Paying off the "Mortgage on my Mind"

I've always thought of my student loans as a kind of mortgage on my mind/brain. I was one of those naive students who took out loans for grad school without really thinking about what that would mean after I graduated. I mean, I knew cerebrally that I would have to pay them back one day, but I never thought about specifics--how long it would take or what kinds of sacrifices I would have to make in taking on this kind of burden.



When I saw that first statement and realized just how substantial the numbers were, it was overwhelming. After a while I just couldn't think about it anymore or I would start to feel ill. I vowed to do everything I could to pay off the private loans (which have much higher interest rates than the federal loans) as quickly as possible. And I'm proud to say that I've reached a huge milestone in this endeavor.

As of today, my private student loans are entirely PAID OFF! My final payment went through this morning, and it is an awesome feeling. It took 4 years and payments totaling roughly $38,700 to accomplish this. [Edit: It took exactly $38,427.80]

*Fist pump* Yeah!

[And a big thanks to M, who is in the same boat, for being so supportive]