You’re knee-deep in credit card debt. No, scratch that — you’re neck-deep. The kind where you have to scroll twice to see the full list of balances in your banking app.
Every card is shouting:
“Pay me first!”
“No, me!”
“Hey, remember me? I’m the one at 29.99% interest!”
And you? You freeze. Because it’s overwhelming. Because choosing where to start feels like picking which finger to cut off first.
Here’s the deal: there are two main ways out. The mathematically optimal way, and the psychologically satisfying way.
The mathematically optimal way — called the “avalanche” — says you attack the card with the highest interest rate first. That way, you minimize the total interest you pay. Numbers love this method. Accountants love it. Your calculator will probably throw you a little party.
But here’s the problem: math doesn’t care about human motivation. If your highest-interest debt is also your biggest balance, it might take you a year before you see it drop to zero. That’s twelve months of staring at the same ugly number, wondering if you’re even making a dent.
The psychologically satisfying way — the “snowball” — tells you to kill the smallest balance first. It’s not the most efficient on paper, but it gives you a quick win. One card gone. One line of your debt list wiped clean. Suddenly, you feel like you can actually win this fight.
And honestly? If you’ve been stuck for months, drowning in minimum payments, your biggest problem isn’t interest — it’s inertia. The snowball gives you momentum. It gets you moving. And when you’re moving, you’re dangerous… to your debt.
So yes, the avalanche saves more money over the long run. But the snowball saves more motivation. And motivation is the thing that turns “I’ll start next month” into “I just paid off another card today.”
If you’re disciplined, patient, and slightly robotic, go ahead — avalanche your way to freedom. But if you’re human, a little messy, and need proof you can win, start small. Kill that tiny balance. Feel the rush. Then roll that energy into the next one. And the next.
Me? I’m going snowball. You do whatever the hell you want.
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