The idea of a debt snowball is really simple:
Step 1: Make a list of all of your non-mortgage debts (e.g., credit cards, school loans, auto loans, home equity loans, etc.).
Step 2: For each loan, list the creditor, the outstanding balance, the monthly minimum payment, and the interest rate.
Step 3: Make the minimum monthly payment on each of the loans. For one of the loans, however, pay extra each month if your budget allows.
Step 4: When the first debt is paid in full, take the money you were paying toward that debt, and put it toward another debt.
Step 5: Continue to attack! It requires a lot of discipline…
First, one must stop using credit cards when getting serious about paying off debt. Second, you then apply the payment you were making on the smallest amount card to the next highest card.
You add the two payments together to get the amount you will pay on the next lowest debt in other words. Then continue so that by the time you are paying on the highest (and last) debt, you are paying the cumulative amount you used to pay on all your previous debts.
Now if you have some debts that are similar in size, it would make sense to go ahead and pay on one that has a higher interest rate first, but only if the debts are very close in size.
The reasons for doing your debt payoffs this way are more than just psychological.
Here are some of the recent updates and additions to Debtsnowballcalculator.com
Debt Snowball Method Tips
Starting your Debt Snowball