If you graduated from college in May, your 6-month student loan grace period officially ends right about now. I’ll tell you how to get on top of your student loan bills in this week’s Money Minute:

Don't ignore them. Just because your loans are in a grace period (meaning no payments are required) for six months, that doesn’t mean interest is not accruing. So if you have the means to make payments before your grace period is over, don’t wait — it will help you reduce those interest charges in the long run.

The longer you ignore those student loans, the worse it will be for your credit. Bad credit can hurt you in a couple of unexpected ways. Since some employers run background checks on job candidates, a bad credit history can hurt your chances at getting hired. Landlords also use credit checks to gauge whether you’re likely to pay your rent on time. Poor credit is a huge red flag to them.  

Ask your lender for help. If you’re overwhelmed, that’s OK. Call your lender and ask about enrolling in flexible repayment options. Federal student loan borrowers may qualify for income-based repayment, deferment, forbearance, or loan consolidation. If you have private loans that you can’t afford, ask your lenders if they offer loan consolidation or look into refinancing through a company like SoFi or Commonbond.

Set up autopay. Autopay is the best way to make sure you never miss a payment. It may come with another perk, too — reduced interest. Some lenders offer interest rate discounts of 0.25% to 0.50% for people who enroll in auto pay.

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Mandi Woodruff is a reporter for Yahoo Finance and host of Brown Ambition, a new podcast about career and finance. Follow her on Tumblr or Facebook.