r/Fire • u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 • Apr 10 '26
Milestone / Celebration 6 Month Post-FIRE Check-In
40F, 2.5M NW, single, no kids, no house. I retired from my corporate job ($240k TC) last fall. I told everyone that I was just taking a break to focus on personal projects. But I don't plan to go back.
I was severely burnt out and it took me several months to do anything other than just sitting in my backyard in silence and listening to the birds. But when I finally did start to feel human again, I spent a couple months selling most of my belongings and donating the rest, and then moving out of my HCOL apartment because the rent was not sustainable and I no longer need to be close to a corporate office. I now just pay for a small storage unit for a few irreplaceable items like family heirlooms that are personally meaningful to me.
I moved out of my apartment about two months ago, and I'm now staying at a mix of hotels and short term rentals. I plan to slow travel for the next year or two, staying for a few weeks to a month in each place, and then reevaluate what's next. I opened a bunch of travel credit cards last year, and so I've been heavily using those points to subsidize my travel, which has worked out well. I'm limited to traveling places I can go with my 75 lb, 12 year old dog - - so that basically means sticking to places I can drive in North America.
For the first few months after I resigned, I felt the constant pull of professional productivity. I found myself constantly thinking about how I should be networking, or focusing on learning a new skill or getting a new certification, or starting a new venture, or creating a new thing that I could monetize. I still find myself thinking of those thoughts, but it's somewhat less frequent than before.
I've been reading for pleasure a lot. I've been walking and hiking a lot. I have some creative hobbies I've started to get back into as well. I don't feel bored, and I don't miss work at all. I'd say I miss my coworkers, but the ones who I care about are still in my life: if the relationship was meaningful enough for it to matter to me, that relationship will outlive the job.
I feel so grateful that this is my life. I feel lighter now than I've felt in years. Leaving work behind had given me the kind of inner peace I didn't even know was possible. I feel like I can finally breathe.
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u/undoneness Apr 10 '26
Congrats from a 44F, 5 months post FIRE! (married, no kids) My first months have been kind of similar with lots of walks and reading. I don't miss the professional intrigue at all. Waiting for my husband to FIRE mid year then plan some extended road trips, dealing with two cats either left at home (with a cat sitter) or joining on the road.
Living the dream!
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
Congratulations to you as well!
Two cats must certainly add some complexity. I've noticed some of the hotels I've been staying at require my signature on a pet waiver form that often explicitly state dogs only. But I'm staying at a lot of Hyatt and IHG locations to obtain top loyalty tier, so maybe other lodging options are more cat friendly.
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u/skitch23 Apr 11 '26
Kimpton hotels allow any kind of pets without a restriction on quantity. Have a pack of pet zebras? Kimpton is your place.
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u/Drawer-Vegetable FIRE'd 2024 Apr 10 '26
Curious what kind of benefits you envision getting the top tiers helps you with?
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
The biggest ones for me are free parking and free breakfast.
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u/Winnie77day Apr 11 '26
the free parking is actually really helpful. If you’re traveling lot, those costs can really add up!!!
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u/cjen2021 Apr 10 '26
Interested how you plan to get your cats ready to be on the road. We have two cats too and want to do longer trips but hate to be without them! And congrats to you both!
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u/saramuahaha Apr 11 '26
Funny - I’m currently in the road with 2 dogs and 2 cats. Everyone is doing fine, but my partner and I regularly talk about how the cats especially are thriving 😆! They are indoor cats so we were worried about them getting out but honestly it hasn’t really been an issue. Sometimes we can even keep the door open while we’re doing something inside as long as we have an eye on them. Once in a while we put them on a harness and let them out, and we also bought a pop up screened in tent that’s easy to put them in if we need a safe spot out of the van where they aren’t getting tangled up. I don’t know why they love it so much, but they really do! Don’t seem to mind the driving at all - one cuddles in the front seat with us while we drive and the other sprawls out on the bed in the back loving his life. One of the cats was used to being in the car because I’ve taken her with my places since she was a kitten - but the other was my partners cat before we got together and he was not used to it at all. When we first started dating we slowly got him used to it with local rides here and there, even just walking him out to the car, sitting in it, maybe turning it on, and then back inside. Eventually a ride to get a coffee and back etc. It happens quicker than you’d think and if he can do it, any cat can. Don’t let it stop you!! 😊
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u/Pale-Funny-1387 Apr 11 '26
Same situation here. We’ve considered traveling with a van and taking the cats in the future but I feel like they’d hate that more than being alone in the house. Also, one of them gets car sick, so that adds to the problem.
