Back in 2013, I found myself staring at a mountain of debt. Not a small hill. A full-on, “how in the world did I get here?” kind of mountain. I owed $288,000, and somehow I managed to pay it off in 32 months. When people ask how I did it, the answer is simple: I didn’t start with math. I started with behavior. That’s why I’ll always come back to the power of the Debt Snowball.
The Avalanche method looks great on paper. It tells you to attack the highest interest rate first, and technically, it saves the most money. The problem is that those high-interest debts are usually the biggest ones, which means progress feels painfully slow. Long stretches without movement can drain your confidence. At that point in my life, I didn’t need theory. I needed a win.
That’s where the Snowball changed everything. Instead of chasing the mathematically perfect plan, I focused on the smallest debts first. Quick payoffs. Quick momentum. Quick reminders that the mountain wasn’t impossible. Every little victory mattered: one less monthly bill, one more step forward, one more nudge that the finish line wasn’t a fantasy. That momentum became fuel, and that fuel carried me through 32 straight months of grinding.
The real enemy in the debt journey isn’t interest. It’s discouragement. People don’t quit because they can’t understand percentages. They quit because they get tired, overwhelmed, and defeated. Snowball protects you from that. It keeps the wins coming, and when the wins keep coming, you keep going. That mindset shift was the game-changer for me.
So which method should you use? If spreadsheets are your love language and delayed gratification fires you up, Avalanche might be your style. But if you’re tired, stressed, overwhelmed, and trying to climb out of a hole you never thought you’d be in, the Snowball is the strategy that actually works in real life. It’s the reason I paid off $288,000 in 32 months. It gave me hope early, and it kept me moving. And it can do the same for you.
Here’s my final encouragement: getting out of debt is possible. You’re not behind. You’re not too far gone. You’re not the exception. You just need a plan that aligns with how humans actually stay motivated. If you want help building your Snowball or just need someone in your corner, email me. I’d be honored to support you. You don’t have to do this alone, and your future self will be so grateful you started today.
