What Is the Best Way to Tackle Debt?

Debt. If you’re like nearly 90% of people in the U.S., you have some form of it. And if you’re like most, it’s not just a financial burden; it can come with stress, anxiety, and even shame. It can spill over into your personal life and impact your mental health more than you’d like.

Maybe you’ve tried to get out of debt before. Maybe you succeeded for a while, only to end up right back where you started. Or maybe you threw everything you had at it, only to have an unexpected expense push you back onto a credit card.

That cycle can feel exhausting—like you’re doing everything right but still not getting ahead.

Before we talk about payoff strategies, there’s one important piece to get right first: How much extra can you realistically put toward debt while still building savings?

Because if you’re not setting money aside for the “life happens” moments, you’ll likely end up relying on credit again and that’s how the cycle continues.

Once you’ve got a clear picture of your numbers, here are a few ways to approach paying off your debt:

1. The Snowball Method

You list your debts from smallest balance to largest. You pay minimums on everything except the smallest, and throw every extra dollar at that one until it’s gone. Then you roll that payment into the next smallest, and so on.

• Why it works: Quick wins. You see progress fast, which can be really motivating.

• The tradeoff: You may pay more in interest over time.

2. The Avalanche Method

You list your debts by interest rate, highest to lowest. You focus all extra money on the highest interest debt first, while paying minimums on the rest.

• Why it works: You’ll pay the least amount of interest overall.

• The tradeoff: Progress can feel slower at the beginning.

3. The “Just Get Rid of It” Method

Sometimes there’s a debt that weighs on you more than the others; maybe it’s tied to a tough memory or just stresses you out every time you see it.

Start there.

Then, once it’s gone, switch to either the snowball or avalanche method to keep your momentum going.

No matter which approach you choose, the key is this:
Focus on one debt at a time.

Spreading extra payments across multiple balances might feel productive, but it usually slows your progress. Concentrating your effort is what creates real movement.

And just as important: take time to understand how the debt happened in the first place. Not from a place of judgment, but from awareness. Without that piece, it’s easy to end up back in the same cycle, which can feel even more discouraging the second time around.

If you want help creating a simple, realistic plan for your money, one that supports both debt payoff and your day-to-day life, I’d love to help! Book a free 15-minute Q&A call, and we’ll see how I may be able to help.