How We Paid Off Our Mortgage in 3 Years: 5 Unconventional Steps We Took
I know it feels nearly impossible to even buy a house these days, let alone dream about paying it off early.
But even if you barely scraped together enough for that down payment, I don’t want you to fall for the lie that most people believe…
“You’ll always have a mortgage payment.”
Somehow this has become an unbreakable law of the universe – right up there with gravity – that only the wealthiest ones can escape.
But let me tell you something that might surprise you: Having a paid-off house isn’t just for the super-rich.
Linda and I were a middle-class couple who managed to pay off our 30-year mortgage in just 3 years.
No inheritance.
No lottery win.
Just some unconventional choices that went against everything most people told us we “should” do.
Here’s the thing though – if you want extraordinary results, you have to be willing to think and act differently than everyone else.
The 5 things we did differently to pay off our mortgage early
So let me show you the 5 things we did differently that made all the difference.
1. We ignored the banks “helpful” advice
Here’s something most people don’t realize: When a bank tells you how much house you can afford, they’re really telling you how much is most profitable for THEM.
Not what’s best for YOUR financial future.
We had a different goal: live in a paid-off house as quickly as possible.
So while we could have been approved for a house twice as expensive, we found a perfectly good 3-bed, 2-bath in a nice neighborhood that met our needs.
Was it our “dream house”? No.
But we decided we could wait on that and opted for the paid off house instead.
2. We Did the Opposite of What Made “Sense”
This one might sound crazy if you’re not a Christian, but stay with me.
While most people stop giving when paying off debt, we actually gave MORE.
Now, we didn’t do this to try to manipulate God into blessing us (how small would our God be if that actually worked?).
But, if you know our story, we did it out of simple obedience.
But here’s what happened: that act of faith opened the floodgates of God’s blessing on our efforts in ways we never could have engineered ourselves.
And while everything on this list helped, that was by far the biggest factor.
So when God invites or challenges you in an area – always say yes.
You will never regret it.
3. We knew where every single dollar went
You know that feeling when you get to the end of the month, look at your bank account, and wonder, “Where did it all go?”
That’s not just a budgeting problem – it’s almost always a symptom of something bigger.
Most people have unknowingly handed over the financial steering wheel of their lives to everyone else. The banks, the creditors, the subscription services, the impulse purchases at Amazon- they’re all quietly directing your financial future while you sit in the passenger seat.
This approach to money management is like being the CEO of a company but never knowing what’s going on.
You’re technically in charge, but everyone else is making the real decisions about where your money goes.
So, we made a change and Instead of letting others run our financial lives, we grabbed back control.
Using a free app, we tracked every dollar that came through our hands.
And you know what we discovered? We had been letting hundreds of dollars slip through our fingers each month – money that could have been going toward our mortgage.
It wasn’t about becoming penny-pinching obsessives.
It was about finally being the ones calling the shots with our money instead of letting everyone else decide for us. That shift in control was a game-changer in helping us pay off our mortgage early.
4. We Ditched Traditional Budgeting
Most budgets simply don’t work.
And most people know this, which is why so many hate them.
But after helping thousands of people create what we call an (un)budget, I estimate that most people, when they start doing this right, can save $3k-$5k per year.
No one ever believes this until they experience it.
I was the same way.
I thought “I am good with money I don’t need to be all Formal with a budget”, I will just make smart decisions.
How wrong I was…
Once we ditched traditional budgeting and used the Real Money Method instead, we found that it allowed us to be more in control of our money than we had ever been before (even with every other budgeting app).
5. We Turned God-Given Talents into Income
I started trying a bunch of things to see if I could find the intersection of what I enjoyed, was good at, and could make money from.
I tried a bunch of things, and a lot of them failed:
Most of these failed. But that blog was the perfect intersection for me of what I enjoyed, was gifted at, and could earn from.
And while the other ideas never panned out too much, that one eventually began generating plenty of extra income to put toward paying off our house.
What most people miss
Here’s what most people miss about paying off their mortgage early: it’s not about having some massive income or inheriting a windfall.
While those things can certainly help, the real secret is much simpler – and available to anyone willing to take it.
It’s about having the courage to think differently, to swim upstream when everyone else is floating along with the current.
It’s about making those unconventional choices that might make your friends and family scratch their heads at first.
But here’s the beautiful part: when you’re willing to go against the grain and trust God with the results, you open yourself up to seeing Him work in ways that will blow your mind.
We are living proof that it’s possible.
We’re not special – we just made different choices than most people.
And if we could do it, I absolutely believe you can too.
Looking back now from the other side of mortgage freedom, those unconventional choices we made seem so small compared to the incredible freedom we gained.
Sometimes the bravest financial decision you can make is simply deciding to be different than everyone else.
That one decision could be the key that unlocks a level of financial freedom you never thought possible.
Your friend and coach,
