Most people skip the inventory.

They hear “snowball” or “avalanche,” pick a method off a reel, and start throwing extra cash at one card. Three weeks later they find a medical bill, a forgotten store card, or a family loan that never made the spreadsheet. The plan collapses. They call it a willpower problem. It was a data problem.

Do this instead:

Write every balance down. Credit cards, auto, student, personal, medical, Buy Now Pay Later, money you owe a sibling. Minimum payment, interest rate, due date. If you have to guess, you do not have a plan yet.

Then pick the method. Snowball (smallest balance first) is for momentum. Avalanche (highest interest first) is for math. Hybrid is for people who need a win this month and a cheaper total later. None of them work on a partial list.

Protect the floor. The payoff plan sits on top of a budget that already covers rent, food, and the minimums. If the extra payment is coming from next week’s groceries, it is not extra.

The shame around debt is loud. The work is quiet: one list, one method, one extra payment that actually exists.

If you want the worksheets and the full 8-chapter walkthrough, they live here. If you only take one thing from this post, take the inventory.