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Snowball vs Avalanche: What's the best way to pay off debt?
The avalanche debt method
In the debt avalanche method, you pay your debts from the highest interest rate to the lowest interest rate, regardless of balance.
You will pay less in interest if you pay off your debts in this order. You will also pay it off faster.
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The snowball debt method
With this method, you pay off your debts from the smallest balance to the largest balance, regardless of interest rates.
When you pay the smallest debts first, you start to clear your low debts away very quickly. Doing this feels empowering. Once you've paid off a debt, you will have more money to send as an additional payment to the next debt you are focused on (hence the snowball analogy.)
The avalanche debt method
In the debt avalanche method, you pay your debts from the highest interest rate to the lowest interest rate, regardless of balance.
You will pay less in interest if you pay off your debts in this order. You will also pay it off faster.
Deciding between the Snowball and Avalanche debt methods
The supporters of the two methods are both enthusiastic about which one to use. However, it barely matters which system you use. The best approach is the one that keeps you motivated.
Make the minimum payments on all of your debt. Then, focus on one debt that bothers you the most and put every dollar you can towards it until it is gone. Then move on to the next debt.
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Regular monthly bills
The bulk of your budget is made up of necessities like rent, phone and internet bills, insurance, etc. If you can lower your monthly expenses, you can save a lot for unplanned events.
Debt when you're on a tight budget
There are a couple of paths you can take to pay off your high-interest debt when you're on a tight budget.
- The snowball method. For those who need to see progress, pay off the lowest balance first. You'll feel inspired to keep going.
- The avalanche method. Choose the debt with the highest interest rate to pay off first. This may require larger monthly payments and will take longer to see progress, but you will save the most money in the long run.
- If you need to prioritize your credit score, focus on paying down your credit cards first. Paying the ones you are near to maxing out will improve your score quickly by a few points.
- Set up payment plans, even if you can only afford a few dollars at a time. That way, your lenders can see you're paying something.
Incorporate unplanned entertainment in your budget
Financial professionals will advise you to cut out expensive nights out. In truth, you will have night's out, even when you're dirt poor.
To incorporate unplanned entertainment, set aside an amount each month. Be realistic. You can open another savings account for fun spending or you can use cash only.
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Refinancing your home
When mortgage interest rates get low, refinancing isn't always the best choice.
Deciding when to refinance your home loan depends on several factors besides whether you...
Reasons to refinance your mortgage
The two big reasons to refinance are:
- To reduce your monthly mortgage payment
- To save on the overall interest you will pay on your house in the long run.
Refinancing does not always reduce the monthly payment or save on the overall interest.. A loan officer or mortgage broker can help you run scenarios that show you the cost and potential savings of refinancing.
How long you keep your home
Generally, it makes sense to refinance if you plan on staying in your home for many years.
If you plan to sell the property soon, don't refinance. Refinancing could take years to break even and begin saving you money.
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Most of us know how much we make, but we need to pay close attention to how much money is actually coming in post-tax, and how much is going out.
You can start by writing down your Starbucks, Uber, Amazon, and take-out expenses, along with your car insurance, utility bills, subscriptions and memberships. Slowly we can realize that many of these small expenses add up to huge figures.
Review And Analyse
By noting down all your expenses on pen and paper, or on the PC excel sheet, you can start to review and analyse your spendings on a weekly or monthly basis. This will make you find innovative ways to save money, catching hold of ‘runaway spending’ that went unnoticed before.
Example: You could find that the $5 Smoothie that you had every day, could cost much less if you made it at home.
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