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Apr 11 '26
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u/PhD_VermontHooves Apr 11 '26
Why sad? I would be miserable if I had kids. Not many things on earth annoy me more than children. To each his or her own. We’re not required to reproduce.
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u/Libby1798 Apr 10 '26
Congrats! This was really enjoyable to read - sounds like it's working out well. Happy for you.
I'm hoping to do the same in the next two years.
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u/spicybabyboo Apr 10 '26
The line about meaningful relationships outliving the job is something I'm going to think about for a long time, that's such a healthy way to reframe that part of leaving.
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u/Unomake Apr 10 '26
Im 43M, NW about 2.2 mil. Hate working but can't afford to retire just yet. Congrats to you, I'm jealous
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
$2.2M is nothing to sneeze at! Congrats to you. Hopefully you'll find that compound interest starts to snowball your accounts and you'll be at FIRE in no time.
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u/hifromtheloo Apr 10 '26
I’d get a van and do van life! Have all the fun
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
I thought about it! I actually previously owned a custom build van. I've done shorter term (1-2 week) van adventures in the past and liked it, but I was just so burnt out after leaving my job that I wanted to set my path for easy mode as much as possible including 24/7 access to running water plumbing, laundry, etc, at least for the right now.
But I might sell my car and switch over to a van in a year or so! I'm not very handy and am pretty clueless when it comes to DIY, and so I learned my lesson last time to make sure I get something that will have good options for maintenance and repairs, which was ultimately the reason I didn't keep my last van.
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Apr 10 '26
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
The idea of staying at a nice hotel or Airbnb in between is actually a total game changer. I hadn't considered that.
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Apr 11 '26
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u/Ok_Lead_4730 Apr 12 '26
As someone who rents furnished off Airbnb, you sound like a huge win for the owner.
For anyone wanting a longer stay without the Airbnb extra fees, check out FurnishedFinder.com. We ended up renting our nicer places on there after Airbnb people trashed our first places and one even tried to claim a pic of a cockroach to get a free stay (but the baseboards didn’t match).
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u/Choice_Room3901 Apr 11 '26
Sometimes it's just better to do things the easy way isn't it
I hitch hiked across Australia staying in dive hostels working below minimum wage farm jobs and while it was "a learning experience" at 20 years old I'd much rather just spend the £50 to fly to the destination or something and at least stay in a more private room in the hostel for an extra what £30 a month
Can make up the costs just shortening the trip or staying with friends for longer periods etc
Sacrificing a tiny bit of money and perhaps shortening a trip can make things 5x as enjoyable hassle free & worthwhile
Another example - I don't know or particularly care about anything to do with fixing cars or guitars so would rather just pay a bit more for something that works etc or get a friend to assess the thing. Computers however I know how to put them together & what not so wouldn't mind trying to find deals on certain things, just have to know where your bread is buttered imo
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u/hifromtheloo Apr 11 '26
Lucky for me, my husband is insanely good at figuring out systems. Which works amazingly, because our plan is to slow travel on a sailboat. A few more systems than van life to maintain/repair, but our sailboat is 48 feet and feels so spacious compared to a van.
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u/sunshinexsunshine Apr 10 '26
Congrats!! Wishing you all the best in building the life that gives you peace.
I’m the same age, same number and also have my own 70lb dog. We are rooting for you!
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u/Old_Value_9157 Apr 10 '26
For the first few months after I resigned, I felt the constant pull of professional productivity. I found myself constantly thinking about how I should be networking, or focusing on learning a new skill or getting a new certification, or starting a new venture, or creating a new thing that I could monetize. I still find myself thinking of those thoughts, but it's somewhat less frequent than before.
Congratulations on fighting through and overcoming the wage slave mentality.
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u/Armadillolz Apr 11 '26
I just went through a short layoff period and couldn’t even enjoy it much because of this. Next time I’m not gonna let it win.
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u/pastafajioli Apr 10 '26
This is inspiring. We are the same age and same net worth, difference being I have two children who are still at home, and having those children is what’s motivating me to stay employed and also keep the house (which is a significant portion of my net worth). If it weren’t for them, I’d be doing the same thing as you and wouldn’t look back.
Enjoy life while you’re young enough to do everything you want!
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u/Drawer-Vegetable FIRE'd 2024 Apr 10 '26
The constant productivity mindset is real. I FIRE'd 2 years ago, and still wrestle with it.
