Celebrate the Financial Wins, No Matter How Small

We hesitate to give advice on how to solve your student loans. First of all, we’re not financial advisors, so there’s that. But mostly, at shame[less] we believe that this issue is systemic and that your individual choices may have some effect on your own financial stability but will likely come at great cost.

This guy, amirite?

For instance: most people with a lot of student debt who actually are able to pay their loans often do so from taking extreme measures that might limit their independence, their career paths, and even their joy.

Or: they have help from partners or family, make high salaries in competitive markets which allows for sustained financial growth, or may have a sudden windfall.

Ugh, this guy again.

For many people, individual choices won’t matter because this isn’t about budgeting vs not budgeting. This is about a financial crisis the government is hardly addressing and which could be resolved with cancellation and the regulating/buying of private loans.

But your individual financial wins do matter. The long slog to financial liberation relies on a lot of things beyond your control, but what’s in your control may give you cause for celebration. Part of unburdening yourself of debt involves unburdening yourself of the shame, fear, guilt you’ve accumulated. And it means making space for joy.

Photo by Sofiya Levchenko on Unsplash

So, while you’re considering the long path ahead, make a list of everything you’ve done that might look good for you.

For me it looks like this:

• I looked at the full sum and interest rates of my student loans and didn’t die
• I’m over halfway to paying off my private loans
• I started investing via a robo-investor and more importantly am starting to feel comfortable doing so
• I finally started to invest in my 401k through work

If I were just going to wait until I paid all my student loans to celebrate myself, I could spend a long time waiting. I don’t want that for you.

So, in true aging millennial form, I’ve made you (yes, you!) a mix on Spotify to get you pumped up to give yourself a pat on the back, and to dance, be dramatic, flaunt your successes, and have a little fun.

(I realize this mix has many vague women’s empowerment songs, but hey! We talked about positionality before. I am a woman, and I’m concerned about the wage, debt, and investing gaps for women. So, uh, my playlists reflect that!)