You pay the minimum on everything, then send every extra dollar at whichever debt is costing you the most to carry. When that one's gone, the same money rolls to the next most expensive. It's the tightest approach on paper — and the one most people quit, because the first win can take a long time to arrive.
Why Expensive-First Costs You Least
Carrying a debt has a price, and the price isn't the same on all of them. Clearing the most expensive one first means less total cost paid to borrow, because you stop the worst meter soonest.
That's the entire logic. There's nothing clever beyond it.
Why People Abandon It
The most expensive debt is often also a big one. You can throw money at it for a long stretch and still have the same number of debts on the list, which feels like standing still.
Motivation is part of the math whether we like it or not. A plan you stay on beats a tighter plan you stop.
Pick the One You Will Finish
The avalanche wins on cost. The snowball wins on morale. Both work; neither works if you stop.
If you're weighing debt payoff against other priorities, or the debt is tied to a business or the place, get your CPA's read before you commit the cash.
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