<prompt> Human: I have about 320,000 in student loan debt from law school; I consolidated my loans all which are federal Dept. of Ed. loans with Navient at a 7.25interest rate. I was paying 688 month on the income-based repayment plan; my application for renewal was just approved again for 2018 and I am waiting from Navient to re-calculate my monthly payment Im not delinquent. As of now, my monthly payments are not even close to covering interest. I graduated in 2013 with less than 200k in student loan debt and it has ballooned since then. I take home about 6k month after taxes. My apartment is 1500 month cheap for Orange County, and my car payment is 388 month. My other fixed monthly expenses include cable 150, utilities 80, car insurance 70, and my current loan payment of 688. After a few other miscellaneous expenses granted, probably spending more than I should be--for example travelling to visiting my family across the country about twice a year, Im saving about 1500 month. Heres my question: Does it make more sense to stay on the Income-Based Repayment plan to qualify for loan forgiveness after 25 years, or should I buckle down and dump 3k month into paying off my loan for the next ten years? Any advice concerning how to tackle this gigantic debt is welcome :  <response>: Get a roommate, you can definitely find a single room in orange county from around 600-800. I lived in one of the most expensive places in orange Irvine and could find single rooms for that much. That gives you around 700 dollars that you can throw at your debt, not including utility savings as well. 