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Student loans: 5 steps to pay down your debt

Student loans aren't far from your mind if you've graduated. Now comes the hard part: paying for the education that you’ve just completed. Where to begin? Collect all your loan paperwork and then follow these five smart steps to paying off your student loans.

4. Create a budget

Issei Kato/Reuters/File
A money changer shows some one-hundred US dollar bills at an exchange booth in this 2010 file photo. The stricter you are with your personal budget, the more likely you are to find areas to trim costs and help pay down your debts.

  • By Maura Kastberg Contributor

You need to find out how much you have each month to service your loans. Tally up your income and your outgo. Look at your spending habits and see if there are ways to trim expenses. Because most students live pretty cheaply out of necessity, try to continue living as reasonably as possible once you land a job. The more extra income you can funnel into loan repayment, the less your debt will cost in the long run.

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