Why does nobody talk about cutting the problem in half first?

I spent almost 2 years stuck on a credit card balance that never seemed to drop, no matter how many budget apps I tried. Every month I'd make a plan to pay the full thing off at once, get scared of the number, and pay just the minimum again. Then last spring my buddy in Akron told me to just pick the smallest card and throw $50 a week at it while paying the minimums on the rest. It felt too simple to work, but 6 months later that first card was gone and the rest started falling faster. The trick was that I finally felt a win early instead of staring at one big pile. I still keep a running note in my phone with the weekly amount so I don't skip it. So what's the small first step that got any of you unstuck on a bill you'd been dodging for years?

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quinnmitchell5d ago

Walk me through what actually changed in month two or three, when the first card was still a long way from gone. The $50 a week part is easy to say but hard to keep doing once the excitement wears off and a car repair or something eats the cash you set aside. Did you have a backup plan for the weeks you could not swing the full amount, or did you just skip it and pick back up later? I keep starting these little plans and then one bad week turns into three and I am right back where I was.

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