6 creative strategies to deal with student loan debt

• Student loan debt forces millions of Americans to put off major life milestones like buying a home or having a child.
• Refinancing your loans only works if you have a great credit score and steady income.
• We put together six things you can do to deal with your debt and move on with life, including crowdfunding, joining a service organization, and voting for candidates for plans for student debt.

Following is a transcript of a Business Insider video.

"Student loans are by far the most regretful thing I have ever done."

"I didn't fully understand. The loan keeps accruing interest."

"I have children. $200 every month is critical."

If you're among the millions of Americans with student debt, you may have put off buying a car or home, entering a romantic relationship, or even having a child.

You've probably been told that now is a good time to refinance your loans - but that only works if you have a great credit score and steady income.

So Business Insider put together a list of more creative strategies you can use to deal with your debt and move on with life.

Here's a low-key strategy to get started: Crowdfund. Online platforms like LoanGifting will help make sure Aunt Gertrude gets you what you really want for your birthday. A donation to help pay off your student loan.

Pay it forward to pay it off. Service organizations like AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and Teach For America all offer student loan forgiveness or reimbursement.

Get a new job. Many employers match student debt payments. NBT bank in Vermont will contribute $100 a month for each employee. SunCommon matches student loan payments instead of a 401(k) plan.

Move. To attract young professionals, many places in North America now offer student loan assistance including Kansas; Michigan; Niagara Falls, New York; and Saskatchewan, Canada.

Vote. Every presidential candidate, including President Trump, has a plan for dealing with student debt. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has said she would cancel about half of all student debt on day one of her presidency.

Under her plan, households making less than $100,000 per year could get up to $50,000 in loan forgiveness. Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to cancel student debt for everyone and add a tax on every transaction on Wall Street.

Go bankrupt. This is the nuclear option. But in a recent landmark case, a judge in New York ruled that the six-figure debt owed by a US Navy veteran could be discharged in Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This case may pave the way for others to eliminate student debt in bankruptcy.

This mountain of student debt isn't just delaying major financial milestones. It's affecting the ability of debt holders to save at all.

More than half of all millennials surveyed reported having less than $1,000 in a savings account. And a fifth of you told us that savings account is completely empty.

You also told us that when you do pay off your student debt, you'll treat yourself with a vacation, party, or dinner out.

Here's to hoping you can get to the celebration - without the whole bankruptcy part.