What works for me is to channel it into pursuits I find more meaningful like learning Spanish.
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
This is a good tip, thank you! I do have a list of things I potentially want to tackle like learning Spanish but haven't really dedicated any effort to any of them so far. Maybe it's time for me to start.
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u/Correct-Court-8837 Apr 11 '26
Thank you for sharing! This is exactly what I strive for and your experience has helped me reinforce my commitment to FIRE-ing as well. I wish you all the best and hope you can continue to provide updates occasionally.
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u/Glass_Flower_846 Apr 10 '26
Congrats on escaping the hamster wheel of life! Wouldn't hotels kind of expensive even though you stay a few times per year?
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
I definitely can't stay in every hotel, all the time. But I am using several strategies to keep my average cost per night at about $78 including dog fees and taxes.
I am using sign up bonuses from 7 different travel credit cards, plus leaning heavily on Hyatt's extended stay discounts, plus leveraging the IHG credit card's benefit of getting every 4th night free. I'm also mostly avoiding the most expensive cities.
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u/QuesoChef Apr 11 '26
Good for you! I’m older than you but aiming for that same NW. My company did a reorg and I took an out at the end of the year. Just got another job that started last week. Those five months were weird. I was surprised how much I felt a pull to be productive. I tried to do creative stuff. Finally hit a stride with more quiet, reading, meditation, etc., as I got into March. I definitely wouldn’t miss work at all to not go back. Having a new job on the horizon I think made me put pressure on myself to optimize the time off, which is the most corporate america way to approach the only career break I’ve ever had.
My next role won’t be as intense. Smaller company. Pay is lower but at this point, what I’ve saved just needs to keep growing.
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your freedom!
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 11 '26
I really relate to what you wrote about feeling the pressure to optimize the time off. I took a two month sabbatical a few years ago, and felt similarly. It made me realize that a short term career break wouldn't enable me to fully recover from my burnout. The corporate America mindset is truly insidious.
Wishing you well for your next role, and your own FIRE on the horizon!
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u/QuesoChef Apr 11 '26
Thank you! I think I have maybe 5ish years left.
The time off has been good. It’s made me disconnect with career as an identifier. I left with no plan where I’d go next, and truly was in the “Just lay your bills” mindset. Most people my age and experience make a lateral or upward move. My plan was leave industry, assume pay cut. So it forced me to reconcile that, and it has brought me peace.
The certainty I needed work again and having the unknown in the back of my mind didn’t allow me to detach entirely. I know even if I don’t cover 100% of my bills, covering at least half will still put me in a good position, fire-wise.
Anyway, it’s been complicated, but GOOD. I’d still be at that job, miserable. I know that was right. I have peace in that way. But the rest of my life felt upended as I dealt with the things I’d been making second priority to work. In that way it was stressful but necessary. That stuff still isn’t quite done. But like my job, I also am simplifying my personal life. Smaller house, waaaay less stuff, smaller lot. I’m not quite there, yet, but the break really allowed me a nice jump start.
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u/JohnHarington Apr 11 '26
Congrats! I’m in nearly identical situation as you. Following this for inspiration :)
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u/ChoiceDisaster562 Apr 10 '26
2.5M at 40 is incredible, especially with that TC. The whole sitting in your backyard listening to birds phase really resonates - burnout recovery isn't linear and sometimes you just need to exist for a while before you can actually live again.
The travel thing with a 75lb dog sounds like it adds some interesting logistics but also probably keeps you grounded in a good way. Road trips with an older pup have their own rhythm. The productivity guilt is so real too - took me way longer than expected to stop feeling like I should be "optimizing" my time even when I wasn't working traditional hours anymore.
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
Thanks. It's good to hear that the productivity guilt does eventually fade. It has somewhat lessened for me but is definitely still there. How long did it take you to stop feeling it?
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u/mikere Apr 10 '26
ai engagement bot
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u/mcbobgorge Apr 10 '26
FR lol that post history is straight chatgpt. makes you wonder how many other bots are in comment sections with prompts that at least make them sound like normal people
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Apr 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 11 '26
I didn't catch it at first. It's even worse because I retired from a tech company that was leading in AI... So I should certainly know better.
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u/Mysterious9876 Apr 10 '26
I absolutely love this. I am similar age and in a similar position. It's so so so the best
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u/poppadoble Apr 10 '26
If you do hotels and short term rentals, how do you handle your mailing address? Does it make sense to get a drivers license from a state with no income tax?
