How does the snowball method work?
Key Takeaways. Debt snowball is a strategy for paying down debts that involves paying off your smallest debts first, then moving on to the next smallest. The debt snowball method can be ideal for people who want to stay motivated seeing their debt fully paid down.
If you were to make only the minimum amount due on all of your debt, it would take about five years to become debt free. In contrast, using the debt snowball method by paying an extra $100 a month on your smallest balance, you'd be out of debt in about three years and save nearly $1,800 in interest.
The "snowball method," simply put, means paying off the smallest of all your loans as quickly as possible. Once that debt is paid, you take the money you were putting toward that payment and roll it onto the next-smallest debt owed. Ideally, this process would continue until all accounts are paid off.
The snowball effect in psychology refers to a situation where something starts small and gains momentum, growing in significance or intensity over time, much like how a snowball grows larger as it rolls down a hill.
It will take 47 months to pay off $20,000 with payments of $600 per month, assuming the average credit card APR of around 18%. The time it takes to repay a balance depends on how often you make payments, how big your payments are and what the interest rate charged by the lender is.
Does not save maximum interest: The debt snowball method is not necessarily the best choice for saving money on interest. Because you're prioritizing balances over interest rates and only making minimum payments on debts that are low on the list, you could end up paying considerably more in interest over time.
When prioritizing paying off your debt, start with the balance that has the higher interest rate (likely your credit cards) and go from there. No matter what type of debt you'll be dealing with, though, the most important factor is that you pay your bills on time.
With this strategy, you don't need to compare interest rates or APRs, only the amounts owed. The largest drawback of the debt snowball is that it does not reduce the amount you pay in overall interest as much as the debt avalanche method.
To pay off $8,000 in credit card debt within 36 months, you will need to pay $290 per month, assuming an APR of 18%. You would incur $2,431 in interest charges during that time, but you could avoid much of this extra cost and pay off your debt faster by using a 0% APR balance transfer credit card.
- Take advantage of debt relief services. ...
- Reduce interest where possible. ...
- Focus on your highest interest rate first. ...
- Take advantage of opportunities to earn extra income. ...
- Cut expenses where possible.
What is the high rate method for paying off debt?
The debt avalanche is a systematic way of paying down debt to save money on interest. Individuals who use the debt avalanche strategy make the minimum payment on each debt, then use any remaining available funds to pay the debt with the highest interest rates.
A good rule of thumb is to try to pay off any card balance in 36 months, but you might want to see what it will take to pay off the balance in shorter or longer increments of time. Your actual rate, payment, and costs could be higher.
There are a number of strategies to pay off large amounts of credit card debt. They include personal loans, 0% APR balance transfer cards, debt settlement, bankruptcy, credit counseling and debt management plans. You may be able to use more than one of these options.
- Get Your Mind Right. ...
- Put Your Credit Cards in a Deep Freeze. ...
- Review Your Credit Report. ...
- List Everything You Owe. ...
- Debt Management Plan. ...
- D-I-Y Debt Snowball/Avalanche. ...
- Debt Consolidation Loans. ...
- Debt Settlement.
- Take advantage of debt relief programs.
- Use a home equity loan to cut the cost of interest.
- Use a 401k loan.
- Take advantage of balance transfer credit cards with promotional interest rates.
- Make a Budget and Stick to It. You must know where your money goes each month, full stop. ...
- Cut Unnecessary Spending. Remember that budget I mentioned? ...
- Sell Your Extra Stuff. ...
- Make More Money. ...
- Be Happy With What You Have. ...
- Final Thoughts.
To pay off $30,000 in credit card debt within 36 months, you will need to pay $1,087 per month, assuming an APR of 18%. You would incur $9,116 in interest charges during that time, but you could avoid much of this extra cost and pay off your debt faster by using a 0% APR balance transfer credit card.
$5,000 in credit card debt can be quite costly in the long run. That's especially the case if you only make minimum payments each month. However, you don't have to accept decades of credit card debt.
If you went with the snowball method, you could pay off your first balance in six months, compared to the avalanche method, where it would take you more than a year to pay off your debt with the highest APR. If you're motivated by a quick win, then the snowball method is a better choice.
This may sound counterproductive, because it can save time and money to pay highest-interest debts first, which makes the debt avalanche method a better fit for some folks. But if you need to front-load your payoff journey with early victories in order to stick with it, snowball is for you.
What is the first step in the debt snowball payment plan?
Here's how the debt snowball method works: Step 1: List your debts from smallest to largest. Step 2: Make minimum payments on all debts except the smallest—throwing as much money as you can at that one.
But say you put yourself on a one-year payoff plan. Unfortunately, due to interest, you can't just divide $10,000 by 12 and pay $833 a month — interest tacks on a pretty large amount. But you could pay off your credit card in a year if you paid roughly $950 a month for 12 months.
The Bottom Line. Remember that while both personal loans and credit cards can pay for your expenses, they are not the same. Personal loans have relatively lower interest rates than credit cards, but they must be repaid over a set period of time.
Option 1: Pay off the highest-interest debt first
This may discourage some people, increasing the likelihood of giving up on the strategy. Best for: Minimizing the amount of interest you pay.
Because the snowball method allows you to pay small debts off first, you can quickly reduce your debt utilization, improving your credit score.
