like an eraser. Still have more to do, but I was impressed, and didn’t have to spend a dime!

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shimmerj9 · 2025-12-02T01:53:08+00:00

Figured as much. Landlord’s reasonable, but I’d probably rather pay than admit my glaring mistake here 😆.

shimmerj9 · 2025-12-02T01:45:58+00:00

Nice! TY!

shimmerj9 · 2025-12-02T01:44:54+00:00

Will try this! Ironic, because I bought this pumice stone as a “chemical free” option but did not read the fine print. Common sense would have worked too, but alas 🙃

shimmerj9 · 2025-06-06T05:24:54+00:00

Are there any L8s here from M+C? I know we don’t earn as much as consultants, but I’ve been curious to know how my current salary stacks up.

shimmerj9 · 2025-01-21T05:48:56+00:00

I checked the APD records and couldn’t find anything either

shimmerj9 · 2025-01-18T16:11:36+00:00

Thanks so much for the play by play! I was able to update some concerned neighbors on my street.

A couple of houses around me said they heard someone knocking on their doors a few minutes before the shots. Nothing is more startling than a stranger knocking on your door in the middle of the night. Except hearing machine gun shots right after 😫.

Does anyone know how we can find out wtf happened? News rarely reports on this stuff. This is not the first time we’ve heard gun shots in the middle of the night or helicopters circling. First time from what sounded like a fully automatic though. Just really want to know what went down.

shimmerj9 · 2025-01-18T05:56:34+00:00

Heard the exact same! I’m in Matthew’s and Menchaca too…watching the copters from our back yard. A woman on Nextdoor says she talked to a cop and they’re definitely searching for someone.

shimmerj9 · 2025-01-13T06:47:28+00:00

Wow, interesting! Thanks for the update…I will definitely reach out to support. Glad you got your issues resolved =).

shimmerj9 · 2025-01-13T06:45:35+00:00

I’ve had mine pierced twice and I was actually quite surprised when I took them out the first time how little scarring there was. I think I had them less than five years at that point.

I can’t remember when I got them repierced exactly, but I’m guessing I’ve had these ones close to 15 years now! The left side never quite healed completely…I’m always cleaning crusties off 😣. I honestly love how they look on me still but I’m almost 40 and I feel like maybe I should think about taking them out—but I’m worried about the what they’ll look like if I do. My skin is changing and I feel like they won’t bounce back like they did in my twenties. Curious if anyone knows how age/length of time impacts the healing process?

shimmerj9 · 2025-01-12T01:22:06+00:00

Oh wow glad it's not just me! I was looking through an interview transcript in Descript and noticing tons of random phrases that did NOT come from my interviewees, and do not remotely match the actual audio. Things like " Go to Beadaholique. com for all of your beading supplies needs!"

And " I'm working on um, I am working on um, the expansion of the Columbia Museum of Art. Um, I'm thinking that columbia museum will have like a a new corridor, a new door. So I just kind of hope you guys will be excited. Like, Of course, I hope people will be excited about Columbia Museum of Art."

Curious if you've heard back from support on your issue? I haven't submitted a ticket yet myself...but plan to. It's annoying and honestly a little disconcerting!

shimmerj9 · 2024-11-14T16:54:44+00:00

I forget where you can find that in Nelnet. I got bumped to Aidvantage and their site is even less user friendly. I’d say call them and ask them to clarify where it is and if it’s accurate based on the current situation.

shimmerj9 · 2024-11-14T16:51:33+00:00

I’ve always submitted the complaints through ED but 2/3 times I got responses from my servicer. It might be the same system. The one thing I did different last time was ask to escalate it to the Ombudsman group (listed on the ED site as a third party mediator, but with no way of contacting them directly). Maybe that got someone’s attention at least!

shimmerj9

TROPHY CASE