Once I graduated from college, it took me awhile to come up with a game plan. But since I didn’t have any student loan debt (see my earlier confession), and because my mother let me stay with her rent-free for a few months (thanks, Mom!), I could take some time to figure it out.

Finally, after watching all of my friends go off to medical school, law school, graduate school, and management training programs, I decided to put one of my degrees—the one in government and international affairs—to good use. In the fall of 1993, I moved from South Dakota to Washington, D.C., and took an entry-level staff assistant position with a U.S. Senator.

The job paid all of $19,000 per year.

Oh, and I was basically a receptionist—at least to start.

But I was lucky. I could afford to take an idealistic public service job because I didn’t have a mountain of debt looming over me. Other staffers on the Hill weren’t that fortunate, and they were the ones who taught me how to make weeknight meals out of lobbyists’ receptions (seriously). And several of the interns in our office—midway through their Ivy League educations—were already talking about what they owed.

Sure, that $19,000 annual salary wasn’t exactly the high life, especially in a city with a high cost of living. But I budgeted. Learned to clip coupons. Relied on public transportation. Lived with multiple roommates. Saved enough for a two-month European backpacking excursion, which was an education in and of itself.

For those of you who have debt, how are you managing? Or aren’t you?