April 14, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Photo by eric731 / by BY-NC-SA 2.0
Today my final student loan payment posted, making me 100%, totally debt free for the first time in, um, let’s see, a decade? Yes, that sounds right.
I thought I would scream this from the mountain tops and do a little happy dance right now in the days or minutes before I have to buy a new car when mine inexplicably explodes or I’m hit by shrapnel from my exploding car and rack up lots of hospital bills. The good news is that medical bills can be discharged in bankruptcy, whereas student loans can’t be.
So, wheeee! Look at me, debt free! I don’t owe anyone anything and it is awesome!
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"What distinguishes us one from another is our dreams and what we do to make them come about." - Joseph Epstein
35 Comments
Amy • April 14, 2011 at 1:36 pm
That is fantastic. It feels like I will be paying my Student Loan till I die!!!! Congrats…..
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Sarah Fowler • April 14, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Congratulations!! I know freedom tastes great :-)
I paid off all my debt last year and I’m never going back!! Doing my best to save up some extra emergency cash now for those lovely “rainy days”.
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Sarah • April 14, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Congrats!!!!!!
I’m not there yet… i’ve got a little bit of school loan left and much larger, the whole mortgage thing. A cross country move later and I’m hoping to unload that mortgage next year when my renters move out. I imagine the happy dance i do for selling the house (and having that moolah to pay off those last few pitiful student loan payments) will far far far exceed the dance i did the day i paid off my car.
debt free is so the way to be!!!!!!!!!!!
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Kalynskitchen • April 14, 2011 at 1:48 pm
It’s a great feeling isn’t it. I only managed it a few years ago when I started making money from my blog. I have my mortgage of course, but no other debts. Congratulations!
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JourneyBeyondSurvival • April 14, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Ah. So. I want to know if that is really really your license plate. Really?
And, congratulations!
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Teresa • April 14, 2011 at 2:05 pm
That’s awesome! Congratulations on a seemingly impossible task.
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PastaQueen • April 14, 2011 at 2:11 pm
@JourneyBeyondSurvival – Nope, that’s not my actual license plate. I found the picture on Flickr and it just happened to be from North Carolina. Go figure.
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Jenn • April 14, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Awesome! Congrats! I’m still working towards that myself, though I’m years away from that final student loan payment. I’m lowering the interest rate on my consumer debt today though so one step closer :)
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sarahbyrdd • April 14, 2011 at 2:31 pm
ROCK ON!
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Amy • April 14, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Very nice! I don’t have student loan debt, but I have credit card debt that I am trying to pay down. I can’t wait until I can say I’m debt free too!
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Michelle • April 14, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Congrats! That’s a tremendous achievement!
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MJones • April 14, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Congratulations! That’s a feat worth celebrating!
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Jonna • April 14, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Whoo-Hoo! You go, girl!
I don’t have student loan debt –it was eliminated when they decided I was classified “permanently disabled.” It was never very big to begin with, but on my micro-SSI/SSD income I’d never have paid it off.
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adrienne • April 14, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Congratulations! We ran out and bought something frivolous (black leather jackets) with our first non-payment. I still smile about paying off the loan every time I wear the jacket.
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Laura • April 14, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Congratulations! I know exactly how you feel.
I paid off my student loan debt about 6 years ago. Then, about three years ago, I paid off what had been a rather large amount of credit card debt. I was so excited I highlighted the zero balance on my next statement and hung it on my bulletin board. Now my only debt is my mortgage, and I work hard to keep it that way.
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Emily • April 14, 2011 at 6:22 pm
congratulations! i am really looking forward to the day we pay off my husband’s student loans. it seems so far off in the distance.
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Mama_Dee • April 14, 2011 at 6:29 pm
Congrats!
The hubs and I are half way there, then we are going right down that road again by building or buying a house! YIKES…….
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Mary (A Merry Life) • April 14, 2011 at 6:43 pm
That’s so exciting! Congrats! I can’t wait to be able to say this for myself. :)
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Jessica • April 14, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Sooo jealous right now!
That’s awesome!
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Susan Brown • April 14, 2011 at 6:48 pm
SO happy for you!! Can’t wait to get there!
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MB • April 14, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Congratulations!!! I remember the relief when I made my last credit card and car loan payment. Now when I have to pay for car repairs I think it’s sill cheaper than the monthly payment.
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Laura I. (G.G.) • April 14, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Congratulations! Great milestone!!!
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Laura Pugh • April 14, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Congratulations! That is quite an accomplishment. Great job!
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Pam • April 15, 2011 at 12:04 am
That is awesome. Whenever I get to that state (debt free), I am only there about 10 minutes, and I have to go back in debt for this or that. Although–at this point in my life, the debts are much smaller than they used to be–only one credit card with an outstanding balance at this point. But since I want to retire in less than two years, I better get that one paid off soon too!
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fd • April 15, 2011 at 2:17 am
Woohoo, well done! that must be an amazing feeling.
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Carmie • April 15, 2011 at 10:08 am
Woo!! My husband and I are currently working on paying off everything (5 more months if all goes according to plan!). I know how much dedication it takes! Congratulations! :)
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Kimberly • April 15, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Awesome! Such an accomplishment. One day, I’ll be right there with you ;-)
Congrats!
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Debbi Does Dinner Healthy • April 15, 2011 at 2:36 pm
That IS exciting in this world we live in. Hopefully you won’t have to take out a loan to pay for gas! :-)
I’ve been in debt, (bad, stupid debt) for my whole adult life. I’m about a year, tops away from being debt free myself. I can’t wait to have that as a blog post as well! :-)
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Elvis • April 15, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Happy for you and I pray you remain debt free for a very long while if not forever
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Leah Kadwell • April 15, 2011 at 11:55 pm
Congratulations! Very happy for you !
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Brittney • April 16, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Congrats. As a college student in the humanities, I see myself paying off college debt forever. It’s nice to get a reminder that it doesn’t take an entire lifetime.
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Psychsarah • April 17, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Way to go! That’s amazing. Enjoy the freedom :)
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mom taxi julie • April 17, 2011 at 11:28 pm
Congrats that’s awesome!!
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Charlotte • April 21, 2011 at 8:47 am
Freedom indeed. it must be an amazing feeling.
i’ll be joing you very soon.
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Johanna • April 21, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Congratulations! As a college student in the humanities I have a couple of more years to go but the sum is so much smaller now and the end is near!
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