'We knocked seven years off our mortgage and saved about 40,000 in interest - by just restructuring the payments'

Deirdre O'Keeffe restructured her 2008 mortgage in 2021, allowing her to clear the loan seven-and-a-half years earlier, a significant financial relief.

I was still shocked to see that we had only chipped €150 off the capital after a year. It was soul-destroying, highlighting the struggles with early mortgage repayments.

Adopting solar panels has positively impacted my expenses, demonstrating an effective strategy for cutting down on electricity bills while improving financial sustainability.

In the early days, most of your repayments go towards paying off interest, showing the challenges homeowners face with early-stage mortgage payments.

Read at Independent