How quickly should one pay off a house?

But if the "quality of life" is already fine, if you realize what you currently wish for (vacations, trips, cars, ...), then you don't have to desperately try to change anything. We have a monthly savings rate of about €4,000. Neither of us would know what we should spend more money on at the moment. Of course, a more expensive car would be possible, but cars are utility items for me. They have to be practical and a scratch shouldn't be a drama. Of course, we could go on vacation for 4 weeks instead of one week, but neither of us really wants that. We just like being at home. I can relax much better there than when I'm on the go. Both of us have our hobbies, which are just not very expensive. Honestly - it's not about what the majority would do with the money, but what you yourself find good. And if that's boring saving, then so be it. Always looking over at others and being afraid of missing out is really exhausting. Do whatever makes you feel good. Being a bit different from the norm is not inherently bad.

I have nothing duplicated in my calculation. The remaining debt in 2031 is nominally fixed. The dynamics obviously result from tariff increases (both in tariff companies). The assumed nominal return is 7%.

and how does inflation help you then?

The biggest misconception is that you can buy quality of life with money, at least when the material things are fulfilled, as writes. Let's try to approach this fundamentally. Quality of life has to do with the satisfaction of needs. If I am extremely hungry, it almost doesn’t matter what I eat; even a simple meal will satisfy the basic need and I will feel better afterward.

1) Engage with the hierarchy of needs by the psychologist Abraham Maslow:


Since apparently the deficiency needs are satisfied, spending more money will not make you happier. On the contrary, you might eventually regret having wasted money foolishly. Engage with the growth needs. Surely there is something you are missing, e.g., another degree or a doctorate or involvement in a nonprofit organization, or you campaign for more bike lanes, run for a seat in the city council, save the toads and build toad tunnels, etc. There are thousands of things where you can achieve self-realization.

2) From personal experience: Buy yourself a mountain bike if you don’t have one and train with it; maybe you already have friends who are MTB riders. Book a crossing of the Alps by MTB with one of the many providers and preferably choose a hut tour. You will be on the road all day, cursing, pushing, riding, and sweating. And when you reach the hut in the afternoon, drink the cool beer, take a shower, get a hearty meal, and have a bed in sight, then you will have satisfied all your needs within one or two hours and you will be happy...

Yesterday I heard exactly the term that has not been mentioned here at all, but many (from the beginning) have meant.

It is about enriching your life by fulfilling your _dreams_. This usually also requires money. Most people have small dreams, and these were mentioned here too, not explicitly, but still, that you need to have money left over to afford the trip, the pet, the hobby, or the break for projects. So if money is "left over," very few have the dream of paying off the house by their mid-40s. That usually happens on the side quite well.
So listen to your inner voice, and if there is a yawning emptiness there (except for EFT and special repayments), then listen to your wife or child!
The project can also be a share in a horse (for the child) or a self-made natural pond, a sponsorship for an animal shelter dog, or a small wooden cabin in Sweden. Perhaps also more materially in a desired interior design of the house. But in my taste, time is still the most valuable thing to invest in.

So if there is "extra" money, very few have the dream of paying off the house by their mid-40s.

Is that so? Let's test that here.

What would you do with a gifted €250,000 if you only had an outstanding debt of €250,000?

I would invest the amount and use the interest earnings to reduce the installment. If investing were forbidden, I would actually pay off the house directly.

And you?

What would you do with a gifted €250k if you only had an outstanding debt of €250k left?

I would invest the amount and use the interest gains to reduce the installment.

Diversification. Partial repayment while maintaining the current installment (fast debt payoff), partial investment (another condominium + emergency fund ETF or similar), partial consumption.