Start out in a community college Most towns and cities have two-year community colleges where you can take your basic courses at less cost than at a four-year college or university. Just investigate to make sure your community college credits will transfer.

Take advantage of Work-Study programs If you qualify for federal work-study program, take advantage of it! You will have an on-campus job, possibly in your field of study.

Or work for school Many colleges give discounted or free tuition to employees and their family members. There are lots of non-teaching jobs on campus that you can apply for.

Live frugally Live at home or get a roommate. Avoid expensive spring break trips. Buy used textbooks, and sell your books at end of semester.

I already have a loan. Now what? If you have a federal student loan, it is possible to have your loan debt discharged (canceled) or reduced, under certain specific circumstances:

You die or become totally and permanently disabled Your school closed before you could complete your program You work in certain designated public school service professions (such as teaching in a low-income school) You file for bankruptcy (only if bankruptcy court rules that repayment would cause undue hardship.) As you can see, there are many steps to avoiding or relieving college debt. To best manage your debt it is wise to implement a combination of strategies listed above that work best for you.

This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is best investment you can make, and we're dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn more about how to avoid college debt at www.NextStudent.com .

Try before you buy If you’re undecided about a certain property, or neighborhood, a lease option is perfect way to try before you buy. You can structure a deal for one year, two years or even five years. Move in, pay your monthly rent and see how property feels.

Purchase it at end of your lease agreement or walk away and move on to something else. In either case, you can live in a beautiful home and get a lot more space than you could find in an apartment.

Build Rent Credit Most lease option agreements include a generous rental credit towards you down payment. For example, if you are paying $1000 per month in rent, owner might be willing to credit $300 or $400 per month towards your down payment.

If you had a traditional rental agreement after $1,000 per month in rent, you have $0 in credit and would still need to get a sizeable down payment when you are ready to buy a home.

Where can I find lease option deals? You can do quick search on any major search engine or check your local rental listings.