There’s nothing like debt to hold you back from launching a successful career search.

College tuition is expensive and time consuming, and the debt some students generate can be a bit too much to handle. Fortunately, there are several solutions available if you find yourself owing more than you can take.

The Institute for College Access and Success’ project on student debt website lists the average debt for Wichita State graduates at $21,738 in 2011.

When graduates find themselves having to pay back the money they borrowed, they might need to learn to make every dollar stretch.

Wichita State personal financing instructor Peggy Ward suggests reviewing your spending habits when you’re trying to manage your money. She teaches an online personal finance class every semester that takes students through the process of personal budgeting.

“A lot of time, I don’t think people really realize what they’re doing with their money,” Ward said. “And how you spend your money is a habit, just like anything else you do.”

Ward said one big mistake students make is eating out too much, without realizing it, and buying expensive soft drinks instead of water.

“It’s just easier to drive through Wendy’s on the way home, when, if they would have got groceries on Sunday, they could have made their lunch,” Ward said.

One of the biggest traps that people fall into is buying with credit cards, when they don’t have the income to pay for it. Ward said overspending with a credit card and only making the minimum payments is another problem.

“The best thing you can do with a credit card is only buying things you would have otherwise and paying it off every month,” she said.

There may be times when separating needs from wants isn’t enough. In those cases, Ward recommended looking for possible alternatives by looking at rent, car payments and other expenses.

“You can get help with those, either by getting a roommate or getting a different car,” Ward said.

These savings suggestions can reduce spending, but Ward cautioned that they are not always the quickest solutions.

Should you find yourself in more trouble than you can handle after cutting unnecessary spending, she said the first thing you should do is contact the company you owe.

According to Ward, if you tell the company that you cannot pay full payments, they might be able to refinance or set up lower payments, as necessary.

Several options are available should you find yourself in financial trouble. These are just a few helpful places to start.