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THE BUDGETING WIZARD

Picking a strategy in the Debt Destroyer (Step 9)

Step 9 lets you choose Snowball or Avalanche. Both use the same monthly budget — only the order of attack differs.

3 min read

The Debt Destroyer step sorts your debts by your chosen strategy and simulates payoff over time. The Debt Freedom Chart below the strategy selector shows the exact order each debt clears, with per-row timeline bars and your "debt-free" date.

Snowball

Sorts your debts smallest balance to largest. Select this tile if you need visible wins to stay motivated — you'll kill tiny debts first and roll their minimum payments into the next one.

Avalanche

Sorts by interest rate, highest first. Mathematically optimal for dollars saved. Select this tile if high-APR credit cards are costing you a lot each month.

Good to know

The "PRIORITY TARGET" sticker in the Debt Freedom Chart highlights the debt you're actively attacking with extra payments. When two debts finish in the same month, the chart shows the chronological order, not the priority order.

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