Finally paid off my (stupid) car loan after two years of grinding, what's next?

I just made my final car loan payment, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt this kind of relief before. It wasn’t a crazy amount of debt compared to what some people deal with, but for the past two years, that monthly payment has felt like a weight hanging over me. I bought the car thinking the payments wouldn’t be too bad, but I quickly realized how much they added up, especially with insurance and maintenance on top of everything.

For two years, I basically cut out all the extra spending I could. No big vacations, no upgrading my phone even when it started acting up, and a lot of nights just hanging out at home instead of going out. There were definitely times I questioned if I should just slow down and take the full term to pay it off, but I really didn’t want this thing hanging over me for years.

A few months ago, I got a bit of unexpected financial luck, and that gave me the final push I needed to wipe out the last chunk of the loan. It felt surreal seeing the balance hit zero. Now, instead of watching a big chunk of my paycheck disappear every month, I actually get to decide where my money goes. I know I should probably focus on saving or investing next, but honestly, I’m just taking a second to enjoy the fact that I don’t owe anything on this car anymore.