Need Debt Payoff Motivation? Can $20 Make a Difference?
Feeling overwhelmed by your debt total? You’re not alone. In this episode of Ask Ralph , Ralph shares the surprising power of small steps—specifically, how making a single $20 payment toward your smallest debt can break through discouragement and jumpstart momentum. Using biblical encouragement and relatable personal stories, he unpacks the psychology of progress and how even a tiny victory can reignite your hope and discipline. If you’re feeling stuck or unsure where to begin, this episode offers practical encouragement and serious debt payoff motivation.
Check out the full podcast episode here
You’ll learn why quick wins matter, how to create your own debt snowball, and what Scripture says about small beginnings and faithful action. Ralph also guides you through a clear, faith-filled action step to help you make your first targeted extra payment today. It’s not about the amount—it’s about the movement. Tune in, find your $20, and take the first real step toward financial freedom.
Chapters:
- 00:12 - Igniting Your Debt-Free Journey
- 02:11 - Overcoming Financial Discouragement
- 03:40 - Taking Action Against Debt
- 06:56 - The Power of Small Beginnings
- 07:54 - Managing Unexpected Costs During Debt Repayment
Takeaways:
- Feeling overwhelmed by debt is super common, but there’s hope and a path forward!
- Even a small payment like $20 can kickstart your journey to being debt-free!
- Quick wins are key—paying off a small debt first can fuel your motivation!
- Building momentum through small victories helps tackle the big debt mountain ahead!
- Don’t let discouragement keep you down; start with that first tiny payment today!
- Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and keep the debt attack going strong!
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00:00 - Untitled
00:51 - Untitled
01:04 - Igniting Your Debt-Free Journey
03:02 - Overcoming Financial Discouragement
04:31 - Taking Action Against Debt
07:47 - The Power of Small Beginnings
08:45 - Managing Unexpected Costs During Debt Repayment
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Hey, are you feeling maybe a little overwhelmed looking
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at that total debt list?
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Are you wondering how you'll even make a dent?
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What if I told you just $20 could be the spark that ignites your debt-free journey?
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Let's talk about quick wins today.
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Hey there, and welcome back to Your Daily Ask Ralph.
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I'm Ralph, so glad you're here as we continue tackling debt in our series,
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the Joy of Living Below Your Means.
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Daily, we're moving closer to breaking the cycle of financial
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shame and doing it with confidence.
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We've listed the debts.
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We stopped the digging.
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Now it's time to start attacking.
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Okay, so you have that list of debts and you've ordered them
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from the smallest to the largest.
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Maybe you've even put the credit cards away, but now you might be looking at that
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total amount owed, just a different number of debts, and you're feeling discouraged.
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It can seem like a huge mountain to climb.
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You might be thinking It's gonna take forever to pay this off.
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What difference can a small extra payment possibly make?
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Listen, I get it.
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I've felt that very way too.
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It's easy to feel paralyzed by the sheer size of the task, lacking
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the motivation to even begin the hard work of paying extra.
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That feeling of discouragement, that feeling of overwhelm and that and it
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lack of motivation because a debt seems too big and progress feels impossible.
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Well, that's the single challenge we need to overcome today.
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Here's the thing, our motivation often thrives on seeing progress.
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When a goal feels too big or too far away, it's hard to stay engaged.
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I can still remember when I was a kid, my dad asked me to move what?
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I saw this as this huge pile of wood from one side of the yard to the other,
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and I just stared at that pile and thought, this is gonna take forever.
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But when I moved that first log and then another, and then another, I
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started to see some real progress.
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Yes, it was just a small victory, but small victories build momentum
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and small victories build hope.
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The Bible tells us, do not despise these small beginnings.
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That's from the Book of Zacharia, chapter four, verse 10.
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God honors faithfulness in small things, taking one small concrete step forward,
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even if it feels tiny, listen, that demonstrates action, that demonstrates
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faith, and it starts to build that crucial momentum needed for the long haul.
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Hope is truly an anchor for the soul.
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That's right from Hebrews chapter six verse 19, and quick wins, build hope.
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So you might be saying, Ralph, what can we do?
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How do we fight that discouragement and, and start to build momentum when
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facing this huge mountain of debt?
