Debt snowball is starting to roll

I've paid off my first credit account since deciding to use the debt snowball method to tackle my outstanding debts.

One down. Nine to go, including $100 dollars I owe a family member.

Actually, that $100 should have been the first bill I paid off, but I wanted to tackle the interest-charging creditors first. If all goes as planned, I should get 2 more small debts paid in the next 3 to 4 months, including the family debt, but I am anticipating that the holidays will throw me off my budget, as I have not yet factored in those seasonal expenses into my new budget, the snowball may grind to a halt in December.

Still, it feels good to be not only seeing the total debt number slowly falling but to now know I will be paying one fewer creditor each month.

I am also well on my way to making this whole thing an official Total Money Makeover, a la Dave Ramsey. I actually found a used copy of Ramsey's "The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness" book last week and bought it. I finished reading it in three days. The steps farther down the line, like aggressive saving for retirement, even wealth building, seem far, far away.

But it's a start. The debt snowball is starting to turn over.

I also closed two credit accounts this week I had, which were active but had no outstanding balances.

Onward and downward.