Feb 8, 2010

Ways to Make and Save Money #6: Use the Snowflake Method

You can read the rest of the Ways to Make & Save Money series here.

Many people are familiar with the "Debt Snowball," in which you direct all of your extra money to pay off one debt, then take that monthly payment and add it to another monthly debt payment you make, and so on until all of you debts are paid off. It's a tremendously effective method, because the cumulative sum of all of the payments adds up quickly.

One of my favorite bloggers, PaidTwice (who alas, doesn't post very often these days), came up with the "Debt Snowflake," in which you collect small sums to apply toward your debt. We're talking about a quarter you found on the ground, extra income, monetary gifts, etc. The basic premise of the Debt Snowflake is that small amounts of money can add up to big amounts, and therefore every penny counts.

I've often applied the Snowflake Method towards a savings goal – basically, any extra money goes into savings instead of being spent. And that's exactly what we'll be doing this year: any extra money will help us meet our savings goal. Again, every penny counts – now more than ever!

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