Debt: It’s the four-letter word that can wreak havoc on your finances. In our Debt Confessions series, real people share how they tackled debt — from credit card bills to student loans to everything in between — and how it felt to reach their zero-balance goals.
When I graduated from law school in the spring of 2012, I came out with more than just a degree. Between student loans and credit cards, I also had $112,000 of debt. Not exactly how I’d pictured starting my new career.
I got a job at a great firm in Washington, D.C. shortly after graduating. But as the six-month grace period on my student loans ticked away, my massive loan balance took up more and more space in the back of my mind. So I decided that come repayment time, I’d use the bulk of my $100,000 take-home salary to pay off all my debt within one year.
The good news is that after just a few months, I’d made huge progress. The downside? I was utterly miserable.
While most get-out-of-debt stories praise self-discipline and sacrifice, they rarely touch on the consequences of being too aggressive with debt repayment. (Yes, there is such a thing.) Here’s how that happened to me.
FEELING THE DEBT PINCH
When I set out on my goal in the winter of 2012 (just after my grace period was up), the thought of paying off that much debt in a year didn’t seem unrealistic. My student loans accounted for $90,000, while credit card bills made up the rest. Fortunately, I was earning enough to easily cover my rent and was already on track to max out my 401(k). Continue reading “What Happened When I Paid Down $112K of Debt Too Fast”