When you owe money on several balances at once, two well-known strategies compete for your attention, and choosing between them causes a surprising amount of paralysis. Both work; they simply optimize for different things.
The avalanche method targets the debt with the highest interest rate first while paying the minimum on the rest. Mathematically it costs you the least over time, because you starve the most expensive balance first. If the numbers are what keep you motivated, this is the efficient choice.
The snowball method targets the smallest balance first, regardless of interest rate. It costs slightly more in interest, but it delivers a quick, visible win — an entire account closed — and that momentum keeps many people going when a spreadsheet would not.
The best method is the one you will actually finish. If early wins keep you engaged, use the snowball. If saving every possible dollar is what drives you, use the avalanche. Either way, the real lever is throwing every spare dollar at one balance instead of spreading it thin.
