Most homeowners know it’s smart to make more than minimum mortgage payments in order to cut into the principal, but actually going through with the practice is as gratifying as opting for a meal of lettuce over pizza. The long-term gains of sending an extra $500 or so into a mortgage black hole is nowhere near as appetizing as doing something tangible with the money.

Over at Give Me Back My Five Bucks, Krystal motivates herself to accelerate mortgage payments with graphs that spell out the astounding benefits of pounding away at your mortgage with a sledgehammer rather than a tiny little Shawshank Redemption-style tool.

Using a plan that includes paying 10 percent extra a month and moving to a bi-weekly payment schedule, Krystal figures she can turn her 30-year mortgage into a 19-year loan, saving thousands in interest.

Lettuce doesn’t taste so bad when you consider how much green self-discipline can make you.

Increasing my mortgage payments [Give Me Back My Five Bucks]

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