<prompt> Human: Hopefully this isnt too long but I want to give you guys a good understanding of my situation. Im 21 and after 4 long years of college Im finally graduating next week with a degree in computer science. yay! But after browsing this subreddit, I started planning out my finances and now Im a little worried. My parents make decent money but not enough to support me so aside from a few small scholarships, I was forced to pay for school with federal loansincluding some parent plus loans. At the beginning of college I wasnt worried about getting a little student loan debt, I had the attitude of ahhh whatever, Ill deal with it when I have to. Luckily, I was really focused in my studies and managed to get a part-time job in my field. Midway through my schooling I moved into an apartment and bought a car which only gave me more bills but it wasnt a big deal at the time because I had an income. Fast forward a few months later, Im beginning my 3rd year of college and Ive quit my job because the stress of being a full time student and working 30 hours a week as a software developer was starting to get to me but my savings didnt last long at all. I got to the point where I wasnt buying textbooks because I was using loans to pay my monthly bills. When that wasnt enough I made the mistake of opening up credit cards still with the attitude of ahhh whatever, Ill deal with it when I have to. Now I have FOUR. And have basically maxed out all of them to get by. This is what my credit card debt looks like now:Balance APR 2,295 26.24 1,996 25.15 995 18.40 With the same bank I have a checking and savings with 700 36.00 Desperate times call for desperate measuresTotal Credit Card debt: 5,986After 2 years I havent missed a payment but I only ever pay the minimum. I dont really understand how I still get mail about being pre-approved for more credit cards. I almost wish I was denied for the credit cards I have now. I also made the mistake of not closing an old checking account I opened at the end of high school. It went delinquent with a balance of -130 and got sent to collections a few months ago Which I still havent payed because Im too poor to spare 130. Now I have a derogatory mark on my credit report and my score is 600.Compared to some people my student loan debt is reasonable but I think it is pretty significant this is the breakdown of the individual loans. 1. 3,500.00 3.400 2. 4,957.00 6.800 3. 2,478.44 6.800 4. 1,000.00 3.400 5. 5,070.00 3.860 6. 3,763.85 3.860 7. 4,389.25 3.860 8. 8,032.97 4.660 9. 4,831.94 4.290 10. 2,766.00 4.290 Total Student Loan debt: 40,789.45Looking back at the debt Ive acquired and bad decisions Ive made really upsets me but Im focused on being more responsible and planning better.Looking forward, I have a few job offers lined up with an average base salary of about 65,000 and similar 401k plans. I expect to take home about 3600 a month. Here are my current monthly expenses Rent cost after split with roommates: 340 Utilities cost after split with roommates: 60 Internet cost after split with roommates: 25 Renters Insurance cost after split with roommates: 7 Car Insurance: 125 Netflix: 10 Music streaming service: 8 Gas: 100 Food: 200 Toiletries: 25 Fun stuffs: 100Total monthly expenses: 1000My car is old and has a few issues and Im worried that it could die on me any day. My goals are to buildre-build my credit, get a new car, pay off my student loans as fast as possible, and start investing early. From reading around on pf I understand that I need to prioritize paying off my credit card debt. I plan to do that in the upcoming 6 month grace period before I have to start making payments towards my student loans. Any advice regarding how much I should saveinvest or anything that can help in my planning would be greatly appreciated.  <response>: Ok, so you will be taking home 3.6kmo. With your estimated expenses, that leaves you 2600 free per month. So your first month, knock out that 700 at 36, deal with that bank collections issue, set aside a grand for emergencies.After that, knock out those credit cards - youll have those gone by month three of work. At this point, start reading the PF wiki, etc to find out what to do with your money, if you have employer match on 401k, max that out. You have three months between paying off your cards and when you start paying on student loans. Put money into emergency fund - youll have 5-6 thousand in it by the time loans start.You have a few options with student loans. Research that. Keep living below your means, it sounds like you need a new car, save up for that to buy used in cash. Keep investing in the 401k, at a minimum. Dont worry about your credit score, it will rebuild itself as you make your payments and pay down your debt.All in all, you arent in the worst shape ever. Would it have been better to exit school with way less debt? Sure. Can you change that? No. Make the most of what you have. This is a bit of a ramble, but I hope it helps. Apply what you learn I. rpersonalfinance and you ll be golden. 