# Debt Management Discover how to manage debt and increase your savings. - Choose a Category ![down arrow icon](https://www.advanceamerica.net/themes/custom/pf_aa_theme/assets/images/chevron-down-blue.svg) - [Budgeting Tips](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/budgeting-tips) - [Credit](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/credit) - [Debt Management](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/debt-management) - [Home and Family](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/home-and-family) - [Money Management](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/money-management) - [Need Money](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/need-money) - More ![down arrow icon](https://www.advanceamerica.net/themes/custom/pf_aa_theme/assets/images/chevron-down-blue.svg) ![close button](https://www.advanceamerica.net/themes/custom/pf_aa_theme/assets/images/icons/icon-close-navy.svg) - [ Budgeting Tips ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/budgeting-tips) - [ Credit ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/credit) - [ Debt Management ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/debt-management) - [ Home and Family ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/home-and-family) - [ Money Management ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/money-management) - [ Need Money ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/need-money) Discover how to manage debt and set payoff goals while contributing to your savings so you can be better prepared for unexpected expenses. Read more to learn about manageable debt and the different proven methods of tackling your debt payments head on. Get tips on adding up your total debt, building a budget and creative ways to make extra money to put toward your debt management and payoff goals. It can be difficult to know how much you should be putting toward debt each time you get paid or which debt to start paying off first. That’s why we offer informational blog articles that can help teach you different methods to reach your payoff goals and get you out of debt quicker. Check out our article on paying off debt versus saving money to learn about the Avalanche and Snowball methods and automated debt reduction. Find out which of your accounts are considered manageable debt and which should be top priority for payoff. The first step to becoming debt free and meeting your financial goals is learning how to manage debt properly. Begin by creating a budget, adding up your debts and choosing a strategy for making payments. After you get a good idea of your monthly expenses, you can start using anything leftover for debt management and savings. With patience, hard work and discipline, you’ll be well on your way to becoming debt free. [ ![Women looking at computer](https://cdn.advanceamerica.net/public/styles/article_small/public/media/images/2022-07/woman-looking-at-computer.jpg.webp?itok=ucMEmsLd) What Does It Mean if a Loan is Amortized? (And Why You Should Care) A loan is amortized when each payment covers both principal and interest, gradually reducing your balance over time. ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/debt-management/loan-amortization) Snowball or Avalanche [Which will you choose?](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/debt-management/pay-off-debt-or-save) [ ![man using calculator with piggy bank](https://cdn.advanceamerica.net/public/styles/article_small/public/media/images/2025-11/man-using-calculator-with-piggy-bank.jpg.webp?itok=5LmeWIJ6) Debt-to-Income Ratio Explained: What It Is, and How It’s Calculated Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) shows how much of your monthly income goes toward paying debts. A lower DTI generally means stronger borrowing power, while a higher DTI may signal that your debt load is too heavy.  ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/debt-management/debt-to-income-ratio) [ ![Young woman in glasses and brunette man concerned about bills.](https://cdn.advanceamerica.net/public/styles/article_small/public/media/images/2023-06/young_woman_in_glasses_and_brunette_man_concerned_about_bills.jpg.webp?itok=OKmC0gzC) What Increases Your Total Loan Balance? According to 2023 U.S. ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/debt-management/what-increases-your-total-loan-balance) [ ![A dartboard with a green dart through a sticky note that says get out of debt.](https://cdn.advanceamerica.net/public/styles/article_small/public/media/images/2023-03/a_dartboard_with_a_green_dart_through_a_sticky_note_that_says_get_out_of_debt.jpg.webp?itok=UmruADbP) Debt Avalanche Method Debt can be overwhelming — and if you’re not interested in debt consolidation, paying it off might feel like an uphill battle. ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/debt-management/debt-avalanche-method) [ ![Couple budgeting with debt snowball method](https://cdn.advanceamerica.net/public/styles/article_small/public/media/images/2021-10/couple-budgeting-with-debt-snowball-method.jpg.webp?itok=z9aAAf-S) Debt Snowball Method: How It Works, Pros & Cons Debt can feel overwhelming, especially when it stands between you and your ](https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/debt-management/debt-snowball-method) Load More Tips ## The Advance America advantage Since 1997, Advance America has helped millions of hardworking people with a variety of financial solutions including [Payday Loans](https://www.advanceamerica.net/loans/payday-loans), [Online Loans](https://www.advanceamerica.net/loans/online-loans), [Installment Loans](https://www.advanceamerica.net/loans/installment-loans), [Title Loans](https://www.advanceamerica.net/loans/online-title-loans "Online Title Loans") and [Personal Lines of Credit](https://www.advanceamerica.net/loans/line-of-credit). 157+ million loans issued 700+ stores and online loans 28+ years providing loans [Apply Now](https://www.advanceamerica.net/online) [Find a Store](https://www.advanceamerica.net/store-locations)