# I just looked . . . and it wasn't there. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 25, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677 "2008-12-25T21:10:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/1 "2008-12-25T21:10:05Z")
“It” being our mortgage balance. There isn’t even a 0 where the outstanding balance had been for the the past 11 years. That whole section was just gone. **WE OWN OUR HOUSE.** Ms Hook retired on the 1st. We had been working on getting the mortgage paid off. On Tuesday we decided that a great Christmas present for ourselves would be just to do it and be done with it. The bank guy looked up our principle balance prior to calling for the payoff amount, studied it carefully before saying, “I’ve never seen a mortgage this low.” It was $59.38. I think the interest for the month was like $2.00 (we’d made a couple of largish priciple paymenst since the first). You have to pay it off with a certified check, which they waived the charge for. The bank guy overnighted it, which they also paid for. And as of 1:00PM Pacific time it’s all ours. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/2 "2008-12-25T21:15:16Z")
Rock on! Now time to have freaky sex in all corners of the house. And indulge in champagne and cookies (maybe not in that exact order). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Alienhand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8edcca/32.png) [@Alienhand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alienhand)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/3 "2008-12-25T21:20:03Z")
Congratulations! > [@Kythereia](#): > > Now time to have freaky sex in all corners of the house. And indulge in champagne and cookies (maybe not in that exact order). The former is what you do when you buy the house, the latter is when you own it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/4 "2008-12-25T21:32:05Z")
> [@Alienhand](#): > > Congratulations! > > The former is what you do when you buy the house, the latter is when you own it. 😃 Sadly, that’s so. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/5 "2008-12-25T22:50:12Z")
Congratulations! Free and clear must feel awesome! ---
**Author:** ![criminey.jicket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@criminey.jicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/criminey.jicket)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/6 "2008-12-26T01:06:42Z")
W00TS!! ::fist pump:: Congrats to you both! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/7 "2008-12-26T02:34:47Z")
It’s a great feeling isn’t it? I finished my mortgage in February of 2007. Went right out and got that sucker framed. Something that cost me so much wasn’t going to be burned. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/8 "2008-12-26T02:55:09Z")
CONGA-RATS!!! When’s the housewarming party? On second thought, don’t answer. Some of the folks on the SDMB would show up with matches and gasoline. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/9 "2008-12-26T03:37:26Z")
Congratulations! Merry Christmas to you both! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/10 "2008-12-26T03:53:45Z")
Yaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!! Great job!! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/11 "2008-12-26T04:51:42Z")
On the other side of the spectrum, I just found my amortization schedule. The amount of interest and principle will flip in … 2026 ☹ Fortunately in about a year I’ll hopefully be back to making 13 or 14 payments a year instead of 12 (by adding 1/12th of the payment to each payment), so hopefully they’ll flip sooner then 2026. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/12 "2008-12-26T05:02:05Z")
The Little Hook, Age 39, said, somewhat sadly it seemed, that he still had 190k to go on his. I agree with **Baker** , it’s gonna get a nice fancy frame and hang on the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/13 "2008-12-26T14:56:40Z")
> [@SandyHook](#): > > The Little Hook, Age 39, said, somewhat sadly it seemed, that he still had 190k to go on his. > > I agree with **Baker** , it’s gonna get a nice fancy frame and hang on the wall. I understand his pain - I read your thread all excited for you and then remembered seventy thousand dollars I don’t have that the bank wants sometime in the next 27 years. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/14 "2008-12-26T15:07:37Z")
> [@SandyHook](#): > > The Little Hook, Age 39, said, somewhat sadly it seemed, that he still had 190k to go on his. > > I agree with **Baker** , it’s gonna get a nice fancy frame and hang on the wall. Mine is hung with a thumbtack over my desk… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/15 "2008-12-26T15:11:18Z")
Great feeling, ain’t it? Paying interest is like having a hot poker stuck up your butt every month. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/16 "2008-12-26T15:11:37Z")
Woohooooo! Walk around in your back yard…I’ll bet the grass feels different under your feet. Now, if you like, pay yourself a mortgage payment into an IRA or mutual fund, and you’ll be sipping mai-tais in Tahiti before you know it. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/17 "2008-12-26T16:12:32Z")
I am so incredibly happy for you… what a wonderful Christmas gift this must be! **Ivy** ’s advice above is fantastic. You can make that extra money work for you in a big way. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/18 "2008-12-26T16:22:36Z")
Congratulations! We still have a long way to go to get to that point. I pay extra every month and that adds up over the long run, but we have 18 years to go on our mortgage. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-looked-and-it-wasnt-there/478677/19 "2008-12-26T16:28:07Z")
10 more years to go on mine. (I did a 15 year fixed at 4.25%) HOpefully by the time it’s paid off I’ll have it renovated. At the rate I’m going, probably not. But maybe central heat and air and adequate insulation. StG