<prompt> Human: my fiancé has 80,000 in student debt, and we disagree on the terms what should be done. He has a mortgage and car payments that he pays religiously, and is only managing the minimum payments on his debt. He says that even if he puts every single penny into his debt, it still wont be paid off for another 10 years so there is no point in living like a monk and giving up all niceties. Hes not a big spender, but I think he could manage an extra 100 a month towards the loans. I think he should sell his place, live with roommates, take the bus, and essentially spend 0 a month until its paid off. Basically, does anyone have any advice on paying off a student loan of this magnitude?apologies if this has been posted elsewhere; links to similar questions are appreciatedNote there was also some discussion about putting extra money into the 401k instead of the towards the debt, bc the interest gained on the 401k was higher than the interest being paid on the loans. Is that a good idea or bad idea? Im not 100 sure it makes sense  <response>: He says that even if he puts every single penny into his debt, it still wont be paid off for another 10 years so there is no point in living like a monk and giving up all niceties.Are his loans consolidated or unconsolidated? If theyre unconsolidated, he could at least knock out some of the smaller individual balances in less than 10 years reducing his overall monthly minimums and freeing up some extra room in his budget. I think he should sell his place, live with roommates, take the bus, and essentially spend 0 a month until its paid off.This seems a bit extreme. While I certainly dont encourage people to spend above their means, expecting someone to give themselves zero discretionary income for the next 5-10 years is not realistic. Asking him to do this is only going to make him resent you.Also, what is your income situation? Would you ever consider helping him pay down his debt more aggressively? Even if its not legally your debt, if its really upsetting you and putting a strain on your combined financial situation, do something about it. Note there was also some discussion about putting extra money into the 401k instead of the towards the debt, bc the interest gained on the 401k was higher than the interest being paid on the loans. Is that a good idea or bad idea?It depends. You havent actually told us the interest rates on the debt. 