<prompt> Human: My wife and I have about 15k in credit card debt, mostly on fairly small accounts. I believe the biggest is my 3900 on my capital one card. I get a monthly mileage expense check from work that ranges between 150-400 dollars depending how much traveling I have to do. We want to pay down our credit cards as efficiently as possible using this extra money. Is it better to put this money aside in a savings account until enough is saved up to completely pay off an account or do we apply each monthly amount toward a credit card as we get it?  <response>: There are two methods outlined in One is the avalanche method which is highest interest first, and the other is snowball method, which is smallest to lowest. While avalanche might make the most sense mathematically, if you were good at math you wouldnt have 15k in CC debt to start a Dave Ramsey joke, not actually trying to insult you. Getting out of debt can be a psychological process, and getting a lot of quick wins by paying off the smaller cards can build momentum and enthusiasm for keeping going. If you can maintain that enthusiasm while paying off the higher interest cards first, then avalanche is the method that will save the most money, but if you arent fully committed, then snowball method may be the best for you to get you started. 