And the principle and interest can't change (unless you did something like an ARM). Escrow and insurance might go up, but that won't remotely pace inflation.

Making small principal payments significantly reduces paid interest, nevermind large.

I will say that at least right now in my area, renting is actually a bit lower than the expected mortgage payment for comparable housing. However, that advantage would shift after 2-3 years as rent goes up but the mortgage would have stayed the same.

Having an interest rate significantly lower than high yield saving account returns significantly reduces my interest in making any extra payments.