I understand that most people use the snowball plan, whether top to bottom or bottom to top. But what about student loan debt. Should the same method be used. I know that unsecured credit card debt is a monster in its own right but what about private student loan debt? Should you pay private loan before federal?

I try to pay as much as I can while at the same time avoiding adding on more additional debt to my current balances.

Just to clarify, debt is debt, regardless whetherre its a house. Even though it is considered good debt from the over all stand point. But trying telling that to someone who has to foreclose.. 

Even still the snowball works with anything and everything that you are "Paying " interest on. Your goal should be to eliminate all of it fast so then you can now actually save and be earning on your money insteae of paying.

Good Luck

When I got divorced I was left with a massive credit card debt, a personal loan and a huge mortgage. If I sold everything I still would have had debt.

So I reduced the mortgage and personal loan to lowest possible, minimum payments only and focused on putting every spare cent off that credit card debt. I was paying more than double the minimum payment due each month and cleared it relatively quickly. When that was gone, I had $300 per month not going anywhere so I transferred this amount on top of the personal loan payments and cleared that in no time!. Then I had $500 per month left over in my personal budget each month, which of course went straight on top of the regular mortgage payments I was making.

The way the online calculators tell me - I should have that mortgage gone in a few more years. This is the snowball effect, right?