I saw my student loan balance drop below $10,000 and it felt weird

I was just checking my account like I do every month, and the number was $9,847. I've been paying on these things since I was 22, and for years the total just seemed to sit there, barely moving. I'm 31 now. Hitting that four-figure mark didn't make me feel happy or free like I thought it would. It just made me angry about all the stuff I couldn't do because of it, like putting money down on a place or taking a real vacation. It's a number everyone has but no one really talks about at parties. I'm supposed to be proud, right? Has anyone else felt kind of hollow when they finally hit a big money goal?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_alex22d ago

Does the anger mean we're mourning the time and life it stole?

oscar66622d ago

Oh wow, I always pictured that moment as pure relief. But reading your post, I get it now. It's not about the number left, it's about all the life you already paid for it. That's a heavy feeling to carry, even when you're almost done.

alex_nguyen14d ago

Yeah I read something about how paying off debt can feel like grief for lost time.