Over half of American homeowners had to take out a mortgage to finance the purchase of their homes. Few people are able to afford the cost of a new house straight out of their pockets. Even with a great deal, most have to take out a loan in order to fund their dream home.

Paying off your mortgage can take a long time, often measured in decades. You can, however, become a debt-free homeowner with a few payment adjustments. The faster you pay off your mortgage the quicker you will get to enjoy a less financially stressful life. You should enjoy your home not worry whether you will be able to continue making the payments several years from now. So here are a few tips on how to pay off your mortgage early.

1. Biweekly Payments

What’s a biweekly payment you ask? It’s simple. You just split your monthly payment in half and pay every two weeks. So if you normally pay $1000 a month, you now pay $500 every two weeks.

But isn’t it all the same? Not quite! By paying every two weeks you actually end up making 26 payments per year. This translates to 13 months. So you actually pay off one additional month every year. For instance, if you took out a 30-year mortgage plan, you can reduce it by eight years just by paying in biweekly installments instead of monthly. Make your lender allows you to make partial payments every two weeks to ease up the process. However, if he doesn’t then don’t change your payment plan! Simply open a new bank account from which you will pay your mortgage and nothing else. Make a biweekly deposit in the bank and pay the mortgage automatically.

2. Small Sacrifices

Start saving money by eating out a little less and by taking food with you to work. People spend more money than they realize. If on your way to work every day you buy a cup of coffee and a bagel or a donut and then later buy some office snacks you end up draining your wallet in no time. Even if you save less than $100 a month this way, you still have more money to add to your mortgage payment. The more you manage to pay, the faster you get out to enjoy a debt-free life.

3. Maximum Down Payment

Paying the whole sum for a house upfront might be out of reach, but you might be able to save more money before you buy a house. This is important when it comes to your loan interest rate. The bigger the down payment, the smaller the rate. Aim to have at least 20% of the money needed to buy the home. You will no longer have to spend 1% of the loan on private mortgage insurance. It might not sound like much, but in the long run, it can make a huge difference. Why give the bank more cash when you could use it yourself?