Actually paid off my car loan 18 months early and felt nothing

I hit my last payment on my 2015 Honda Civic last Tuesday and I just sat in my driveway for like 5 minutes waiting to feel something. I had been throwing an extra $50 a month at it for 3 years just to get it done faster. When the bank app said $0 balance I just kinda stared at my phone. Anyone else get to a financial milestone and feel more quiet relief than excitement?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_campbell16d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you thought you'd feel something big after paying off a car 18 months early? That's the wrong expectation. The feeling is more like "finally, that weight is gone" not "party time." I think most people build up these milestones in their head as if they're gonna feel like winning the lottery, but real life is just... quieter. The excitement happens in small bursts, like when you see the extra money in your account each month now, not on the day it hits zero. You did good, you just expected fireworks instead of a slow exhale.

valw3616d ago

My buddy Dave paid off his truck last year, 14 months early. He drove it home from the bank, parked it in the driveway, sat there for like five minutes, then went inside and made a sandwich. That was it. He said the real feeling hit him two weeks later when he realized he didn't have to budget around that payment anymore. No party, no confetti, just a lot more room in his checking account to buy lunch without checking the balance first.