Snowballing Debt, Making It Pay

The debt snowball method is a debt repayment method that has attracted attention in the financial world and with the borrowing public as well.

The method is most applicable to debts following a revolving type of credit such as a credit card. Dave Ramsey, a famed financial expert and radio talk show host, developed the snowballing method. Ramsey is the author of three best selling books of the fourteen he has authored. In order to get started with his strategy, user employ a simple debt snowball calculator.

• List your debts from lowest to highest (ascending order.) This allows you to determine which of your debts you will tackle first. Resolving the lowest debts first is the main concept of the debt snowball method. No fancy debt snowball forms are required, just use the totals and put them in ascending order.
• Pay the minimum payment amount of all the debts you have. The debt snowball method ensures that you maintain your good credit standing. The ultimate goal is to be debt free - debt snowball plans let you do that, one step at a time by meeting all your financial obligations but concentrating on completely resolving one at a time. The method is slow, but steady.
• Taking your current budget into account, add a little extra amount on the minimum payment required of your smallest debt. For example, if your smallest debt obliges you to pay $100 a month, try to make that $150. Note all of these numbers on your debt snowball worksheet as you will need the figures from one step to prepare to take the next one.
• When the first debt is resolved, proceed to the second. Apply the amount you used to resolve the first debt to the second, with as much additional money as you can comfortably add. Since you are working on one less debt than before, the theory is that the payment will be no greater hardship that you are used to facing, but it will do more for you.
• Repeat this process until you are working on your largest debt. Although this free debt snowball technique takes discipline and time, it does work.

Try to follow the debt snowball method and see for yourself how effective it can be. The only debt snowball calculator you will need are the steps listed above and the discipline to follow good financial practices as you work on resolving your debts.

Continue to: Making the Debt Snowball Method Work for You