<prompt> Human: I recently discovered that I pay more than almost anyone I know monthly for my student loan payments total is over 35k. I have had young family members and friends die recently, and have realized how real death is. I havent been contributing to my 401k because I cant afford it with my student loan payments. Ive been considering paying substantially less so that I can a have a savings b use credit cards and pay them off quickly to build credit c contribute to my 401k d actually enjoy my money and buy myself things from time to time. Also, my understanding is that as an unmarried person - my debt would disappear if I were to die. I dont mean to be pessimistic, but death being the only thing thats for sure in life, I think i should consider it a possibility. Is this a terrible idea? I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders when I thought about this originally. Also, the rebellious side of me thinks that I would like to give student loans a big middle finger if I ever died. What better way to do that than not having spent all of my extra money slaving to pay them back? What if I died the day after I paid them back, and hadnt enjoyed my money for the ten years before that?edit: I should add that I do not think I have more debt than everyone I know, simply that I have taken more of a monthly burden upon myself by using income driven repayment - 320month  <response>: 35k isnt that high Definitely have some savings for a emergency fund You only need to spend like 5mo on a credit card to build credit 401k... to me depends on your interest rate of your loans, but at a minimum you should put in enough to max out your employers match. Make a separate account for fun money and deposit 20-50 a month 