How I paid off my student debt in under a year while working as a waitress

When Brittany Salmon graduated college, she was saddled with thousands of dollars of debt – but that didn't stop her from paying it off in under a year.

In a post on Reddit's r/PersonalFinance, she explained how moving from New York City to California after graduation, picking up extra jobs, cutting back on nights out and tracking her spending on Mint, freed her from over $15,000 of student debt.

Describing her debt situation, Brittany explained:

"I graduated college in 2015 with $15,000 in debt… I went to a CUNY school and got an arts degree in a field I love I don’t regret it for a second. What I do regret is that after four years of working full time as a waitress in college just to pay rent ($1000 a month because NYC) and general expenses, I was straight up irresponsible with money for a year after graduating because I finally had free time. I spent from $300 to $800/week drinking and going out. I own a $1000 handbag and yes, I bought a lot of avocado toast. All of my friends had trust funds and could spend hundreds going out and there I was, playing along. I was keeping up with the Joneses in the worst way and was breaking even at best. By the time I got serious about finances, I was $3000 in credit card debt, too. I was paying the minimum on my loans ($142) with no end in sight. So I did a complete overhaul."

We asked Brittany, who studied at the City University of New York, for advice on how the graduating class of 2017 can also pay off out student debt like her.

What's the most useful piece of advice you could give to someone looking to pay off student debt?

I think it’s a tie between moving to a lower “cost of living” area and using a budget app. By moving, I saved money on literally every area of my budget, from necessities like groceries and transport to more frivolous things like entertainment. I also really committed to using Mint on my phone. It was difficult to resist the urge to disable the notifications and just keep spending, but actually using the app kept me responsible and accountable. Moving is not attainable to everyone, obviously, but I think most people can download a smartphone app that does the math for you.

It seems like a really useful and straightforward piece of advice is not spending too much on going out and drinking: how much of an impact did you feel cutting back on these help?

It was really hard at first, because most people I know like to spend money going out. That’s how we socialize; it’s rare to hang out with friends and not be spending money via drinking, eating, buying tickets, etc. I hated turning people down when I was invited out, but I knew it was unrealistic for me to be paying down debt and also buying $10 cocktails. A good compromise was to hang out with friends in my apartment, like having a Mario Kart gaming night or doing a craft beer bottle share. Sometimes we would have a couple rounds in my apartment and then go to a bar, so that we didn’t rack up a huge bar tab. Working seven days a week sucked, and I missed out on a lot, like being able to take day trips and sleep in. But I knew that it wasn’t going to be forever, and when the debt was gone I would be free to go out as often as I wanted.

How does it feel to have your debt paid off?

It feels better than I imagined! The weight is gone and I can breathe a little easier knowing that all of my income from here on out is going to my future.

Brittany's full list of tips for paying off debt

– Moved to the West Coast. Rent is now $650 a month instead of $1000. Utilities are $30-50 compared with $100+, no cable.

– I don’t own a car or a bike. I live downtown and walk everywhere. Yes, it is limiting, but I spend a maximum of $20/month on Uber if I need to. Still way cheaper than owning a car, and cheaper than my metrocard in NYC. It also forces me to explore my neighborhood and be more creative.

– Got a job actually in my field! But pay was $15 and hour for anywhere between five and 25 hours a week. Obviously not liveable but something for my resume.

– So I got a serving job. This was four nights a week, but because I’m not in San Francisco or something I was making between $80-150 a night.

– Got another serving job that paid a little better, one night a week and two days (meaning doubles on the weekend) so I was now working Monday to Friday in the morning at the job in my field, Wednesday-Friday nights as a server in two restaurants, and doing back-to-back doubles every weekend (9AM-1AM).

– I cancelled a $75 gym membership and bought a yoga mat and some weights.

– Moving to the West Coast helped a lot because my state has a high minimum wage for servers instead of the $5/hr I was making in NYC. I think it will help me on taxes next year.

– I used Mint and tracked every. Single. Penny. I know where every dollar between December and June went and hold myself personally responsible for it. I started making coffee at home. My SO and I meal prep together. We go to the reduced price movie night at the local theater, happy hours or bottomless brunches, and any free event our city offers. We are rarely bored!

– I set my loan autopay to $600/month, and any extra leftover from the month went straight to the loans. I was averaging $1000/week working 7 days a week, in twelve “shifts.” I paid off the credit cards first and by January was making payments of $1500+ per month to my loans in addition to the autopay. My final payment was for $2k.