April FIRE Metrics That Matter
There used to be a YouTube show I really enjoyed called Go With Less. It followed a couple in their 50s who had left corporate careers in their late 40s, sold off most of what they owned, and set out to live a more nomadic, travel-heavy, post-FIRE life.
Each month, they’d walk through their numbers. Real numbers. They had a $3,000 monthly budget and would break down what they spent, where they went over, where they came in under, and how it all tracked against their annual plan. They used miles and points, did some house sitting, and generally got pretty creative about keeping costs down without sacrificing the experience.
At some point, they stopped posting—looks like it’s been over two years now. The channel had grown to around 20K subscribers, but they mentioned more than once that the ad revenue just wasn’t worth the time or, more importantly, the disruption to the lifestyle they had intentionally designed.
I always respected that.
Still, those monthly breakdowns were useful. Not because I wanted to copy them, but because seeing how someone else actually lives their version of FIRE—numbers and all—gives you something real to think against.
So, in that spirit, I’m starting a monthly check-in of my own.
Not as a performance. Not as “look how this is done.”
Just… data. And what I make of it.
So, how did April go?
I’m using my Back On Campus framework to anchor this, since that’s how I think about lifestyle design right now.
Health & Fitness (The “Bicycling Class”)
Overall, a bit of a mixed month, but trending in the right direction:
Weight is moving down toward target, though it plateaued a bit
Muscle mass is trending up—which is exactly what I want while losing weight
Calories ran about +200/day over target… not ideal
Protein intake was strong—about +9g/day over minimum
Strength training hit about 65% due to a shoulder issue (had to back off and let it heal)
Steps averaged just under 10,000/day… which led me to bump the goal to 15,000 for May
So… not perfect, but useful feedback. Adjustments made.
Simplicity (Dorm Living Ease)
This category is always a bit sneaky. Easy to ignore, but it shows up everywhere.
Reviewed my apartment inventory list… didn’t act much on it yet
Did complete digital decluttering for March/April photos
Most importantly: implemented Total Focus—three “no exceptions” priorities, everything else optional
That last one matters more than it might seem at first glance.
Creative Expression (The “Annual Musical Production”)
This one felt solid:
Rehearsals: hit 100% of my target
Performances: used weekly lesson to run 5 songs from my 27-song set each time
Recordings: narrowed ~100 songs down to 63 viable candidates for future release
Songwriting: light this month, but starting to ramp toward a heavier summer focus
There’s momentum here, which feels good.
Learning (Dr. Bob’s “Good Life” Course)
A little imbalanced, if I’m being honest:
Too many podcasts
Not enough actual reading
That said:
Did solid prep work for the ISAD conference (sessions, speakers, planning)
Looked into a year-long dream work certification and joined the mailing list
So the curiosity is there… just needs a bit more depth and less passive intake.
Adventure (Exploration & Connection)
This category quietly turned into one of the highlights of the month:
Trip to Birmingham to visit my daughter and son-in-law—karaoke + virtual golf night
Cherokee National Forest—music venue + a day on the lake
“Burger Week” and “Cocktail Week”—yes, a bit of caloric chaos, but also a lot of fun and new experiences
Opening night at the new baseball stadium—turns out it’s an easy walk from my place, which is a nice little discovery
This is where life actually feels like something, so I’m glad I leaned into it.
Vocation (Professor on a Highway to YEAH)
Daily blog posting… still going
At this point, it speaks for itself.
Time Freedom (The Financial Side of FIRE)
This is where things get a bit more technical—but still important:
Cash Flow: trending toward ~80% of my goal to grow it by 20% this year
Realistically, I may fall short since last year included stock sales
Still, it’s a critical metric, so I’m watching it closely
Net Worth:
April was better than expected despite large expenses (taxes, etc.)
Down 1.1% YTD, and -0.4% on a 12-month moving average
Not alarm bells going off, yet… but I’d like to see positive growth by year-end
Quarterly rebalancing helped offset some of the damage—calling that a win
Withdrawal Rate:
5.28% for April (above my 5% target… not ideal)
Still better than April of last year
Annual rate trending ~4.5%, so I should recover some ground
So… a bit of an “ouch,” but not a crisis.
Look, I get it—this is my data, and it may not be the most riveting read in the world.
But I’ve always found value in seeing how other people actually do this. Not the theory. Not the highlight reel. Just the numbers, the tradeoffs, the adjustments.
That’s the goal here.
Not to track everything—but to track some things that matter.
If you were going to take anything from this, I’d say start small:
Pick 2–3 things that actually reflect the life you’re trying to build… and track those.
Over time, patterns show up. Progress becomes visible. And when things drift (which they will), you catch it sooner.
Happy May Day!
And we’ll be back tomorrow with another dispatch from the Highway to YEAH.