Smart Debt Payoff Calculator

A comprehensive debt payoff calculator built with Astro, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. Compare multiple debt elimination strategies to find the fastest and most cost-effective path to becoming debt-free.

Features

🎯 Multiple Payoff Strategies

• Debt Avalanche: Pay minimums on all debts, put extra money toward highest interest rate first
• Debt Snowball: Pay minimums on all debts, put extra money toward smallest balance first
• Cash Flow Optimized: A unique strategy that considers your entire financial picture, balancing debt payoff with financial stability

💰 Comprehensive Cash Flow Analysis

• Monthly income and expense tracking
• Emergency fund analysis
• Debt-to-income ratio calculation
• Financial health scoring
• Available cash flow for debt payments

📊 Detailed Comparisons

• Side-by-side strategy comparison
• Total interest savings calculations
• Time savings analysis
• Payment priority visualization
• Personalized recommendations

🚀 User-Friendly Features

• Responsive design for all devices
• Sample data loading for quick testing
• Real-time calculations
• Interactive debt management
• Clear visual indicators for optimal strategies

Technologies Used

• Astro: Modern static site generator for optimal performance
• TypeScript: Type-safe development with excellent DX
• Tailwind CSS: Utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach for all screen sizes

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn

Installation

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

Usage

1. Add Your Debts: Enter each debt with its current balance, interest rate, and minimum payment
2. Enter Cash Flow Information: Provide your monthly income, expenses, and emergency fund details
3. Set Extra Payment: Specify how much extra you can put toward debt each month
4. Calculate: Click "Calculate Payoff Plans" to see all strategy comparisons
5. Review Results: Compare strategies and follow the personalized recommendation

Sample Data

Click "Load Sample Data" to populate the form with realistic debt scenarios for testing and exploration.

Key Differentiators

Cash Flow Strategy

Unlike traditional calculators that only consider debt balances and interest rates, our Cash Flow Optimized strategy:

• Considers your available monthly cash flow
• Ensures emergency fund adequacy
• Balances debt payoff speed with financial stability
• Provides a realistic approach to debt elimination

Comprehensive Analysis

• Financial Health Score: Get a comprehensive view of your financial situation
• Emergency Fund Analysis: Understand if you're prepared for unexpected expenses
• Debt-to-Income Tracking: Monitor this critical financial ratio
• Available Cash Flow: See exactly how much you can allocate to debt payments

Project Structure

src/
├── components/          # Astro components
│   ├── DebtForm.astro  # Debt input and cash flow form
│   └── ResultsDisplay.astro # Strategy comparison display
├── layouts/            # Page layouts
│   └── Layout.astro   # Main layout template
├── pages/             # Astro pages
│   └── index.astro   # Main calculator page
├── types/            # TypeScript type definitions
│   └── debt.ts      # Debt-related interfaces
├── utils/           # Utility functions
│   └── debtCalculations.ts # Core calculation algorithms
└── styles/         # Global styles
    └── global.css # Tailwind imports and custom styles

Commands

All commands are run from the root of the project, from a terminal:

Command	Action
npm install	Installs dependencies
npm run dev	Starts local dev server at localhost:4321
npm run build	Build your production site to ./dist/
npm run preview	Preview your build locally, before deploying
npm run astro ...	Run CLI commands like astro add, astro check
npm run astro -- --help	Get help using the Astro CLI

Building for Production

# Build the project
npm run build

# Preview the build
npm run preview

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.