May FIRE Metrics That Matter
I was watching a video this morning, and the presenter was saying you can have a comfortable retirement on $2,500 per month in the U.S. That’s $500 less than the Go With Less couple who inspired this monthly update (see April’s FIRE Metrics That Matter post). I must say, I was intrigued.
And I had just finished paying my early-in-the-month bills for June.
Ouch.
Yeah… maybe I want to revisit his video.
Nevertheless, I am on track for the lifestyle I have designed, so here is what happened in May 2026.
So, How Did May Go?
Again, I am using my Back On Campus framework to anchor the results I keep track of throughout the month. This is the lifestyle design strategy I am implementing at this time in my life.
Health & Fitness (The “Bicycling Class” Equivalent)
Weight continued to trend in the right direction. I was down 3.4 pounds from April, but still above my target. This will change in June, I assure you.
Muscle mass was up 0.5%, which is exactly what I want to see as I lose the weight I gained from being inactive after surgery last year.
Calorie intake was down over 300 calories per day on average. This could have been lower if I had implemented my “no sweets until I reach my target weight” rule earlier in the month, but I’ll take it. It was still about 125 calories per day lower than my upper target.
Protein intake was down slightly from April but remained above my minimum target range, which is the key metric I care about.
Strength training was significantly down in May. I was traveling and staying with family, so I decided to take two weeks off to continue letting my shoulder injury heal. Unfortunately, I didn’t achieve that because I ended up lifting and moving stuff during that time. Ouch. I’ll have it checked by my doctor this summer.
And the big one was a success.
Getting 15,000 steps per day on average is one of my One Hit Wonders, and by golly, I did it. For May, I averaged 14,997 steps per day. Since I started this goal in late April, however, I actually finished the month with more than 34,600 steps “banked,” which proved very helpful during my long cross-country drives that limited my walking time.
Simplicity (Dorm Living Ease)
This is a big one that I wrote about yesterday in The Simple Path.
I am in the process of reducing noise in my day while adding back meaningful activities. It wasn’t so much about reducing my stuff in May as it was about completing my two One Hit Wonder goals, reducing digital distractions, and doing some decluttering.
I decluttered my May photos.
I drove for three days with very little listening to podcasts or music. I simply stayed with my thoughts and the big questions on my mind. That felt good and actually made the trip seem shorter than when I am constantly distracting myself. In fact, I was a little bummed when the daily driving ended.
I have decided what my next big One Hit Wonder will be, but I am going to wait until I am settled back into my PNW home before implementing it. I arrived last night.
Creative Expression (The “Annual Musical” Production)
Unfortunately, I backslid a bit in May due to traveling and family priorities that needed to supersede these goals.
That said, I still made some progress.
Created a weekly calendar of open mics in cities I plan to visit this summer.
Reduced the number of songs in my “go forward to record” category from 63 to 50 of the strongest contenders.
June will be much more focused on this category, so I look forward to sharing more in July.
Learning (Dr. Bob’s “Living the Good Life” Course)
Still not firing on all cylinders in this dimension.
I did reduce the number of podcasts I mindlessly listened to and, for at least half the month, maintained a daily reading practice. But I am in a bit of a holding pattern and want to tighten this up going forward.
Adventure (Exploration & Connection)
Ironically, but intentionally, I wanted to lean into boredom in May.
I intentionally pulled back from trying to schedule or participate in extraordinary “fun in the sun” events. Instead, I spent more time reflecting on larger questions.
That said, there were some highlights:
Helped my mom move into her new house and out of her old one. The moving-out part wasn’t much fun, but the moving-in part was. I really like her new house and neighborhood, and I feel good about having had the time to help. The timing worked perfectly as I left the Southeast and made my way back to the Pacific Northwest.
Took a day trip with my sister to a cool town north of Tulsa: Bartlesville. That is a very hip little city with interesting architecture and nice people, at least from what I could tell in a day.
My daughter and one of her friends happened to be visiting Tulsa at the same time, so we got to hang out several times. I enjoyed taking them to places in the city that I love.
As I made my way back to the Pacific Northwest, the timing was again perfect to attend my cousin’s big birthday celebration at the end of the month. He and his family live in the Colorado Rockies, and it was gorgeous. His friends were great, the party was great, and we took a day trip to Leadville. His daughter is learning piano and gave us a small recital. She’s got the muse.
Vocation (A “Professor” on the Highway to Yeah)
This is my other big One Hit Wonder goal.
It is my intention to write and post a daily article to The Leavers blog on our website.
Success.
With this post, I am now at 78 consecutive days.
And I’m loving it.
Time Freedom (The Financial Side of FIRE)
Cash flow remains at roughly 80% of my goal to grow it by 20% over the course of the year. Often this goal isn’t finalized until the very end of the year, so I am comfortable with where things currently stand.
Net worth was down 1.2% in May after a nice bump in April. That leaves it down 2.3% for the year overall.
Ouch.
That said, I am now entering the less-expensive half of the year. I will have some larger expenses in October, and December tends to run higher as well because of the holidays, but most of these fluctuations are ultimately driven by market gyrations.
Case in point: my withdrawal rate improved during May and is now trending at 4.3% for the year versus 4.5% at the end of April.
I do have some budgeted expenses that could bring that number back up, and that’s okay because I still have a cushion relative to my overall 5% target for 2026.
Still, if I can save money, I love doing that.
Being a good steward of your life energy—with money simply serving as one representation of that energy—is one of the keys to both reaching and sustaining FIRE.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I feel good about how May turned out and am looking forward to a fantastic June.
I share this kind of data because I enjoy hearing it from other people. It represents the real world of FIRE, and I hope it inspires you to design a life you love and pay attention to what truly matters.
I hope you have a great start to the Summer Vacation months and find time to get out on the Highway to Yeah.
Maybe we’ll run into each other out there.