When I was college in central New York, the winters were a thing to behold. Snow was on the ground for most of the school year. (Now that I’m in a warmer climate, I don’t miss it that much, actually. But that’s a different story!)

One quiet night when I was walking back from the lab there was a very heavy snowfall.  Since it wasn’t that cold, the snow was a little bit wet, which means that when it fell it stuck together.  It was a beautiful snowfall, so I stood outside for a while and listened.

Once in a while I could hear a branch on a tree snap a little bit.  Once or twice I heard a branch break off and fall to the ground.  The weight of the snow was enough to break tree branches.

But it was so quiet.  And although one snowflake couldn’t do the job, billions of them could.

That’s a really good analogy for debt snowflaking, a term coined by I’ve Paid Twice For This Already.  (It’s an extension of Dave “Total Money Makeover” Ramsey’s “debt snowball” concept.)  Basically, you use lots of little contributions here and there to make your big financial goals, like paying off all of your debts.

And just like the snowflakes were able to bring the tree branches down, lots and lots of little extra payments can bring your debt crashing to the ground.  One week it could be the money you save brewing your coffee instead of buying it by the cup.  Or another week you could try generic brands instead of name brands

It all counts, and it all adds up.  One week’s worth of scrimping won’t do it, but week after week, for however long it takes, will.

(Photo: CaptPiper)

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