Spring Clean Your Debt: Two Simple Ways to Get Started

Spring makes a lot of us want a fresh start. We open the windows. We clean out closets. We sort through paperwork and try to simplify things. Spring can also be a good time to take a fresh start with your finances.

If debt has been sitting in the background weighing on you, this might be a good season to take a closer look.

You don’t need a perfect plan.
You don’t need extra thousands of dollars.
You just need a clear starting point.

Two common payoff methods, called the snowball and the avalanche, can help you decide where to begin.

Step One: Get It All on Paper

Before choosing a strategy, write down:

What you owe
The minimum payment
The interest rate (if you know it)

This doesn’t have to be perfect. Just getting it on paper can help you feel more in control.

These strategies work for credit cards, personal loans, medical bills, auto loans, and most types of consumer debt.

Option 1: The Debt Snowball

Start with your smallest balance

With the snowball method, you:

Make the minimum payment on everything.
Put any extra money, even $10 or $20, toward your smallest debt first.

Let’s say you have:

A $300 medical bill
A $1,200 credit card
A $6,000 auto loan

You would focus on paying off the $300 bill first. Once that’s gone, you roll that payment into the next balance.

Why this works:
You get a quick win. And sometimes that quick win is what keeps you going.

This might be a good fit if you:

Feel overwhelmed
Want to see progress sooner
Need motivation to stick with it

Option 2: The Debt Avalanche

Start with the highest interest rate

With the avalanche method, you:

Make the minimum payment on everything.
Put any extra money, even $10 or $20, toward the debt with the highest interest rate first.

Let’s say you have:

A $300 medical bill at 0% interest
A $1,200 credit card at 22% interest
A $6,000 auto loan at 6% interest

You would focus on paying down the $1,200 credit card first because it has the highest interest rate. You would continue making the minimum payments on your other debts while putting any extra money toward that balance.

This helps reduce how much interest you pay over time.

This might be a good fit if you:

Want to save as much as possible on interest
Don’t mind waiting a little longer to fully pay something off

There’s no “right” answer here. The best method is the one you’ll stick with.

Choosing the Right Approach (Even If Money Feels Tight)

There’s no “right” or “wrong” choice here. The best strategy is the one you’ll stick with.

If quick wins keep you motivated, the snowball might feel better.
If saving on interest feels more important, the avalanche may make more sense.

Both methods can work. Consistency is what makes the difference.

And both methods work best when you can put even a small amount extra toward your balances.

That might sound impossible right now. But sometimes it’s already there.

Many families have a subscription or app they barely use. Pausing even one could free up $10–$20 a month.

That $10–$20 could go toward:

A medical bill
A credit card balance
Catching up on a payment

It may not feel like much, but small moves add up over time.

Like any spring reset, progress doesn’t happen overnight. It happens little by little.

What Happens After Debt Starts to Shrink

Once debt begins to shrink, it becomes much easier to build savings. Many people find that once a balance is paid off, they can redirect that same monthly payment toward a savings account instead.

Over time, this shift can help create a financial cushion for emergencies or future goals.

If you’re ready to start setting money aside, Cotton Belt offers savings accounts designed to help you build toward the future.