In total, I had $65K worth of student loan debt between my three degrees (one undergraduate and two Masters’). I, however, was able to eliminate $40K of my student loan in two years, the total cost of my last Master’s.

Here are four things that I did that I know that will help you divorce yourself from student loan debt.

I paid rent to my mother. Since getting out of debt was serious to me, I moved home. I paid rent, but not at the crazy rate that New Yorkers have to. (My mom and I have a great relationship, but this move may not be for everyone.) So, if you are living alone, consider getting a roommate, or renting a room for a while until you make a real dent in the balance.

I had all types of side hustles. I had an Amazon book business. I worked security at the flea market. I was a Cinderella character and Mickey Mouse character at birthday parties. And I had “yard sales” in my living room.

I used my investments and savings to pay down some of the loan. I mostly identify as a saver, but I started investing consistently ($300 every month) when I was 25. I was 29 when I started at Columbia University. When my $40K debt shrunk to $5,000 or $4,000, I thought it would be okay to dip into my investments and take a couple of thousand to pay off the debt since I understood that I was building long-term wealth and had youth on my side.

I ignored the minimum suggested payment for my loans and used my emotion to decide how much I wanted to pay. I really HATED this loan, especially since I had successfully paid off my undergraduate loan and paid for my first Master’s in cash. I was really obsessed with paying back this loan because I had been living debt free for a while. So, I would keep the phone number of my lender on my phone and call it often to hear my balance. Since I love round numbers, I would say things like, “Since the balance is now $27,850, I want it to be $27,000 the next time I call” and would make a check for $850 and then find a way to pull together the money. There would be some times that I would make two or three payments in a month just because I hated the loan that much.

Getting out of student loan debt is hard but it is doable if you are willing to sacrifice, be creative, and be relentless.

On August 13th, I will be hosting a webinar called “How To Aggressively Eliminate Student Loan Debt So You Can Get On With Your Juicy Life.” On this 60-minute webinar, I share The Frugal Feminista GEMS System for student loan repayment, the step-by-step approach I perfected to help me get out of this debt once and for all.

Click here to enroll!

Connect with Kara @frugalfeminista. Learn more about The Frugal Feminista at www.thefrugalfeminista.com Download her free ebook The 5-Day Financial Reset Plan: Eliminate Debt, Know Your Worth, and Heal Your Relationship with Money in Just 5 Days.