Gianna Sen-Gupta

Advertiser Disclosure Updated: Jan. 18, 2019 Your estimated savings amount (the amount of interest you’ll save over the life of a loan) is the difference between your student loan interest rate and interest rates from our loan partners. We estimate your interest rate by looking at your total monthly student loan balance and monthly payments as identified on your Trans Union credit report. Your interest rate and total savings may vary.

If you live in a city … Leading the way in new taxi services are companies like Lyft and Uber. A NerdWallet survey of 14 large markets found that the average Uber driver makes about $16 in pretax income for each ride. That’s well above the minimum wage you might earn slinging hamburgers at a fast-food joint. If you own a car and live in a city where one of these companies operates, consider driving others while you search for a more permanent position.

After years of part-time jobs and living on a shoestring budget, earning your first salary after college rocks. Before you know it, though, you’re paying the rent and utility bills for your nice apartment, for the commute to your new job and for those expensive nights out with friends. The costs of living on your own after college add up. That’s why we asked a few recent college grads to tell us about their experience making a full-time salary and the money habits they’ve developed since.