Graduating from college and getting your first job comes with a sense of financial independence. However, financial independence comes with financial responsibility. As a college graduate living on your own you will probably have rent payments, car payments and student loan payments among other financial obligations. So how do you balance building your savings with paying down your debt?

When I write about student credit I get more comments that simply say “credit cards are evil!” I can only laugh when I see this because it is so far from the truths. Today’s students have probably seen a lot of credit care misuse by their parents, family members and friends. They have seen people who have buried themselves in debt and ruined their ability to obtain a mortgate, car loan, or even a student loan.

Almost all graduates with both federal student loans and private student loans would love to be able to consolidate all of their loans into one smaller monthly payment. Unfortunately, federal student loans and private student loans do not mix well and cannot be consolidated together.

Student loan consolidation can remove a lot of stress from your life. If you are feeling burdened by multiple student loan payments to multiple lenders every month it might be time for a change.

When you graduate from college you will be faced with the need for something that they do not give you with your diploma; a good credit score. A good credit score is required in a variety of different situations. You need a good credit score to buy a house or rent an apartment, to buy or lease a car, and maybe even to get a job.

Over the holidays people often receive small cash windfalls as gifts or holiday bonuses. Extra money is always great, but it is sometimes hard to decide what to do with this money especially if you have debt to pay off. When you get extra money it is fun to go out and buy something you really want, but it is practical to put that money towards debt. So what should you really do?

During the holiday season most people are reminded of how tight their monthly budget is and how quickly their paychecks disappears. If your student loan payments have left you with no money remaining to buy groceries, let alone Christmas presents, then this holiday season you should consider giving yourself the gift of student loan consolidation.

After Christmas it is very tempting to let credit card debt build up. It might seem like a good idea to only make the minimum monthly payment, but the total payoff amount will only continue to grow.

By now most of you are probably cramming for finals and packing up your dorm rooms to head home for winter break. Winter break is great time to catch up with old high school friends over dinner, head out to see all of the holiday release movies and maybe even take a trip or two. However, after all that holiday shopping who can afford to do anything fun? Well, remember all of those rewards points you got for charging presents to your Citi card? It is time to cash them in and do something for yourself!

Many graduates waiver back and forth when deciding whether or not to consolidate their federal student loans. If you are one of those people here are three good reasons to consolidate.