With graduation approaching, many students are left with the burden of paying off their student loan debts. Here are 10 creative ways to pay yours off and have a bit of fun while doing so.

10. Live in a van.

It’s not easy paying for a dorm or an apartment. Why pay for water, gas or electricity when you can just pay for the gas in your car? Follow in the footsteps of Internet legends and live in your car for a year. Don’t worry about showers. You can just bathe in the lake. That isn’t against the rules, right?

9. Live with your parents.

Who cares if you have a job, significant other or school? Your parents will always let you live in their basement and eat Doritos while you play “Call of Duty.” 


8. Get hit by a car.

That’s right. Get hit by a car, and use the insurance money to pay off your student loan debt. Plus, you get time in the hospital to do homework.

7. Find and save pennies.

Literal pennies. If you love saving, this one’s perfect. You’ll find a few pennies if you look around campus, and if you save every single one you find, you might save a dollar or two a year. A little can go a long way.

6. Sell everything.

I’m sure someone will buy that old guitar you have in your room. Who cares if it’s old and doesn’t play, you might get a quarter for it. Hey, while you’re at it, sell your diploma! Maybe you’ll get a dollar- it’s printed on some really nice paper, after all. 




5. Start a band.

Go on that business expedition you and your friends dreamed of. Start a metal band, and put every penny you make towards paying your debts. You’ll be famous – and have no more student loans. Who cares if you’re a biomedical major? The world doesn’t care when you’re that good at playing the recorder. 




4. Move out of the country.

Apparently if you work outside of the United States, you can be exempt from a lot of taxes. The money you save on taxes can go towards your debt. So, guess I’m moving to Canada, eh?

3. Couch surf.

Again, the Internet is a wonderful place. Follow another Internet legend in her journey of moving from friend’s couch to friend’s couch, going to school and working without a home. Basically, you get free TV, Internet, water and electricity. You get it all and can steal food from their kitchen when they aren’t paying attention.

2. Sell your lecture doodles on eBay.

In the line of selling things, remember all those pointless notes you took in your lectures? The ones with your beautiful drawings scribbled on top of illegible handwriting? Sell them on eBay! You have enough lecture notes that you don’t ever use, that even if you got 10 cents a page, you’ll end up being a millionaire!

1. Get hooked on /r/millionairemakers.

Reddit users now have their own lottery where a commenter is randomly selected and everyone pitches in at least one dollar to the lucky winner. The first winner got $11,000. Nowhere close to the million dollars you need to pay your student loans, but it’ll pay for a semester…maybe.