Girl Pays Off School Loans, Has Funeral For Her Debt
Mandy Velez just took celebrating her paid-off school loans to a whole new level. The 27-year-old had a funeral-themed photo shoot. In the pics, Velez is dressed in all black…

TROWBRIDGE, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: One of the headstones in a plot of war graves that have recently been restored are seen at Trowbridge Cemetery on December 14, 2012 in Trowbridge, England. The group of 19 war graves has been renovated as part of a wider programme across the UK recognising those who died in the two world wars. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of those members of the Commonwealth forces who died during the two world wars, for building and maintaining memorials to the dead whose graves are unknown and for providing records and registers of these 1.7 million burials and commemorations found in most countries throughout the world. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)Mandy Velez just took celebrating her paid-off school loans to a whole new level. The 27-year-old had a funeral-themed photo shoot. In the pics, Velez is dressed in all black with balloons that say, "102k," which is the amount she paid off. Most impressively: she did it in six years.
Mandy went on Facebook to share her journey on paying the amount off. She titles the post, "DING DONG MY LOANS ARE DEAD," and she explains everything she did to get rid of the debt.
"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. 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."
She adds, "So I made a decision - I'd become debt-free by 30. I'm proud to say I accomplished my goal two years early. In fact, I killed that last 32K in eight months. Was it easy? No. Worth it? I'm smiling in a cemetery. 102K lifted from my back. You tell me."
Read Mandy's entire post below.