<p>I have 20k in student loans and 10k of credit card debt. My parents can't help me because they're in debt themselves. My dad was laid off over a year ago and has been unable to find a job despite trying very hard to find one. On top of that, my sister, a recent college graduate, was also laid off some months and has been living at home. She's also in debt by about 30k and could be facing a lawsuit if she doesn't start paying it off soon. She's literally applied to over 200 jobs and not one has called her back (she did have some interviews but all fell through). Only my mom is working and she's under extreme pressure needless to say. I'm scared she will break down from it all. I'm working but my income is not nearly enough to get rid of my debt in a timely manner, especially with all the interest. I'm extremely overwhelmed right now. Thankfully, I'm about to graduate and will be able to work full time, but I've also been having a hard time finding a job given the economy and my major (social sciences). I'm trying very hard though. Now, I realize I should've been more careful with my spending but many of those expenses were honestly justifiable for reasons I won't go into here. I'm just trying to figure out a way to deal with the now. Can you please help? Thanks.</p>
<p>I got help from consumer credit counseling when we needed to use credit cards for food and medical expenses.
They will help you contact the card companies and get the interest down to a manageable level. ( Then cut them up)
Your school loans may be slightly flexible depending on your income, but are those subsidized Stafford or outside loans?</p>
<p>Why don’t you look at joining the military? With a degree you might be eligible for officer training and the military will not only give you a guaranteed paycheck, they might pay off your student debt. I know of others who have done this. Now, your credit card debt may be an obstacle for this option, but if interested, is worth a try.</p>
<p>Only join the military if that’s what you want to do, it’s something to be decided lightly. There are other ways of paying off your debt.</p>
<p>Stop spending now.</p>
<p>You can probably delay paying your student loans because of poverty, but your credit card debt is another matter. Following emeraldkity4’s advice is a good idea. After you graduate, if you are still looking for a regular job, sign up with temp agencies. And put money towards paying down your credit cards before you spend money on going out. You might also look at transferring your credit card debt to another card that is interest free for a year or something, if those deals are still out there. Then you can aggressively pay down the principal. And if you are living at home, offer some sum to help with household expenses even if it is $10 or $20 per week.</p>
<p>And you can help your mom by not making more work for her around the house, and taking over some domestic responsibilities so that she doesn’t have to worry about them.</p>
<p>I don’t know a lot about this, so others can chime in if this is crazy.</p>
<p>If you have your parents apply for a Plus loan and they get denied, you could get a larger Stafford student loan and pay down your credit card debt. While that won’t reduce your debt, it will change your interest rate (I think). And, at least, some of the repayment of your credit card debt would be delayed until 6 months after graduation.</p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p>Yes, the first step is to stop spending. Stop taking your credit card with you, take the appropriate amount of cash (and no more!) if you have to go out and buy something. If you tend to buy things online, freeze your credit card in a block of ice so you can’t make impulse buys.</p>
<p>How much do you make at your job and how much is the minimum payment on your credit card? Are there any unnecessary things you can cut out to pay it off faster? (Eating out, movies, etc?)</p>
<p>Once you graduate, try to find a job in your field. But if you can’t, try to get a job somewhere else. You talked about your sister still being unemployed . . . Does your town suffer from high unemployment? If so, is there a relative somewhere else in the country who would let you stay rent free for a bit while you canvassed their area for jobs?</p>
<p>Curb all of your spending as of TODAY. Think before you stop at McDonald’s or Starbucks et al. It isn’t as much fun, but you can spend a lot less than you think you can. Don’t worry about fashion- last year’s clothes will do. Now is the time to think price over quality- no more top brand name jeans, shoes… You can cut on groceries by eating lesser brands. Been there, done that through medical school. Your spending habits have to reflect your income (wages minus debts, ie negative) not your education level or future economic hopes. Increase your spending habits back to former levels only when you have the surplus income to do so.</p>
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<p>Bad idea in my book. If worse came to worst, the credit card debt could be adjusted in bankruptcy court. The Stafford loan never goes away.</p>
<p>True…but who goes to bankruptcy court over $10k credit cards? Bankruptcy is a big deal that has many lingering implications - too many for $10k in credit cards.</p>
<p>Yes, 10K in CC debt isn’t necessarily bankruptcy material, but given no job, no family help available, his situation could easily spiral out of control quickly. Moving that debt to “secured” (by his hide) debt only enables more bad CC debt.</p>
<p>And if he ends up in the “part-time” economy after graduation (very likely with the social sciences degree), he’ll need every penny to keep up with the student loan payments (first priority because the debt cannot go away) before he tackles the CC debt. A year or more in this status could rack up enough debt to put him in bancruptcy court.</p>
<p>Look at Americorp or Teach for America – the economy may not turn around for another two or three years – you want to be ready with job experience at that point. Peace Corps is another possibility but not as strong as the other two. </p>
<p>Know that there is a difference between a bank and a credit union. A credit card balance with a credit union builds at a MUCH smaller rate than with a big bank. Also, a credit union is much less likely to do weird things like boost your interest rates wildly. Switch to a credit union – but do some research. There are some banks that borrow the name “credit union” – such as the Naval Credit Union – one of those is really a bank. </p>