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Well, let me just tell you.
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The single psychologically powerful solution is to make an immediate extra
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payment, even if it's just 20 bucks, specifically towards your smallest debt.
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And in the end, this is the heart of what they call the debt snowball
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method by focusing extra payments on the smallest debt first.
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And I don't care about the interest rates at this point.
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Regardless of the interest rates, you pay it off relatively quickly and that quick
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win gives you a powerful emotional boost.
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It frees up that minimum payment to roll onto the next smallest debt.
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Creating that snowball effect that everyone talks about.
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See, making that first small extra payment does wonders.
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Lemme just tell you what it does.
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It provides instant gratification.
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You see immediate progress.
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Yes, it's on one debt, but you see immediate progress.
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It builds hope and it builds motivations.
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It proves that you can make headway in this.
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As we discussed, it creates momentum.
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Gets that snowball rolling down the hill and it, and it does
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this, it develops the habit.
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It starts to practice of paying more than the minimum.
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And listen, if you wanna get outta debt, you got to pay more than the minimum.
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The solution is a quick win.
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Throw a little extra at that smallest debt.
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So, okay, here's your one action step for today or as soon as you
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possibly can, maybe with your paycheck today, since it's Friday.
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Start by identifying your target.
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Look at that debt list you made.
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Remember you ordered it from smallest to the largest balance.
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Find the debt right at the top, the one with the smallest total balance.
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Then I just want you to go find $20, or if you could find more, that's
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even better, but look for a small amount of extra cash Today you might
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be saying, Ralph, how do I do that?
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Well, maybe you could skip one of those.
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Want purchases.
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Did you save money the last week or two by packing lunch or skipping those coffees?
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I just want you to find $20 and hey, even if you can't find 20,
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maybe $10 or, maybe you've got a little extra and you can do $50.
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Whatever you can find extra right now will work, and I just wanna encourage
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you go and make that extra payment.
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Go online, call the lender or use their app and make an extra payment
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of that $20, or like I said, more if you can specifically towards the
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principle of that smallest debt.
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Now, you wanna do this in addition to the regular, a minimum payment, and you may
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have to find out how to make those extra principle payments, but you can do this.
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And in the best part of this, finally, I want you to feel that win.
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Acknowledge that positive action, that positive step that
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you took, because guess what?
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You've started the attack, so now you're probably asking why
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this small extra payment, Ralph?
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Well, because it directly fights that difficulty of discouragement
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and it directly fights that difficulty of overwhelm.
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It, it, it really, it proves that progress is possible.
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It delivers that quick psychological win and that psychological win
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is gonna fuel your motivation.
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It makes you eager to keep going and it turns that giant mountain into a
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series of smaller conquerable hills, starting with the very first one,
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just like those wood that I move from one side of the yard to the other.
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How about we pray together?
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Father God, thank you for being a God of hope.
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Lord, facing and debt can feel discouraging.
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I pray for my friend listening right now.
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Help them find that extra small amount today to make a
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payment on their smallest debt.
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Bless this small act of faith and this small act of diligence.
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Lord, make it spark hope.
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Make it build momentum, and Lord make it encourage them that with your
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help, they can truly become debt free.
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Give them perseverance for the journey ahead.
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And we just thank you for the power of small beginnings in Jesus' name, amen.
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Alright, well go find that $20 or whatever you can and throw
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it at that smallest debt today.
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Get that snowball rolling and celebrate this first offensive
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move against your debt.
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Because listen, it's a big deal attacking debt is fantastic,
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but life happens, right?
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And unexpected costs pop up.
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How do we handle those without reaching for the credit cards?
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Again, well be sure to join me back here tomorrow on Ask Ralph where
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we'll ask how can you stop small emergencies from derailing debt payoff?
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And if this episode gave you a boost of hope for your debt-free journey, I wanna
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encourage you share it with somebody else who could really benefit from it.
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You can find resources and links in the show notes at our new website,
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financially confident christian.com.
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So until tomorrow, attack that debt.
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Celebrate your progress and keep seeking him first.
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We gotta keep that momentum going as we work daily to be
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become financially confident Christians, stay financially savvy.
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God bless you today and have a great and wonderful day today.
