Name: Amanda Pleau
Age: 25
Location: Portland, Maine
Job: Student/barista
Goal: Get out of debt

Most people don't go to college to get out of debt. Then again, most people finish their degrees when they're 22 and have virgin credit scores. I was 25, with a credit card balance of $1,000, a history of overdrafts and a $9,300 car loan with crummy terms (bad credit will do that to you). I was a financial mess, and I knew it. I also knew I needed to finish my BA since I'd dropped out of school. Last fall I decided to head back to a local university and take care of some basic course requirements, even though it meant taking out $9,000 in student loans — at least I won't have to pay those for a while.

As I was signing up for courses this semester, a listing caught my eye: Personal Finance. I had no idea what to expect, but it sounded like a step in the right direction. Well, it's awesome — the professor is also a financial planner, he's funny, he makes eye contact and we discuss everything from credit scoring to investments to taxes. But what he really stresses is the need to set goals. Otherwise there's no reason to accomplish anything financially. That's how I realized a stable financial future is something I want.

So things are different now. Earning cash tips at my job helps control my spending because the money's physically in front of me, and since I work full-time and go to school full-time, I have less time to go out. More importantly, I've set financial goals. I want to pay off that $1,000 card balance by next fall. Small steps, but my entire outlook has changed.

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