One of the most pressing burdens Americans face in 2019 has been the crushing number in student loan debt. Loans that people took out in order to better their futures and educate themselves are the exact thing that is holding them back from doing just that.

Recently, Mandy Velez, 28 explained how she was able to free herself from student debt after six years in a Facebook post titled “DING DONG MY LOANS ARE DEAD.”

Velez shares, “it’s time to celebrate. I have my life back. I changed my life. I changed my future family’s life. I ended the cycle of literally “paying” simply for wanting a better future. For being a “have not.” Well not anymore. It’s all mine now. I’m free.”

In the post she goes into detail about her journey of paying off her student loans and the hustle it took to do it. She explains how she used the “snowball” method to pay the loans off faster to avoid the insane interest rates — which is how her mere 75K in student loans sky rocketed to 102K.

Writing, “It began in 2013, when I graduated with a total of 75K in student loans. I moved to New York, but I made sure to pay more than the minimums, which totaled to $1K a month.” She said, “It was like another rent. I took jobs not based on what I really wanted but what could help me survive. I did this for five years straight. Even after a lay-off during this journey I hustled like hell and never missed a payment.”

Velez recognizes, “It was more than most people can do, and I, a single, childless, able-bodied woman consider myself lucky. But still, I carried this burden alone. I never asked for or received help. No one ever paid my bills.”

She cut her budget and lived off of less than a third of her monthly salary. She talked about how she worked multiple jobs at once and how nothing was beneath her. Velez said she cut her food budget down to merely salad, eggs, chicken and rice — detailing how she had to say “no” to making memories with her family and friends and gutted half of her savings.

The 28-year-old wrote,”I didn’t want to owe anyone anything more. I wanted to start saving for my future. A house. Kids. A life. So I made a decision—I’d become debt-free by 30.” Totally understandable.

CicMoney101 says the average student leaves college with about $25,000 in student loan debt. The monthly payment on a $25,000 student loan is approximately $280 (assuming 6.8% interest and a 10-year repayment plan), which can cause financial strain if you’re not prepared for it.

Velez explained, “My hope is that my story inspires people to say “no more” the best way they can. Maybe it’s by finally getting sick and tired and paying their debt off if they’re able. If you can do it, I support you. Maybe it’s by voting for policy that makes the system much more fair. Any little bit of action helps.”

What an inspiring story!