<p>You are most likely to get a job through a contact – not through mailing out a a resume. Make sure you are looking at state jobs and learn the process of how state jobs are posted and how you fill out the application forms so that you get to the interview process. </p>
<p>I’ll give you an example: I have a college degree and thought it would be “fun” to fill in with some secretarial/admissions work at a local state college. After all, I am a parent with a lot of knowledge about college admissions. I got the form and began to fill it out. I was . . . a tad arrogant. Surely all those chemistry courses in my history meant I was more than qualified to be a secretary or personal assistant. </p>
<p>So I blew by those questions that asked if I had training in filing or if I knew Excel. What I should have done is slowed down, gotten some training in those specific areas (either by dragging pals to the computer to show me or from the library or from enrolling in a local CC course) so I could check “skilled” in those questions. </p>
<p>So, the person who “Scores” the applicants and ranks them gave me a low score. You had to be in the top five scores to get an interview. I could have dazzled at the interview but I never got that far. I did a post mortum and realized what I needed to do differently. </p>
<p>You are trained in the social sciences. You are not trained in the job hunt. Few colleges do that. So, get advice. Go to the agency/office where you would like to work and say “can I buy you a cup of coffee?” to anyone and everyone and pick their brain on how you get your foot in the door. Be polite and soak up thier words. If they tell you no one is ever hired who . . .wears a tie, doesn’t wear a tie, has dreadlocks, doesn’t have dreadlocks . . . whatever it is, then understand what it is you have to adapt to work there. </p>
<p>Keep after it. It is easy to hunker down with the computer instead of being out there pounding the pavement – but I promise you that people knowing your face and your attitude is what will get you a job. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, 10K in CC debt isn’t necessarily bankruptcy material, but given no job, no family help available, his situation could easily spiral out of control quickly. Moving that debt to “secured” (by his hide) debt only enables more bad CC debt.</p>
<p>Oh, I agree that without the discipline to not add new CC debt, my suggestion wouldn’t work. :)</p>
<p>I should have written more, and included that the suggestion would only work if bankruptcy wasn’t an option and no more CC debt was incurred.</p>
<p>I should have added that once some of the CC debt was paid off with a Stafford, NO MORE CHARGING, and then concentrate of paying off what’s left on the CC balance.</p>
<p>Hopefully, if the OP gets employed after graduation, he could also get a part-time weekend or night job to put towards his remaining debts. </p>
<p>.</p>
<p>I am not here to criticize OP, but how does a college student get 10K credit? It’s a good reason not to issue credit cards to college students.</p>
<p>Couple of things to do or consider:</p>
<ol>
<li>Move in with your parent if you are staying in a dorm and the school is close otherwise look for a job close to parent house so that you can live there.
That will cut down a lot of expenditure for you.</li>
<li>Give up your car and use public transportation if possible.</li>
<li>Stop eating out and start cooking for yourself. </li>
</ol>
<p>Now to reduce the debt,
- Concentrate on reducing the CC 10K debt. For a 10K CC debt the monthly payment should be somewhere between 150 and 200 depending on the interest rate.
Pay weekly an amount of $50 till you get a steady job. After you get a job try paying weekly an amount of $100 before you take home any money. - Budget yourself. If you do the 3 things at top you will be able to reduce your expense.
- Cut down any entertainment that includes outside restaurant, drinking, etc.
Eat, drink if you have to at home.</p>
<p>Just do this for a year. If you can spare $400 a month for a year that will bring down your CC debt to around $6000, 2 years and you will be almost out.</p>
<p>OP. you are learning a valuable lesson at a young age. Go to your state or HUD website and get counseling from a certified credit counselor - one who is either free or charges a low fee. Get advice from an expert who will not profit from your mistakes.</p>
<p>I agree with Flyaround. You need some help and guidance here. You might want to go to the counseling offered by you college as well for some support in getting through. They may have some resouces as well. Talk to your financial aid office too. Get whatever help you can get from your college as it is not so easy to get even counseling once you are outside of school without paying for it.</p>
<p>You also have to stop spending. It will be tough, but the buck has to stop here and now. Get your books from your library instead of buying them. Start looking for ways to cut your costs very low. Your next few years out of school should be focused on getting your budget under control, and keeping your spending low.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I agree I have to stop spending, and I have started to do that last quarter (including borrowing books for class from the library). You should know though that whatever I did to rack up the 10k, it was not on clothes, electronics or any fancy stuff. Some of it was books for class and test prep books (which are expensive), some on entertainment (not much though honestly), some food, and others was to help my family. It’s scary how they all added up. Before college, I never imagined I would be in this much debt, and it’s just overwhelming to think about it all.</p>
<p>I will research whether or not I can or should get Stafford. I think my college limits the amount of private loans I get. </p>
<p>I appreciate all the advice on the job search. It’s true how important networking is…I have friends whose parents are top corporate executives, and one of them offered referred another friend to his mom for an interview. This other friend had the relevant background, I don’t…I don’t know much about markets to be able to do well in the interview or in the job, but I would’ve tried for it if I did.</p>
<p>What I’m also worried about is what if a time comes when I’m unable to make minimum payments like my sister? I’m hoping I won’t ever reach that point, but I just want to be prepared. How much would my credit rating drop and how long would it take to get back to normal?</p>