2027 Debt Payoff Planner Spreadsheet with Snowball and Avalanche

Plan a household debt payoff with snowball and avalanche side by side. Type each balance, APR, and minimum. The workbook builds a month-by-month plan, an interest difference between the two methods, and the same figures with no extra payment so you can see what the extra payment changes on these numbers.

WHAT YOU GET
- HM-DEBT_SAMPLE_Excel.xlsx, a completed sample workbook made for Excel. The household is fictional.
- HM-DEBT_SAMPLE_GoogleSheets-import.xlsx, the same sample for Google Sheets.
- HM-DEBT_BLANK_Excel.xlsx, an empty workbook made for Excel.
- HM-DEBT_BLANK_GoogleSheets-import.xlsx, the same empty workbook for Google Sheets.
- HM-DEBT_START-HERE.pdf, step-by-step instructions, including how to open the files in Google Sheets and in Excel, and how to turn on warning-only protection in Google Sheets.
- README.txt, a short file list and quick start.
- LICENSE.txt, the personal-use license.

INSIDE THE WORKBOOK
- Settings: household name, plan start date, extra payment each month, Snowball or Avalanche for the timeline, and the category list.
- Debts: up to 8 debts. Name, category, balance, APR, minimum, notes, a flag, and whether the row is in the plan. A 9th row is flagged and left out of the plan.
- Compare: payoff month, payoff date, interest, and total paid for snowball and avalanche, with the extra payment and with minimums only. Interest difference between the methods. Interest difference and months difference from the extra payment. A window note when a plan is still open after 120 months.
- Timeline: up to 120 months for the method you picked. Payment, interest, principal, balance, and which debt reaches zero that month.
- Payment log: up to 60 lines you type. The log does not change the plan. Overpaid is advisory. A line is flagged when the running total for that debt is more than starting balance plus planned interest for the method on Settings, plus $1. Logged totals count every line.
- Progress: a 24-month strip. Shaded months are the planned payoff for the method you picked.
- Snowball targets the lowest current balance and rechecks it each month. Ties go to the earlier row. Avalanche targets the highest APR. A paid-off debt's minimum joins the extra on the next debt.
- A blank row adds nothing. A negative amount, text, an APR over 100, or a balance over 10 million is flagged and left out. When the minimum never pays a debt off, the row is flagged and still included. Monthly interest on a debt is balance times APR divided by 12.
- Yellow is the color of a cell you type in. On the Excel file, grey cells are locked and there is no password. The Google Sheets import file has no lock. Protection is per sheet: Data > Protect sheets and ranges > Add a sheet or range > Sheet > Except certain cells (the yellow input cells) > Set permissions > Show a warning.
- Dates and amounts assume US settings: month/day/year, and currency with a dollar sign.
- The sample is a fictional household. Use the blank copy for your own numbers.

HOW IT WORKS
1. Download and unzip the file.
2. For Excel, open an _Excel.xlsx file. If a bar asks you to enable editing, choose Enable Editing.
3. Google Sheets on a computer: open drive.google.com, choose New, then File upload, and upload an _GoogleSheets-import.xlsx file. Open the uploaded file. It opens in Office-compatibility mode. Choose File, then Save as Google Sheets. To bring the file into a spreadsheet you already have open, choose File, then Import, then Upload, and choose Replace spreadsheet. The Sheets home page has no File menu, so Import is only inside an open spreadsheet.
4. On Settings, type the start date, an extra payment, and a method. On Debts, add each debt. Read Compare.

GOOD TO KNOW
- Made for Excel and Google Sheets.
- Original spreadsheet. No clip art and no stock images.
- This is a digital download. Nothing will be shipped.
- Figures are for your own planning. This is not financial or tax advice.
- The interest difference is the gap between totals on the numbers you type. It is not a promise of savings.

OPENING A FILE
Having trouble opening a file? Message the shop through Etsy and we will help.

LICENSE
For your own personal use. Print the guide as many times as you like for yourself. Please do not resell, share, or redistribute the files.

Created with AI tools.