> But what should I be expecting? How much trouble am I in? If you graduated with $134,181 in loans at a rate of 9.3% you'd expect a repayment amount of $1,722/month for 10 years. If you make $70,000/year you'd have ~$2,617 after your loan payments each month, and if the $1,800 you mention is sustainable during loan repayment then you'd have an excess $817 each month. As for trouble, one common mistake that many people make after landing a job after school is increasing their cost of living, they want a nicer car/apartment/furniture and spend more going out for food/drinks. The best thing you can do is keep in mind that every $1 you spend on something other than debt costs you an extra 9.3% compounding month after month. > What advice > or resources would you recommend for handling finances like these > going forwards? I suggest focusing on living frugally, save up a small emergency fund (maybe just 1-2 months expenses) with your excess each month and after that start applying all extra towards the loans. Don't forego company 401k match, but I would skip other investments during aggressive repayment. A proper written/electronic budget helps a lot of people, I recommend some form of a zero-based budget which is characterized by every dollar being given a purpose. Not just tracking spending like with Mint, but pro-actively deciding how each dollar will be spent as best as possible. Extra income from a side job would be great and could really speed up the repayment, again, use the 9.3% interest as motivation to do whatever is necessary.