The Debt Snowball: How to Trick Your Brain into Crushing Debt

Welcome back! Last week, we dove deep into the Debt Avalanche. We talked about how attacking your highest interest rate first is the “mathematically perfect” way to get out of debt because it saves you the most money in the long run.

It sounds great on paper. But here is the reality of 2026: life is expensive right now. Between high grocery bills and the resumption of student loan payments, many of us are suffering from “affordability fatigue.” We are just plain tired of worrying about money.

When you’re exhausted, even the best approach can seem impossible—especially if your highest-interest debt is a big credit card balance that never shrinks.

If the Avalanche feels too overwhelming, it’s time to try the Debt Snowball. This method doesn’t care about math; it cares about motivation.

What is the Debt Snowball?

The Debt Snowball is a repayment strategy designed to give you quick wins.

While the Avalanche focuses on the costliest debt, the Snowball targets your smallest debt first.

The goal isn’t to save the most interest. The goal is to change your behavior and build momentum so fast that you actually stick to the plan until the very end.

How the Snowball Works (Step-by-Step)

The Snowball method is all about organization and focus. Here is how you build it:

Step 1: The List. List every single debt you have—credit cards, car loans, BNPL plans, student loans—everything except your house. But here’s the catch: order them from the smallest balance to the largest balance. Completely ignore the interest rates.

Step 2: Minimums. Pay only the minimum monthly payment on everything on your list except the very top one (the smallest one).

Step 3: The Attack. Throw every single extra dollar you can find at that smallest debt. Did you save $50 by canceling a subscription? Throw it at the little debt. Sold some old clothes online? Throw it at the little debt. You attack it until it is gone.

Step 4: The Rollover (Making the Snowball) This is where the magic happens. Let’s say your smallest debt was a $200 BNPL balance with a $50/month payment. Once it’s paid off, you don’t pocket that $50. You take that $50 and add it to the minimum payment of your next smallest debt.

As you knock out debts one by one, the amount you have available to pay on the next debt gets bigger and bigger—just like rolling a snowball downhill.

Why It’s Good: The “Brain Game”

If the Avalanche is for robots who love efficiency, the Snowball is for humans who need encouragement.

In 2026, when it feels like you’re working hard just to stay in place, you need a “win.” If you use the Avalanche method on a $10,000 credit card, you might pay it off for two years and still feel like you’re drowning.

But with the Snowball, you might pay off that annoying little $85 Affirm balance in the first month. When you do that, your brain gets a hit of dopamine—the chemical that makes you feel accomplished. You think, “Wait, I can actually do this!”

That quick win gives you the energy to tackle the next one. The Snowball method works because it realizes that getting out of debt is 20% head knowledge and 80% behavior change.

Snowball vs. Avalanche: The Final Showdown

So, which one wins?

The Avalanche method is faster and saves more money overall because it targets high-interest debt first, minimizing interest costs.
The Snowball method helps many people succeed in real life by building motivation and habits, making it easier to keep going even when progress is slow.

Yes, by ignoring interest rates at the beginning, the Snowball method will technically cost you a little more money over time than the Avalanche method.

So, choose the method that works for you and commit to starting today. Whether you pick Avalanche or Snowball, take action now—don’t wait. The most important step is to begin. Your journey out of debt starts with your next payment!

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Larry Marvin

LifeCrafter Money $ense

Sources

Debt Payoff Strategies for Beginners https://www.creditbuilderiq.com/articles/debt-payoff-strategies-for-beginners

Review of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University – ivetriedthat https://ivetriedthat.com/review-of-dave-ramseys-financial-peace-university/comment-page-2/

LifeCrafter.org. (2025). Gemini. https://gemini.google.com/app/f84041c46c538967

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Larry Marvin

Larry Marvin is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. His career spans over fifty years as a corporate trainer, medical administrator, small business owner, income management coach, and public speaker. He has conducted over 300 workshops, classes, and seminars during his years as a corporate trainer on such topics as budgeting, debt elimination, banking, saving plans, budgeting software, spreadsheets, and investing basics.Larry has conducted budgeting and debt elimination seminars at U.S. Steel and UAB Special Studies.
His passion is teaching and equipping people with the financial knowledge they need to act in the best interest of their money and family.

He is passionate about his faith, has been married to his wife for 54+ years, and has three adult children and fourteen grandchildren.

Larry Marvin is the co-founder and Executive Director of LifeCrafter Foundation.