Money (Debt Frugality Minimalism)

[-$107,000] The First Payment

Posted on by Double Debt Single Woman

matches- the first payment w

Kill it with fire!

My student loan refinance has gone through and the balance on my previous student loan servicer’s account is now $0.00!  I’ve logged in at least 4 times since that wonderful event, just to look at the zeros. Somehow I bet that it is normal to do that. 🙂

I was worried that I would end up with my own crazy-making servicer payoff story when trying to get them out of my life forever. Unsurprisingly, they were super slow in processing the payoff check, probably to rack up the last bit of interest, but they didn’t try any other tricks. Goodbye old servicer!  *Waves goodbye*

Now that my student loan debt is situated in its new (servicer) abode, it’s time to burn said abode to the ground!

To adapt the Read More

The Hidden Costs of Cheap Rent: More Housing Problems

Posted on by Double Debt Single Woman

hidden costs of cheap rent

The Hidden Costs of Cheap Rent – That is the title of a book I wish I’d read a few years ago when I gave up my studio apartment and started renting rooms to save money. If such a book does exist, someone send me a copy. Or better yet, I’m probably ready to write that book myself now.

Unfortunately, it’s not at all uncommon for bad landlords to luck up on some cheap property and use that below market cheap rent as a way to control and manipulate the people who rent from them. They go on power trips and hold their ability to kick their tenants out over their heads if the tenants dare to make requests or say ‘no’ to anything.

As you may recall from this post, I talked about how my landlord had been acting even more oddly than Read More

[-$110,643.22] Why I Refinanced My Student Loans

Posted on by Double Debt Single Woman

woman balloon why i refinanced final

Yes, I decided to refinance my student loans.  Wait! Put down your pitchforks and hear me out!

  • Have I lost my mind?   Maybe…
  • What was I thinking?!   Well…  It seemed like a good idea at the time…

A Second Look at Student Loan Refinancing

You guys are great!  I appreciate your supportive comments and suggestions. Thanks to blonderbetterfasterstronger and reader Angie, for reminding me that refinancing may be an option for me after all. I’d read a number of complaints and stories online about applicants getting rejected left and right by these newer loan start-ups. I assumed that because of my high debt to income ratio, I would be unlikely to get the opportunity to refinance my student loan debt any time soon.

I decided to take a second look around to see if I qualified for anything. I requested rates from a few lenders that appear to have the best reputations in the marketplace for student loan refinancing. I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t outright rejected by any of them. I took a look at what they had to offer and decided to accept one.

That long list of loans that we’ve all come to know and hate since my last post will be going away soon. Read More