We have some big news this week that might surprise you (and yes, we might be a little crazy). In this episode we share how we managed to pay off our mortgage and how decisions we made more than a decade ago with our first house set the stage for it. We also discuss things you should think twice about passing down to your kids—experts say some items that once felt like heirlooms no longer make sense—and we compare costs from our first home to our third, revealing that our mortgage on the third house was actually smaller than our first.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio — or listen using the player below. Use this post to find any links, show notes, and photos we mentioned. Note: if you’re reading in a feed reader you may need to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

• We’ve taken on a new project: just one house away from our pink house. In the episode we explain why we bought it, how we made it work financially, and what our plans are. A full post with photos and a video tour is coming soon.
• We noticed another duplex a couple of blocks away that gave us inspiration for our place. We’re imagining mint green shutters and doors, or warm wood doors with classic shutters. Expect a lot of back-and-forth as we decide on the final look.

• We’re obsessing over the exterior because the interior gives us so much potential. Below are photos of the main living area on one side of the duplex and the kitchen, which currently sits in what used to be a side porch.

• There’s much more to share. We’ll publish a full post with a video tour and detailed plans soon.

What’s Not

• We discuss a short list of items you might want to consider removing from your home before they become a burden for your kids. These are practical suggestions about things that can be expensive or difficult to maintain over time.
• We also offer an opposing list of five investment pieces that are worth holding onto—quality items that can serve as meaningful, useful heirlooms for the future.

Paying Off Our Mortgage

• We go into more detail in the episode, including the price of our first house and how our mortgage on the third house ended up being smaller than our first. One helpful throwback is a 2009 post about refinancing our first mortgage, where we cut our payment by $430 a month. That extra cash was used to reduce principal and accelerate payoff.
• Another earlier post explains how being self-employed led us to buy below our means—advice we still recommend. When possible, we suggest opting for shorter-term mortgages like 15-year loans to save on interest and pay off debt sooner.
• Small choices added up: we had an inexpensive backyard wedding (under $4,000) and shared one car for 11 years, which reduced purchase, insurance, and fuel costs. Those steady savings made a real difference.
• We’ve collected other practical money-saving posts in our Saving Money category. A few examples include how we cut cable, tips for staying debt-free, 21 ways we cut expenses, how we handled DIY haircuts, and updates about living on a tighter budget during economic downturns.
• We also shared money advice on last week’s podcast, featuring a money coach and our top negotiating tips, plus an episode about six phone calls that saved us $1,500.

We’re Digging

• We rounded up 11 shelf bracket options, including the ones we use in our kitchen. The selection covers a range of styles so you can pick what fits your space.
• We also recommended an OXO Tot tub drain stopper we use to make older tubs hold water reliably.

If you’re trying to find something we mentioned in a past episode, we have a master list of everything we’ve recommended across our show notes to make things easier to track down.

Finally, we want to thank Universal Furniture for sponsoring this episode. They’re offering a chance to win $10,000 in new dining room furniture at UniversalFurniture.com/YHL through October 16th.

Thanks for listening, and we’ll share more soon!

*This post contains affiliate links*