Hey, I'm in a snowboarding mindest - I'm allowed to use this word, dude.

One of the irritations of trying to pay down debt in recent years was my inability -- so I was told -- of being able to renegotiate my student loans. They had been at a low rate when I had consolidated them, but as rates plummeted, had since become impossibly high.

It was especially frustrating because, on average, I'd estimate that I get about two or three student loan consolidation offers a week cramming my mailbox and begging me to call them Before It Is Too Late.

But the card I received last week was different because it claimed, in writing right on the front, that I was eligible for a low, low rate Even If I had already consolidated...

So, I just called. And I was eligible. And I filled out the application in a matter of minutes on the web, with the customer service rep on the phone, printing out the confirmation.

I will be saving, on average, $150 per month -- PER MONTH! -- starting in about 4 - 6 weeks!

I'll say it again: SWEET!