I have completely paid off my college loans. I didn't have that much after graduating as I worked, literally worked through co-ops, throughout my time there so that I could pay off my loans while going to school. I made up to 17k one summer so I dumped all that money into my loans. Most people would have splurged and bought a car. I decided paying off my debt made more sense. Cars can wait, in my opinion.

I think the thing that helped me the most was that I saved money all the time. Whenever I made some extra money, I would put it aside and then write a large check a the end of the semester/quarter to the state/college. It sucked because I didn't buy anything for myself but it really helped me get my numbers down to something manageable. I graduated with less than $8000 in loans. I slowly paid it all off within my 6-month grace period so I accumulated no interest. I do believe the state owes me money, too. I overpaid. They never adjusted my amount so I assumed I owed $5000 when I really only owed $1000 last month. Oops. >.<

Now, my boyfriend, he owes more then 20k. He had no scholarships (I had a lot of them). I guess he parents paid off a large chunk of his loans (like over 70k) and left him with the rest. By the way, my school is about a 40k school to attend per year, which is why our numbers are so high. Anyway, he's not a saver. He's a spender. So he's struggling. Since moving in with me, I've watched his money and urged him to pay off the loans a bit at a time. $100s a week goes a long way. Every week he dumps at least $100 into his loans. If he had more money, he'll dump in more.

I think the key to managing your debt is to be logical about it. You can and will pay it off if you work on it. Save up money and always try to pay off your loans above all else. That shirt might be really cute, but $50 toward your loans is better.

Another thing you can do is look for scholarships, if you don't have any. They have all sorts of scholarships out there, too. I had a Best Buy scholarship. I know Target has them too. Definitely go to your financial aid office if you need help finding some!

And, of course, having a job helps. If you can work a few hours a week, you can put all that money toward your loans. I had a part-time job so that's also how I got money. Now, remember, grades are important so if the juggle between making money and grades gets hard, go for the grades. You can make money later. You only make a grade once.

Oh gawd, I rambled on for a bit. >.< I hope it helps!