<prompt> Human: So, like the title states, I just graduated in December with a dual Masters in Historic Architecture. My husband has a Bachelors in English, but was able to pay off all of his loans thanks to the same inheritance that granted us a house for exactly 1. I had multiple scholarships that helped to pay my undergrad degree, but obtaining my Masters in Architecture necessary for the profession, put me about 50,000 in debt, even with a graduate assistantship. Thankfully we dont have my husbands debt on top of that. I have been job searching since late November, and while the Holidays put any prospects on hold, now that the new year has started, I have gotten several call-backs that I am hopeful about. I live in a very rural area near a somewhat-famous Midwest city known for its bourbon, so my starting salary ranges from 40,000 - 45,000, and I know that I am at least capable of being worth 40,000 because my internship paid me 18 an hour. The fact that Ill have more experience and have 2 Masters degrees only stands to improve my value, although I am hesitant to ask for 45,000, even if it isnt unattainable. The house we inherited is a 1200sqft 1970s Ranch House in a small lower-middle class neighborhood, valued at approximately 135k. With my knowledge of historic architecture and restoration work, I know that I can help renovate it to increase the value over a 5 year span, during which time I want to pay off my student debt. The lack of a rent payment approximately 600 a month for an apartment of the same quality as our house will allow me to make higher payments on my loans, but I am uncertain as to what other steps I should be taking to pay off my debt and invest my income wisely. After the 5 year plan, we hope to have the debt paid off so that we can use the value of the inherited house to help finance at least half of the cost of a new slightly bigger home which I can personally design or renovate, still within the same area, but approximately 250,000 - 300,000 depending upon the market at that time. Right now, we have a very basic budgeting plan in place estimated off of me making only 35,000, of 1,000mo towards bills, 1,000mo towards debt, and 1,000 towards renovations discretionary. We dont plan on putting too much added value to the house, we know we wont get more than 150,000 for it due to the neighborhood, so the renovations will only value approximately 10,000 this is the estimated 5,000 multiplied by 2. Furthermore, we also plan on taking a trip to Japan before the 2020 Olympics and want to budget for a 2-week trip, a value of probably 6,000. My husband and I have decided that it is best for me to work full-time and for him to substitute teach and work on the renovations and his writing during his down time, that way he can be the stay-at-home parent when we have children and I can continue to advance my career. It works out perfectly for our personalities, and since our only splurge items are nice restaurants, its something we think we should be able to do financially. My question is really multi-faceted: are my debt payment plans enough? Should we be investing the amazing gift weve been given from a free house in a different manner? How should I plan our budget accordingly with the lack of any rent payments? Do any of you guys have any additional comments or suggestions as to anything Ive missed or should consider?I greatly appreciate the help!  <response>: Id pause renovations and other unnecessary purchases and aggressively pay off your loans. Its going to take you a long time pay off your student loans if you arent aggressive about it. 