I Tried the Stash Snowball Method and Here's What Actually Happened

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Walk into your craft space right now and count how many skeins of yarn you own that you have absolutely no plan for.

Go ahead, I'll wait.

If you're like me last month, that number is somewhere between "I honestly have no idea" and "Please don't make me face this reality."

I bought gorgeous variegated cotton because it was on sale. I grabbed clearance acrylics because they might be perfect for "something someday." I have three project bags of yarn purchased for specific patterns I never started.

And I was drowning in good intentions wrapped in fiber, feeling guilty every time I wanted to buy yarn for a project I'd actually make.

So I decided to try something weird: applying Dave Ramsey's debt snowball method to my yarn stash. This is what actually happened.

The Craft Closet Reality

Three months ago, I did something terrifying: I pulled every single skein of yarn out of my craft closet and counted it.

Eighty-seven skeins. EIGHTY-SEVEN.

That's not counting the bags I'd forgotten about in the basement, or the "just in case" stash in my bedroom closet.

But here's what made it worse - when I really looked at what I had:

• 40% was clearance yarn I bought "just because it was cheap"

• 30% was for projects I'd planned but never started

• 20% was duplicate colors I'd forgotten I already owned

• Only 10% was yarn I actually loved and had specific plans for

I was spending money I didn't have on yarn I didn't need for projects I'd never make, while telling myself I couldn't afford the good stuff for patterns I actually wanted to try.

Dave Ramsey's Debt Snowball (And Why It Might Work for Yarn)

In "The Total Money Makeover," Ramsey tackles financial overwhelm with a psychological insight: when you're drowning in debt, mathematical optimization doesn't work. Emotional momentum does.

Instead of paying off debts by interest rate (which makes logical sense), Ramsey's debt snowball method says pay minimums on everything and attack the smallest debt first. When you eliminate that small debt completely, you get a win that motivates you to tackle the next one.

Here's why I thought this might work for yarn stash:

The Psychology of Overwhelm: When you have too much stuff, you avoid dealing with it entirely.

The Power of Quick Wins: Small victories create momentum.

The Compound Effect: As you clear small amounts, you free up mental and physical space.

So I decided to test it for 30 days and document the real results.

The Stash Snowball Experiment: What I Actually Did

Week 1: The Honest Inventory

I pulled out ALL my yarn. Every skein, every partial ball, every forgotten bag.

I sorted it into categories:

• Active projects (currently working on these)

• Planned projects (have specific patterns picked out)

• Someday projects (vague ideas, no concrete plans)

• No idea (no clue what I bought this for)

The "No idea" pile was embarrassingly large: 23 skeins.

Week 2: The Snowball Order

Instead of tackling the biggest pile first, I started with the smallest category I could eliminate completely: the "No idea" pile.

For each skein, I asked:

• Do I remember buying this?

• Do I have any actual plan for it?

• Does it spark genuine excitement or just guilt?

Results:

• Donated 15 skeins to local school art program

• Gifted 8 skeins to crafty friends

• Kept 0 skeins from this category

One entire storage bin emptied. First win.

Week 3: The "Someday Projects" Challenge

This pile was 45 skeins. Way harder than the "no idea" category because I had attached stories to these.

I asked harder questions:

• Will I realistically make this in the next year?

• Does this project still interest me, or am I holding onto an old idea?

• Is keeping this yarn serving me, or just taking up space?

Results:

• Released 28 skeins (donated/gifted/sold)

• Kept 17 skeins for projects I'm genuinely excited about

• Two more bins cleared

Week 4: Assessment and Reality Check

After 30 days:

• Started with 87 skeins

• Down to 59 skeins

• Cleared 4 storage bins

• Made $45 selling premium yarn I'd never use

But here's what I learned that wasn't about the numbers.

What Actually Changed (The Real Results)

The Physical Space: Obviously, yes, I have more room now. But the bigger thing is I can actually see what I have, which means I'm not buying duplicates.

The Mental Space: I feel less guilty about yarn shopping for specific projects because I'm not staring at a hoard of "I'll use this someday" fiber.

The Decision Clarity: I'm way more intentional about what I buy now. Instead of "this is pretty and on sale," I ask "what will I actually make with this?"

The Surprising Part: I didn't miss any of the yarn I let go. Not a single skein. That told me something about the difference between yarn I thought I wanted and yarn I actually wanted.

What Didn't Work (The Honest Parts)

The "One In, One Out" Rule: Ramsey suggests this for maintenance. I tried it for two weeks and it felt punishing. I modified it to "one in, use or release one" which feels more sustainable.

The "Envelope System" for Yarn Budget: I set a strict monthly yarn budget and it stressed me out. I switched to a quarterly budget with more flexibility, which works better for how I actually shop.

The All-or-Nothing Approach: Ramsey's method is pretty rigid. I needed more flexibility to work with my actual life and how I make decisions.

The Neurodivergent Angle: Why This Worked (And Didn't)

Why the snowball method helped:

• Small wins kept me motivated (dopamine hit from completing categories)

• Clear categories reduced decision fatigue

• Visible progress tracked the improvement

• Quick momentum felt achievable

Why I had to modify it:

• Rigid rules triggered my oppositional side

• All-or-nothing thinking doesn't work for me

• I needed more flexibility to work with energy levels

• The "never buy yarn" mentality felt restrictive and made me want to rebel

The core principle worked. The rigid application didn't.

Your 30-Day Stash Snowball Experiment

If you want to try this, here's what I'd suggest based on what actually worked:

Week 1: The Reality Check

Pull out all your yarn. Count it. Sort it into categories that make sense for you. Take photos. No judgment, just data.

Week 2: Attack the Smallest Category

Start with whatever pile you can completely eliminate. For me it was "no idea" yarn. For you it might be something else.

Week 3: Tackle the Next Category

Move to the next smallest pile. Keep the momentum going.

Week 4: Assess and Decide

Look at what you kept vs. what you released. How does it feel? What did you learn about your relationship with yarn and purchasing?

Ready to Try This Yourself?

Dave Ramsey's "The Total Money Makeover" is primarily about financial debt, but the psychological principles apply to any area where you have "too much stuff" creating stress instead of options.

Fair warning: Ramsey has strong opinions and a pretty rigid approach. Take what's useful, leave what doesn't work for you.

Grab your copy of The Total Money Makeover here!

The book includes budgeting strategies that work well for managing craft spending if you want to get more intentional about yarn purchases.

Your Next Stash Snowball Step

Right now, go to your craft space and identify your smallest, most obvious category of "I'm never going to use this" yarn.

Put it in a pile. That's your first snowball target.

Every piece you eliminate from that pile is progress toward creative freedom.

Hit reply and tell me about your stash - what category would you tackle first? I'm genuinely curious what makes sense for different people.

P.S. Need help building habits after you declutter? Check out my post on Why Your Crochet Projects Keep Piling Up - because clearing your stash is just the first step toward sustainable creative practices.

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