What the spreadsheet shows
Each row is one month, starting with this one. Each debt gets its own column showing the payment it receives that month. The last columns show the total paid across all debts and how much is still owed after that month's payments.
The downloaded file adds a balance column for every debt and the interest charged each month, so you can chart it, add notes, or track your actual payments next to the planned ones. The month a debt reaches zero is marked paid off in the table above.
How the snowball schedule is built
- Order: debts are lined up from smallest balance to largest. Interest rates do not change the order.
- Minimums: every debt gets its minimum payment every month, so every account stays current.
- Extra: any money beyond the minimums goes to the smallest balance.
- Rollover: when a debt is paid off, its payment joins the extra and moves to the next smallest balance. That growing payment is the snowball.
Interest is added each month at the APR divided by 12, before that month's payment. A 0% promo rate stays at 0% until the month it ends, then switches to the rate you enter for after the promo.
Opening it in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers
The download is a CSV file, the plain format every spreadsheet program opens.
- Excel: open the file directly, then save it as a workbook if you want to add formatting.
- Google Sheets: choose File, then Import, then Upload, and pick the file.
- Numbers: open the file directly.
The numbers in the file are values, not formulas. If a balance or payment changes, come back, update the debts here and download a fresh copy.
Using the printable worksheet
Print worksheet produces the full schedule on plain paper, every month included, with a Paid box at the end of each row. Some people tape it to the fridge and tick a box each month. Others write the actual amount paid beside the planned one, which makes it easy to see when real life has moved away from the plan.
Why a spreadsheet drifts, and what to do about it
A spreadsheet is a snapshot of one moment. Real months rarely match it exactly: a payment comes in a little higher or lower, a new charge appears, a promo ends early, or a lender's interest calculation differs from the APR divided by 12. After a few months, the schedule and your statements no longer line up.
Re-running the numbers every few months keeps a spreadsheet honest. If you would rather not rebuild it by hand, the free DebtFree Dashboard starts from the same numbers and moves your debt-free date every time you log a payment.
