Decide Whether to Clear a Credit Card or Start an Emergency Fund First

Spare cash lands and you spend ten minutes arguing with yourself about where it should go. Clear the card or start a buffer. This gives you a straight answer for the first three months, plus the one condition that would flip it, so you stop relitigating the decision every month.

You have {SPARE_AMOUNT} spare each month and are torn between clearing a credit card balance of [balance] at [interest rate]% APR and starting an emergency fund from zero. Weigh up the guaranteed return of clearing debt against the safety net of even a small cash buffer. Give a clear recommendation for where the first three months of spare money should go, with one sentence on when the answer would flip the other way.