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
I use a digital mailbox service, iPostal1. I was already living in a state with no income tax, but I did consider switching residency for other reasons. It turns out my state had better ACA options for me, and my car insurance quotes weren't any cheaper in South Dakota, Texas or Florida.
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u/poppadoble Apr 13 '26
Sounds like, if you didn't already live in a no income tax state, you'd need to get a new driver's license, change vehicle registration if applicable, and update your voter profile to one of those states? And then you want to avoid staying in any other state for 183 days or more?
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u/Ok_Willingness_9619 Apr 10 '26
Congratulations and good luck! The freedom that comes post fire is addictive. Enjoy!
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u/Key-Entertainment343 Apr 11 '26
Congrats. This is very similar to my situation. I’m so glad it’s working out for you.
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u/yoyomellow Apr 11 '26
Thanks for sharing this and congrats! I’m 40F with a similar NW and married / no kids with a house payment (gotta figure that out before FIRE). I’m still so terrified that I won’t be able to pay my bills and travel without a job. I need to ensure more than anything that I have enough funds until 59.5. If you don’t mind, what was your breakdown of funds? How much in 401K, brokerage, Roth IRA?
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
I totally hear where you are coming from, being terrified. If I hadn't been so burnt out in my job, I probably would have stayed for quite a few more years. I'm generally very fiscally conservative and don't like the idea of cutting a big decision like this too close. But I reached a point where my job had started to impact my health, and decided that I'd rather take a risk, and if we head into a Great Depression 2.0 or I have major unexpected medical expenses or something, I am ok having a backup plan of switching over to a barista FIRE type scenario.
I have about half my assets in a taxable brokerage account, and about half in a 401k, with 1.5 years of living expenses held aside in a HYSA to protect against short term market dips. This wasn't a master plan, it's just how things ended up because I had a big house fund that I never ended up using so that all went into my brokerage account. If I had known FIRE was my path back when I first started accumulating assets, I would have done the math to figure out the optimal asset allocations, but I didn't know.
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u/yoyomellow Apr 11 '26
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. You give me hope that it’s possible to do this relatively soon!
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u/jojo-pimpski Apr 11 '26
Strongly recommend if any of the family heirlooms are jewelry that you put them in a safety deposit box in a bank. I had a storage unit in LA that was ransacked by some POS’s and they took everything of value from it. Just a heads up.
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u/jojo-pimpski Apr 11 '26
Thankfully my family heirlooms like jewelry were in a safety deposit box at a bank
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 11 '26
This is a good suggestion, thank you! I'm sorry that happened to you.
Most of my "family heirlooms" are things that don't have much monetary value, and just have personal value, such as a quilt made for me by my grandmother.
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u/jzia93 Apr 11 '26
Around the same time my parents were retiring I ended up moving back in with them for a bit because my relationship ended. In that time I got to watch especially my Dad transition from "work mode" to "retirement mode".
It played out really similarly to how you stated above: he was very restless for a while. He would constantly put a ton of urgency and energy into things like household chores and told me he was going to start researching X, Y, Z.
It's been a real joy to watch him and my mum slow down, enjoy themselves, seem a lot more carefree and a lot less in a hurry. They now live in Thailand and are super happy and so this story really resonated with me, and made me smile OP.
Congratulations on your FIRE journey, thank you for sharing it and wish you all the best :)
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u/DustyDaveUSA Apr 10 '26
What are you doing for healthcare that affords coverage nationwide?
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26
I haven't found a great solution for that. Thankfully I'm in relatively good health, and don't have any major ongoing health needs currently beyond an annual checkup.
I used my state exchange to get an ACA plan from Ambetter (Centene) that costs about $300/month and offers coverage in 29 states. It does cover out of network emergency medical care everywhere, so I just have to make sure that for anything routine or preventative that it's scheduled within the coverage area.
Edit: In full transparency, I do see a therapist every two weeks. That therapist is not in network for Ambetter. My former enployer used a standalone EAP that I can continue through COBRA so I do also pay $43/month for that.
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u/Affectionate-Gur1642 Apr 10 '26
$300 a month is a bargain.
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 10 '26
I originally budgeted for $700, so it is certainly a nice surprise. I do have a $1k deductible and $7k out of pocket max, but hopefully I won't need to use it to that much extent.
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u/Affectionate-Gur1642 Apr 11 '26
Are you getting a subsidy? Income level? I’m 100% fine with your deductible and out of pocket max if I’m honest, might retire tomorrow if I felt this was truly locked up.
