<prompt> Human: Between my wife and I we have over 200,000 of student debt and a 100,000 mortgage. A lot of that is grad school. we make 85,000 gross income. Like a lot of people we figure were stuck with it until kingdom comes. We have a baby and another on the way. How, just how on earth are we supposed to get out from under this?Edit: whats with the hate. Im suggesting I get out if paying this monster off; I want some encouragement or a good strategy. Im very aware of the deep hole Im inEdit 2: I realize the poor wording of the title. Im not trying to get out of pay for the debt, I want to work towards getting out of debt. Were getting by and have a decent sized emergency fund. Im try to pay extra every month but its not easy. I appreciate a few posts in particular; your strategies and encouragement are helpful Edit 3: a little over half the debt is federal the rest is private. Interest rates ranging from 3-7. Theres one 9 but Im refinancing that one. I work for the local county non profitgovernment and my wife does not. My wife loves what she does so itd be hard for her to leave her clinic setting for a hospital. My job sucks; Im trying to build up an an already weak resume and eventually find a better paying job. Assistant: A tight budget and career growth. Depending on your career trajectory it could take a long time, but hopefully with 200k in debt you both have advanced degrees and can start bringing home better incomes.Also, if you do get promotions, dont change your lifestyle at all, just pour it all into loans.Human: I really want to go beans and rice, rice and beans but Im getting so push back from the wife. Its our income and we worked hard for it so why wouldnt she want to enjoy it. I understand that I also am more optimistic about getting out from under this  <response>: But its not your income! Understand this because its very important. When you accept debt, you are giving someone else a claim on your labor and by extension, your income. Youve already spent todays money yesterday. Frankly, 200K in SLs for an 85K combined income is not a great ratio. I really hope that your earning power climbs greatly. This article I feel is fitting. 