#64: How We Paid Off The Mortgage On The House (!!!)

we have some big news this week that you likely did not see coming (also: we might be crazy). Plus we share how we were able to pay off our mortgage (!!) and how the groundwork we laid over a decade ago in our first house made it all possible. We also chat about the stuff you should NOT pass down to your kids (there are some surprising things that experts say do not make good heirlooms anymore) and we cover everything from our first house’s cost to how our mortgage for our third house was in fact smaller than our first.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you are reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.

What is New

• Thar she blows, folks: our next project (simply one house away from our pink one!). You can hear all about how & why we purchased this in the episode (and how we could afford to make it happen) and we will follow up soon with a proper post full of details – and a video tour!
• We also spotted another duplex a couple of blocks away that got us excited for how ours might fit into the town. Picture this one with mint green shutters and doors like this – or perhaps wood doors and these shutters? Or perhaps this color for the shutters? I am sure we will change our minds for many months to come.

• The reason we are fantasizing about the outside so much is because this is what is right now staring back at us from the inside. Here is the main living area on one side of the duplex, followed by a picture of the kitchen (which is right now tucked into what used to be a side porch):

• There is so much more to show you! We are hoping to make a video tour and share a lot more details in a real post soon!

What is Not

• Here is the list of 6 Things To Consider Getting Rid Of Before They Become A Burden To Your Kids
• As well as a counter-list of 5 “Future Heirloom” Investment Pieces That Are Worth Every Penny

Paying Off Our Mortgage

• There are a lot more details in the podcast, like our first house’s cost and how the mortgage for our third house was in fact smaller than our first, but here is a post from 2009 about refinancing our first home’s mortgage. It was a funny (“we plan to live here another 5 years” – ha!) yet fact-glad read even for us. We saved $430/month by refinancing – or, to put that another way, we gained an extra $430 each month to put towards our house’s principle, which helped us make a much bigger dent in paying it off.
• Here is another throwback post about how our self-employed status forced us to buy homes below our means, which is something we highly recommend, along with getting a 15 year mortgage whenever you can.
• Another large part of being able to direct more money towards paying down our mortgage was having a plain backyard wedding (the whole thing was under $4,000) and sharing one car for the last 11 years (simply one to buy, insure, and gas up instead of two).
• And as promised, here are some other general “money saving” posts (you can browse even more in our Saving Money category):
  • How we cut the cable
  • How we stay debt free
  • 21 things we cut out (or down on) to save money
  • Free haircuts for life
  • How we chose to cut back on spending (when my old job issued company-wide pay cuts during the economic downturn in 2009)
  • And a follow-up to that three months later!
• We also shared other money-related pointers and info in last week’s podcast (where we interviewed a money coach and shared our top negotiating pointers), as well as this podcast about six phone calls that saved us $1500.

We are Digging

• Above are 11 shelf bracket options that Sherry’s into, including the ones we have in our own kitchen: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11
• Here is the OXO Tot Tub Drain Stopper that we use to remedy our old not-capable-of-holding-water tub drains.

If you are looking for something we have dug in a past episode, but do not remember which show notes to click into, here is a master list of everything we have been digging from all of our past episodes.

And lastly, a big thank you to Universal Furniture for sponsoring this episode. You can enter to win $10,000 in new dining room furniture at UniversalFurniture.com/YHL now through October 16th.

Thanks for listening, folks!

*This post contains affiliate links*