Couple Pays Off $43,000 in Debt in Just Seven Months Using the Snowball Method
David Wangberg and Salina Lau, who married in 2021, combined their debts—which included Salina’s student loans and David’s car loan—and tackled them together.
They used the debt snowball method, a repayment strategy where you focus on paying off your smallest debt first while continuing to make minimum payments on all other debts.
David Wangberg and Salina Lau Paid Off $43,000 of Debt Using the Snowball Method
David Wangberg and Salina Lau tackled $43,000 of combined debt using the debt snowball method. With this approach, once the smallest debt is paid off, the money that was going toward it is “rolled” into the next smallest debt, creating momentum and motivation as each account is eliminated.
The couple also accelerated repayment through overtime, wedding gifts, and significant lifestyle cuts. Wangberg, 41, from California, estimates they cleared the $43,000 in just seven months. He now works as a financial coach, helping others achieve similar results.
Wangberg’s personal debt journey began in 2016, when he found himself $50,000 in debt after both a long-term relationship and his job ended within a month, leaving him with just $300. Since then, he and his wife have cleared nearly $100,000 of debt together.
Wangberg Uses Debt Snowball Method to Help Others Pay Off Debt
David Wangberg now works as a financial coach, helping others tackle their debts after successfully paying off his own.
“I was either moving back in with my parents at 31 or finding a cheaper place to live,” Wangberg recalled. At the time, he was a trainer coordinator at Amazon. He chose to rent a $500-per-month room, including utilities, that he found on Craigslist.
Wangberg relied on the debt snowball method, which focuses on paying off the smallest balances first, rather than targeting the highest interest rates like the alternative avalanche method. “I found the debt snowball method more effective for me because paying off smaller balances quickly gave me momentum—the debt was gone faster,” he said.
Initially, Wangberg worked alone, paying off his $50,000 debt over about five years while also saving for his wedding. He met his wife, Salina Lau, a 43-year-old claims adjuster, in 2016, got engaged in 2019, and married in 2021.
When they married, the couple faced a combined debt of approximately $43,000: $8,000 in student loans for Salina and $36,000 for Wangberg’s car, which he had purchased after his previous vehicle broke down
Couple Pays Off $43,000 Debt in Seven Months Through Snowball Method and Smart Budgeting
When David Wangberg and Salina Lau married, they faced a combined debt of $44,000: $8,000 in student loans for Lau and $36,000 for Wangberg’s car. He had put $18,000 down on a 2021 Nissan Kicks and financed the remainder.
“First, it was saving for our wedding. From there, we looked at what extra we had and made sure we kept enough aside for bills,” Lau explained, citing expenses like mortgage and utilities. “Whatever extra we had, we went ahead and paid off my student loan. From there, it snowballed.”
The couple applied the same strategy to the car loan. “David knew how much extra he could put in each month, so we paid it off much faster than initially planned,” Lau said.
Although the car loan’s standard payment was $375 per month, Wangberg consistently paid far more—sometimes an extra $1,000—allowing them to clear the balance in just seven months, instead of the several years it would have normally taken.
They also accelerated repayment through wedding gifts and aggressive budgeting. “We didn’t go out to eat as much, and we skipped most vacations—other than our honeymoon, which we had already saved for,” Wangberg said. “I worked a lot of overtime at Amazon, and that money went directly toward paying off the debt.”
Thanks to this approach, Lau’s $8,000 student loan was paid off in just one month, giving the couple momentum to tackle the remaining balance.
Sacrifice, Creativity, and Support Help Couple Pay Off $100,000 in Debt
“When you’re paying off debt and trying to get ahead, you do have to make a lot of sacrifices,” said David Wangberg.
Through overtime work and directing any extra income toward his car loan, Wangberg eliminated the balance just seven months after purchase. At the time, he was earning $40,000 annually as a learning trainer at Amazon, where he now works as a training coordinator. “We weren’t making six figures together,” he noted about their combined income during the debt payoff period.
Wangberg also used creative strategies to generate extra money. He sold unwanted Blu-ray discs on eBay—including contest prizes he had won—earning money at no cost. He also suggested side gigs like DoorDash, Uber Eats, or working at bars and nightclubs, noting he had worked as a bouncer for about a year. “It’s not the most glamorous job, but it pays well, especially when you’re trying to pay off debt,” he said.
To make progress, Wangberg emphasized cutting unnecessary spending. “Do not use a credit card, even for the ‘benefits.’ I haven’t used one in six years,” he said. Restaurants and travel were areas where the couple made sacrifices, but the results were worth it.
Now a financial coach, Wangberg said his motivation came from observing coworkers constantly asking for raises. “It’s more about behavior than how much you actually make,” he explained. “You can do well with the money you make, even if it’s $40,000 or $50,000 a year.”
Over their five-year relationship, Wangberg estimates that he and his wife have paid off more than $100,000 in combined debt. Lau said she’s “a lot happier” now. “Fewer bills to remember, less stress. It did hurt at first because we had to pay a big chunk for my student loans all at once, but now, with only the mortgage left, things are a lot easier.”
Wangberg stressed the importance of support for anyone beginning their debt journey. “Have somebody in your corner. When you have that support, you’re able to do a lot more than you ever thought you could.”
