Rubber band month What happened this last month? April was a relatively quiet month. I call it the rubber band month because while our investment balance went down quite a bit in March, it shot back up to the highest number yet this month. It just goes to show that you can’t predict these things,…
FIRE Progress Report – March 2026
Impact of War and Uncertainty What happened this last month? We went from our highest investment balance last month to one that set us back about 5 months. It’s not unusual for there to be uncertainty in the world and in the markets, but the important thing is to stay consistent. Keep your eyes on…
FIRE Progress Report – February 2026
Small month, big spending What happened this last month? February was a bonus month, so it makes the numbers look a lot better, especially when it comes to how much we saved. As for expenses, normally February is a low expense month. This month breaks the mold. Some of the expenses were optional. For example,…
FIRE Progress Report – January 2026
New year, final stretch What happened this last month? January was pretty non-eventful. I guess that’s how most final stretches are. Our only large expense this month was property taxes. We didn’t really do or spend on anything else out of the ordinary. This is all part of the final stretch, where you can see…
FIRE Progress Report – December 2025
Eliminating expenses What happened this last month? Our expenses dropped considerably this past month because December of last year was when we bought the truck. I expect our expenses to continue to drop this year and get us into a good position long term with what we’ve saved. As I said last month, we decided…
FIRE Progress Report – November 2025
Optimizing for the future What happened this last month? In November, we went an a trip to several national parks for our 20 year anniversary. It was nice to get away now that the kids are old enough to be on their own for a while. I’m personally looking forward to more in the future….
FIRE Progress Report – October 2025
The planning begins What happened this last month? As the months count down, it’s time for the planning to begin on how we’ll make the transition. If our current expenses continue at this rate, we will not have enough saved to transition to financial independence. That’s why we’re assuming that we won’t be purchasing two…
FIRE Progress Report – September 2025
Progressing slowly, trends emerging What happened this last month? Many of our numbers improved this month primarily because the market has done well. We now need our expenses to decrease in order to get in line with our savings number. It’s quite possible that the markets are being held up by a few companies that…
FIRE Progress Report – August 2025
Catching up from last month What happened this last month? After purchasing a car last month, this month we spent much of it catching up from last month. This meant that any additional money we would have normally invested this month, we ended up using it to rebuild accounts. Because of this, it ended up…
FIRE Progress Report – July 2025
Another car and layoffs What happened this last month? We’ve went through several 12 month periods where our expenses have been increasing. First, it was to put siding on the house, then a new roof. That was followed by a horse, truck, trailer, and another car. Fortunately, we can’t foresee there being any additional major…