To use the debt snowball method you will need to pay more than the minimum payment on only your smallest debt first while continuing to pay minimum payments on the rest of your accounts.
Can't afford to pay more than the minimum payment? Use this free budget calculator to find extra money so that you can afford to pay above the minimum payment!
Try Budget CalculatorYou still have $ remaining in your wallet. You can now use this extra money (or a portion of it) to quickly pay off your debts with the debt snowball method!
Pay $ Extra Per Month1. Pay off your smallest debt first, putting your extra money toward this debt while continuing to pay your minimum payments on the other accounts. You will be finished with this account on the date shown in the table.
2. Now that the smallest debt is finished, take what you were paying toward that debt, minimum payment and extra money included, and pay this toward the next smallest debt each month. Again, make only minimum payments on the rest of the debts. Continue until this second smallest debt is also paid off.
3. Keep going in this fashion until all your debts are paid off.
| Current | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Principal | $ | |
| Total Monthly Payment | $ | $ |
| Total Interest To Pay | $ | $ |
| Debt Free Date | ||
Steps to use it:
This free debt snowball calculator tool is super easy to use, does not require you to link your bank account or credit card accounts, and there is no sign up required! The snowball calculator is one of the most effective tools online to help consumers quickly pay off debt.
Academic studies have proven the debt snowball method to be the quickest way to pay off credit card debt and improve credit scores. Psychological principles guide the methodology behind the snowball method, using the brain’s dopamine as it’s number one source of fuel to push the throttle and motivate a person to continue working towards becoming debt free. In short, it’s the fastest path to getting your first debt paid in full, which will then accelerate you to paying off the second, third, and eventually becoming debt free.
After paying off your first debt the dopamine in your brain kicks in telling you “wow that feels good, it worked! Let’s pay off another debt now!” Not only that, but each time you pay off a debt more and more momentum builds up, and you have a more significant chunk of available cash-flow (similar to how a snowball builds in size as you role it) to aim at paying off the next debt in line.
A step in advance of the debt snowball method is to use the budget calculator here. By making a budget analysis prior to using the debt snowball calculator you will be able to easily see all of your expenses. Why is this important? In order to use the snowball method, you need to find extra money. To find extra money you need to see all of your expenses clearly. You can then scroll down and find ways to reduce your expenses, increasing your available cash-flow. As you increase your available cash-flow you can use that money to put towards paying off your smallest debt.
You can easily go back and forth between the snowball and budget calculator to make adjustments and results will show in real-time.
The debt avalanche method is when you focus on paying off your account with the highest interest rate first. The problem is that sometimes the account with the highest interest rate also has a large balance so you can be paying on it for several years before finally getting results, often leading to consumers quitting before reaching the finish line, due to lack of momentum. If you do have the mental will power to tough it out and make it to the finish line using the debt avalanche method then you will likely end up saving more than if you used the snowball route.
The debt snowball and avalanche method are both great methods to use to quickly pay off your bills. Figure out which route you want to take, fully educate yourself on the process of how it works and then stick to it!