All the gifts have been opened, the leftovers frozen, and normalcy is starting to settle back into your days — until you open the mailbox and get that first credit card bill (and then another) reminding you of just how much you spent on spreading that holiday cheer.

Instead of carrying the dread and the debt with you into the new year, this season why not implement some understanding and strategy to paying off those credit cards as quickly as possible?

1. Pay off deferred-interest cards first. Sure 0% interest sounds amazing, but it’s only 0% until the end of the promotional period. If you carry a balance beyond that “free introductory offer,” any interest you would have saved now gets added to the balance based on your original purchase price – not just what you have left to pay off. Don’t let this happen to you!

2. Pay off store credit cards. That 10% to 15% you got off your entire purchase the day you signed up for your, say Best Buy card, is all well and good, but it’s only good for that purchase. Most retail credit cards have interest rates of up to 25%, which is a pretty penny when it comes to having a balance on them every month. While there’s nothing at all wrong with saving that initial 10%-15%, try not to use those cards once you get that purchase paid off to avoid those sneaky high interest dings. If you do find yourself using them, that’s okay too. Just be sure to pay them off each month.

3. Pay off the card with the smallest balance. Finance experts like Dave Ramsey advocate using “the snowball method” for paying off credit cards. This simply means paying off the card with the smallest balance first and then moving on to the next one with the smallest balance. While this process may take a little longer to get the cards paid off, the sense of accomplishment from eliminating one credit card payment is wildly motivating and a huge incentive to keep the snowball rolling.

Paying off credit cards can seem daunting and even impossible when you’re looking at the debt as a whole. When you’re able section off the “mountain” card by card and have a plan in place, each payment gets you one step closer to the pinnacle of your financial freedom destination.

And if you need someone who’s personally conquered the debt mountain and who’s ready to be your financial freedom climbing buddy, let us know. Together we’ll get to the top!