I've actually done something similar to what you're suggesting—started with the snowball method to clear out a couple of smaller debts first, then switched gears to avalanche once I felt more confident. Honestly, it worked pretty well for me. Getting those first few debts off my plate was a huge relief and gave me that psychological boost your brother mentioned. Afterward, tackling the higher-interest balances felt less overwhelming.
Balance transfers can be great too, but yeah, you really have to watch those deadlines closely. I had a client who missed the promo cutoff by just a week and ended up paying way more interest than expected...ouch. Setting calendar reminders or automatic payments can help avoid that pitfall.
Anyway, combining both methods seems like a solid middle ground if you're torn between motivation and math. Worked for me at least!
I get the appeal of mixing both methods, but honestly, I tried avalanche first thinking I'd save a bunch on interest, and it just drained my motivation completely. Felt like I was chipping away at a mountain with a spoon. Switched to snowball, and even though the math wasn't as pretty, crossing debts off the list kept me way more motivated. Guess emotional wins count more for me than numbers...but hey, everyone's different, right?
Interesting perspective, makes sense that motivation plays a huge role. I've always leaned toward avalanche myself—numbers just click better for me—but I can see how the snowball method gives you those quick wins. Did you find yourself paying debts off faster overall once you switched, or was it mostly about feeling more in control? Curious if the psychological boost actually sped things up for you...
Interesting perspective, and I totally get what you're saying about the psychological boost. When I first started tackling my credit card debt, I was all about the avalanche method too—logically, it made perfect sense. Pay off the highest interest first, save more money overall...simple math, right?
But after a few months, I found myself losing steam. It felt like I was barely chipping away at that huge high-interest balance, and it started to feel like an endless grind. Then a friend suggested I switch to snowball for a bit, just to see if that would help me regain momentum. Honestly, I was skeptical at first—felt like I'd be throwing money away by not prioritizing interest rates.
But surprisingly, it really did make a difference. Knocking out those smaller balances early on gave me a tangible sense of progress, and it kept me motivated to keep going. I don't know if I actually paid off my debt faster overall (probably about the same timeline, realistically), but it definitely felt faster because I wasn't as discouraged.
What I've found is that personal finance isn't always just about the numbers. Sometimes it's more about keeping yourself emotionally invested in your goals. If the avalanche method works for you and keeps you motivated, that's awesome. But if you ever start feeling stuck or discouraged, mixing in some snowball strategies can really help shake things up and get you moving again.
Funny enough, now that I'm debt-free, I'm back to being super numbers-focused with my savings and investments. But when you're deep in debt, psychology really can trump math sometimes, at least from my experience.
