Why recurring extras matter
Extra payments reduce the principal balance sooner, which means later interest charges have a smaller base to compound against.
That is why even modest recurring extras can change both the payoff timeline and the final interest total more than a one-time glance at the statement suggests.
An aggressive extra payment strategy like this one is worth weighing against building an emergency fund or contributing to tax-advantaged retirement accounts.
How to use this scenario
Use this page to sanity-check whether your planned extra amount is large enough to matter before you redesign a budget around it.
If the extra payment is irregular, the full calculator is better because it lets you test alternative recurring amounts more directly.