<prompt> Human: nbsp;Hey guys! First-time poster here. Maybe you wise financial wizards can give me some much-needed advice! I went to a pricey art school - very aware of the debt Id be getting in. However, the investment so far is paying off because I found a decent job in a very competitive field. Were able to, thankfully, pay all of our bills but just barely. It puts a lot of stress on our finances because ONE small missed step or extra electric bill charge can mean were dipping into our food money for the week EDIT: We do have a 5K emergency fund. Im aware thats not ideal. I make about 46K and my fiancé makes 35K before taxes and insurance EDIT: Ive only been in the industry for over a year. This is a junior level position, senior level makes 100-300K. Im living in Chicago so city living can be costly but necessary to find work. Im currently living with my fiancé, and we split bills.nbsp;Loan BreakdownOk, so theyre US government issued loans. My parents both took out Parent PLUS loans. I did not consolidate. The interest varies depending on the year. Both Parent PLUS loans have an average interest rate of 7.35. I took out a Standard Loan, average interest of 4.68nbsp;My Personal LoanParent PLUS 1Parent PLUS 2nbsp;On paper it looks like Im much less in debt than I actually am because the Parent PLUS loans are actually in my parents names. The school expressed the loans would be in my name, and my parents would be co-signers but apparently they mislead us. EDIT: I understand legally my parents have to pay, but our personal agreement was I would pay for the full amountnbsp;Repayment PlanIm on a 10 year Standard repayment plan and theyre on a Standard 25 year. I chose the standard repayment instead of graduated or IBR plan because the stability of a set-in-stone number is very appealing to me. Currently, Im paying 1397 a month. I believe this means Im paying down the interestprincipal with my payments.nbsp;Loan Forgiveness OptionsMy mom works in public education, and after inquiring about the public service loan forgiveness after 10 years or 120 eligible payments they said my mom would need to switch to a ICR payment plan and consolidate the loan to be eligible. Not sure how I feel about this. Not even sure if my mom will be retired by then.nbsp;During my exit counseling they actually asked how old my parents were while I was trying to pick my payment plan because if one of them passes away the loan is forgiven...thats pretty messed up right?nbsp;Spending HabitsIt should be noted Im...pretty cheap. I like a good deal. I budget. Im a saver and a planner. I built a custom google doc that has been revised and optimized for years now. I know every cent we spend and actually it could be said Im sort of obsessive about checking our accounts because were always so close to the red every paycheck. Everything to my knowledge has been optimized to minimum spending each month. Heres my spending breakdown:nbsp;Billsnbsp;Snowball EDIT: Avalanche EffectIm only a year and a half out of school, and so far the idea that makes the most sense to me is the Avalanche effect. Id like to target the specific loans with the highest interest first. Depending on how aggressive we can be, I could theoretically reduce our time by about 5-10 years.nbsp;Side MoneyI try to pick up freelance and odd jobs whenever I can. My fiancé is able to work OT my job doesnt offer it occasionally.nbsp;Wow...thanks for reading all that. Is there something more I can do here? Any information I left out that can help you guys? Book recommendations? Thank you guys so much for any tips I appreciate it so much!nbsp;EDIT: Thank you for your help! I was looking for ideas to earn extra money reduce my spending while I start my career! And there have been many great ideas here :  <response>: Ok, good news: you only owe 26k. Pay as much as you can towards these loansBad news: your mom owes 152k. Parent PLUS loans are in the parents name ONLY. The student is not responsible for them. However, you mentioned your mom is a teacher. She should immediately consolidate the two parent PLUS loans into a Direct Consolidation loan, put them on ICR and then apply for PSLF, which will grant forgiveness in 10 years. 