March 7, 2025 - The day we paid off
our mortgage.

We did it! Those are the words I thought of the moment we paid off our house a few months ago. All of the hard work and dedication to get there was worth it, but I'll be honest: it was hard.

When I became a minimalist, I also became obsessed with eliminating our mortgage. They work together. The less you own, the fewer things you have to spend money on. And the less you have to spend, means more money is available to pay down your debt. As someone who used to have a mortgage, a mortgage from California where no real estate is cheap (or anything else, for that matter), here’s the truth: if I can do it, you can do it, too.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to own your home debt-free? Well, I sure wondered. I imagined it, wanted it, and when my husband finally understood how much freedom we would gain by paying off the mortgage (it took a few years of convincing him), we knew it was within our reach if we were persistent. I told him I wanted to go to Disney World after we paid off the house. Knowing I’d be giving up material possessions, needs, wants, and desires, to instead make extra payments on the home loan, Disney World was a nice image to go back to when the days were long.

But this mortgage obliteration didn’t just happen. The home loan didn’t disappear all because I imagined it gone. As with anything worth pursuing, just wishing for it didn’t make it go away. It depended on two major things: discipline and patience. Which, if you think about it, everything big in our lives - marriage, raising kids, running a business - all require discipline and patience to see them through.

Paying off a mortgage is no different.

Ever since my husband and I bought our first home over twenty years ago, I knew this: We have to get this thing paid off sooner than thirty years. I was thankful for the home, but the ball and chain - more specifically, the interest that the bank makes off our payments - was an eye-opening, soul-crushing weight that I wanted to get rid of as soon as possible.

We moved twice since that first mortgage, which meant we had to restart paying it off with each house (especially since each house was progressively larger and more expensive). But, after having lived with a mortgage and now, for the last few months, having lived without one, I truly believe anyone can pay off their mortgage. Anyone.

When I analyze it now, and look back at the years we worked on it, there were a handful of things, along with discipline and patience, that we made sure to do. I call them the ten commandments for paying off the mortgage. And here they are.

Thou shalt stop buying extras - No coffees out, no extra clothes, no extra gadgets, no extra vacations. All of those extras will come after the house is paid off. Trust the process.

Thou shalt learn to live without - As extras are no longer a part of your life, this means living without a lot: without the latest trend, car, phone, new closet, or gizmo. Learn to live without.

Thou shalt look at the budget weekly (if not daily) - You have to remind yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. Because there will be days when you want to go to Disney World rather than double or triple up your mortgage payment for the month.

Thou shalt learn to say no - I heard Dave Ramsey talk about this once. Just get used to saying the words, “No, we can’t afford it.” Because once the mortgage is paid off, you can afford it. It’s all about delayed gratification. Learn to say no.

Thou shalt learn to be happy with what one has - As we started paying down our loan, I got good at working with my closet, the things in my house, and not looking to upgrade anything. Saving a penny is truly earning a penny. All those saved pennies equal dollars, which turn into hundreds of dollars, and then thousands of dollars.

Thou shalt find ways to bring in extra money - Find ways to make more money, even if just temporarily. Sell stuff on eBay, pick up a part-time job. Those dollars add up fast and get you debt-free even faster.

Thou shalt pay off all other debts before the mortgage - We did this and it works great. Pay off your small loans or credit card debt first. As you pay each one off, add that amount you were paying to the next debt, and the next debt. Then, after those debts are paid, start adding them to the mortgage.

Thou shalt pray a lot - I prayed all the time about paying off the mortgage. I never stopped asking God to help me find a way to lessen our consumption so we could add those dollars to the mortgage loan. I’m sure He got tired of me asking, but I didn’t stop.

Thou shalt give away a lot - Though we shut our wallets to excessive and extra things, we didn’t to those around us. Paying off a mortgage doesn’t mean it’s time to stop sharing or helping others. By giving, we gain in other ways, particularly love. And who can’t use that? Money is temporal, but love lasts forever.

Thou shalt not feel sorry for one’s self No. Matter. What. - This seems like a mild tenth commandment, but it really should come first. There will be days when you think, “I deserve this treat,” or “I just want to buy this little thing,” or “Why can’t I have this?” Listen, to be mortgage-free, you will have to act differently than those who have a mortgage! Paying off the mortgage means a no “woe is me” attitude. Buck up, live without, and look to the future of being debt-free.

And here’s a bonus with these ten commandments: If you don’t own a home, but want to save up to buy one, or get a sizable down payment to make the mortgage more affordable, use the same ten commandment method. The method that will pay off your mortgage is the same one that will get you the house in the first place.

The gist of this whole thing? If you don’t want debt, you have to be willing to give up a lot for as long as it takes.

Self-sacrifice and keeping the goal of paying off the loan have to be at the core of your daily living, so you don’t derail your journey to freedom. But when you achieve it - when you reach your goal of paying off the very last penny of your home loan - it’s a feeling unlike anything else. Let freedom ring!

With credit card debt, you’re paying off past experiences, or things you had to have. But, with a home loan paid off, you now have an asset, an investment, that’s yours, that’s free and clear, and all yours.

Be warned, it’s not going to be easy. If you decide to pay off your mortgage, it’s going to hurt more than it will feel good. You will question your sanity every day! But the day you make the last payment on your home forever is the day you’ll see why you suffered through what you did. If I can do it, you can do it.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Disney World trip to plan.