After almost 20 years of marriage and a road trip filled with Dave Ramsey, we finally paid off our home

Dave Ramsey has provided a lot of financial insights through his bestselling books and radio show, but that’s not the only way people learn more about him. There’s an entire Reddit group dedicated to the financial guru where people talk about their progress and ask questions.

A recent Reddit post explored a couple’s path to Baby Step 7. The couple was always good with their finances but listened to Ramsey in 2019 on a family vacation. It set the couple on a path to fortifying their finances. They set their first budget in their 17-year marriage and recently paid off their mortgage.

The couple shared some of the strategies they used to pay off the mortgage early.

Throw Everything Extra At the Home

The couple kept a tight budget. While it included some budget vacations, the Redditor acknowledges that they made a lot of sacrifices to make it happen.

Any extra money went toward the mortgage. While you can pay a mortgage based on the terms, making early payments reduces how much interest you pay. That’s because every dollar above the regular monthly payment goes toward the principal. You don’t have to deal with any interest when you make more than the minimum monthly payment. In that regard, a mortgage is just like credit card debt.

The couple didn’t do this forever. They only started the strategy in 2019 and became debt-free in 2025. We don’t know what the mortgage balance was in 2019 or the monthly payment. However, it’s clear that following Ramsey’s advice allowed the couple to become debt-free on the house much sooner.

A Strict Budget Also Minimizes Other Types Of Debt

Tightening the budget didn’t only help with paying off the mortgage. It also helped the couple to avoid credit card debt. The couple confirmed they were debt-free other than the mortgage, but the tight budget only made things better. A rigorous approach to your finances can prevent debt from accumulating and getting out of control.

When you aren’t paying other financial obligations like auto loans and personal loans, it’s easier to throw more money at the mortgage. When the mortgage is fully paid off, it becomes much easier to grow your portfolio with prudent investments.

Spending less money doesn’t mean your life will be boring. The couple still prioritized some vacations each year, and you can probably find a sufficient amount of entertainment options in your local community that don’t cost a lot of money.

You Don’t Need To Earn More Than The Average Person

It definitely helps if your earnings are higher than the median household income, but the couple explains that for most of their journey, they earned less than the median household income. This admission demonstrates that you don’t have to look wealthy to be in a strong financial position. It also demonstrates that it is possible to survive with what you have.

Granted, you should still look for opportunities to grow your career, and picking up a side hustle can grow your savings faster. However, most of having a strong financial position comes down to making good decisions with your money. The couple only recently enjoyed a good pay raise, which allowed them to pay off the mortgage much faster.

It’s good to boost your income and seek opportunities to make that happen. However, you shouldn’t act as if more money will solve your problems. More money makes you more of who you already are, and if you already pay off debt, you’ll make more progress as your earnings increase.