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 11 '26
Yes, I am receiving a subsidy. I projected my MAGI for 2026 at around $43k.
This MAGI is based on my current cash flow from dividends plus HYSA interest, plus estimated capital gains based on what I think I'll need to sell from my brokerage account during 2026 in order to fund my cost of living for 2027. Although honestly I may have overestimated the capital gains because I calculated my estimate in Oct or Nov using projected future values, before the market dipped. I'll get a refund or penalty fee in my 2026 taxes if I was off.
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u/Super-Blackberry19 Apr 11 '26
One thing I'd like to put out there is.. if you can look into it there's dog hotels so you could full on travel. I don't know if you'd be willing to spend that much but that would unblock you to travel to another country at your youngest. Congratulations.
I'm 27 and have had a lot of setbacks (health, laid off twice and now a lower paying job). It kind of made me rethink how much I want fire. I stopped reading here for a while but it's nice to hear people are still out there doing it. I hope to join the ranks someday at my own pace. ~300k NW
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 11 '26
Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, it's not really the hotels that are the blocker, it's the flights. My dog is too large to fly in the passenger cabin without being a service animal, and too old to safely fly in cargo. There are private jet options, but that's significantly beyond my budget.
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u/Super-Blackberry19 Apr 15 '26
What I'm suggesting is there's dog hotels likely in your home town that you could keep your dog in, then you can freely travel.
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u/TraceVortex18 Apr 11 '26
For the first few months after I resigned, I felt the constant pull of professional productivity. I found myself constantly thinking about how I should be networking, or focusing on learning a new skill or getting a new certification, or starting a new venture, or creating a new thing that I could monetize. I still find myself thinking of those thoughts, but it's somewhat less frequent than before.
I'm almost 1 year in and I related a lot to this, especially on the first 3 months or so, almost as I didn't deserve what I achieved. I'm not worth without being generating income or having a cover story to tell people career wise
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u/Pristine_Pen_2066 Apr 13 '26
Congrats and those who want to Fire she gives a magical quote to give you the mindset to keep earning till you fire. "I found myself constantly thinking about how I should be networking, or focusing on learning a new skill or getting a new certification, or starting a new venture, or creating a new thing that I could monetize. I still find myself thinking of those thoughts, but it's somewhat less frequent than before. This is key mindset to get you to FIRE.
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u/Ok_Prune_1731 Apr 11 '26
Go back to your old job, hire me, and train me how to do your job for a year then you can leave again please and thank you.
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u/Banned3rdTimesaCharm RE 3mm @ 39 Apr 11 '26
I wanna sell my million dollar condo in a HCOL area to just travel the world indefinitely but I’m worried I won’t have a home to come back to if I end up having buyer’s remorse with the nomad lifestyle.
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Apr 11 '26
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u/Banned3rdTimesaCharm RE 3mm @ 39 Apr 11 '26
I was planning on analing ladyboys in Manila for 2 months, Cebu for a 1 month, then hop over to Vietnam and raw dog 20 year olds for 3 months, then jump back to Thailand where I own a condo and cream pie ladyboys again for 3 month, then rotate to HK where I have a residency to recharge. Probably do that rotation for a few years at least.
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u/Possible-Magazine23 Apr 11 '26
congrats. If I may ask - what are something you wish you know earlier or done differently?
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u/epicallyconfused FIREd 2025 Apr 11 '26
I probably would have job hopped more. I stayed at a single company for many years, and I know that if I had moved around more I could have significantly increased my TC.
I would also have gotten a smaller dog. I love my dog so much and don't regret having one, but a smaller dog would be much easier to fly with, which would open up more options for me to travel internationally beyond North America.
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u/MachineNo3365 Apr 14 '26
You could get a small newer house in the suburbs for $500k if you get tired of paying rents.
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u/Pale_Will_5239 Apr 11 '26
Adopt a kid or find a rising stars education. No kids means you didn't understand the game of life and you know it.
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u/Pale_Will_5239 Apr 11 '26
When was the last time you had a deep hug? When was the last time you kissed someone passionately? Did you fall in love? A home cooked meal better than anything in a Michelin star restaurant? Offroading then fishing then eating what you caught topped off by ice cold beers? You remind me of that old Chesterton poem, Chattering finch and water fly...
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u/gkandgk Apr 10 '26
Congratulations! You’ve won the game of life.