When it comes to debt management, everyone seems to be the expert at what you should do and how you should manage your repayments. There are so many methods to managing your debt that it can be quite confusing as to which one will work best for you and your finances. Specifically, when it comes to revolving credit, which is the type of credit you have on your credit cards, the snowball method has shown amazing results!
With the snowball method, debt management has become attainable to more people as this method is easy to understand and to stick to. So how exactly does this snowball method work? In short, this method for debt repayment, involves paying off the smallest debt first and only once a small debt has been repaid in full do you move onto to paying the larger debt.
With debt seeping out of every corner it’s often hard to decide where to start in debt management, and it can be extremely overwhelming. The snowball method helps you to focus your repayments and really make some headway in succeeding to make your repayments in full instead of throwing a bit of cash here, and a little bit more there, without really making a dent in your mountain of debt.
With the snowball method of debt management, the focus is on the amount owed on each debt, as opposed to the interest rates of the debt that you have. Getting started, requires making a list of all of your debts, in order from the smallest sum owed, to the largest irrespective of the interest rate. However, if you have 2 debts with almost identical sums, the one with the higher interest rate should appear first in your list.
With this list in hand, be disciplined and make sure that you pay the minimum payment required on each of these outstanding debts. Whatever free cash you have left after covering the minimum payments, should be used to determine how much you can pay towards your lowest debt amount. With this schedule your debt management each month will be the minimum payment on each outstanding debt, plus a little bit extra towards your lowest debt amount.
Debt management is a constant task, until all your figures are sitting at zero. Once you move onto your second debt repayment of the next debt on your list, use the monthly cash that you would have put toward you first debt repayment, that has now been paid in full, to go towards covering that extra repayment on your second debt. Again, your schedule should have a minimum monthly repayment of all debts, followed by a little bit extra on the repayment of your second smallest debt. This should continue this way until you have managed to clear all of your debt including the largest one! Not only does this method work, but it also makes you feel good and in control along the way as you slowly cross off your debt from the list.
