I called around and found the best deal in town for my Auto and Homeowner's Insurance. I am saving myself $716.42 a year. I am also having it directly deducted from my checking account each month, so that category is eliminated from my Freedom Account.

This is a great feeling because I don't have to anticipate having enough to cover these costs and I don't have to write a check.

So, now all I have in my Freedom Account is property taxes, home and auto maintenance, Christmas and Vacations.

So, I got my check from selling off my property. A whopping $1517.00. It is not a lot of money, but it came in handy.

But, that money is gone already. It was going to fund my Freedom Account, which in a sense, it did, cause the items I paid for with that money are all categories in my Freedom Account

Here is where it went.

Fix my Jeeps rotors, wheel bearing and engine sensor light - $385.00

Paid my State Taxes - $349.00

Vacation trip to the Odyssey of the Mind State Competition - $375.00

Extra money to pay off Attorney bill - $340.00

Piano lessons and book for this month - $27.00

Lunch money for my 9th grader - $20.00

The rest is in my wallet - $21.00.

So now I have to start adding money every month back to those categories so the money is there when I need it.

So, two of my kids compete in Odyssey of the Mind www.odysseyofthemind.com

They placed 1st and 2nd at Regionals and we just got back from competing at States this past weekend. They placed 5th and 7th. We didn't make Worlds, but I am extremely proud of their efforts.

We are going to Worlds as spectators and cheer on our States Teams.

Go Omers.

I paid off the attorney payment today which reduced my debt category $450.00. I will now focus on getting rid of CC1 - $300.00 next month and then snowball what I was paying for both of those debts onto the other debts.

As I am on a quest for a simple life, the stress of it all has been a little overwhelming.

First of all, in January I wrote all my expenses down and went through every category and tweaked them. I saved myself around $2,000 per year.

I have been adding to my ING account and savings account fairly regularly.

I also took a look at those investments that, in the beginning, I thought was a good idea. Turns out they weren't, so I decided to sell them to get back some of my investment. After it has all be said and done, I am out approximately $8,000 that I will not get back. Although, I don't have to deal with those areas any more, so it has gotten me a little closer to my simple life.

Problem is, I feel so stressed about the whole process. If I go to the store, I feel ill for spending any money, even on items I know we need. I have vowed to myself not to invest in anything else, because I may loose money and the whole keeping my money in the bank, where someone could hack into my accounts scars the living "you know what" out of me.

I find myself not sleeping well at night and pacing around the house during the day, even though there are things I could be doing. If my kids say they want to do something, I panic inside cause I don't want to spend any money, but that is not fair to them. They need to have some recreation, and it is not like I don't have the money to spend, I do.

So, how to get past this feeling of stress and insecurity. Maybe if the sun would shine. Well, I know it will pass. I think it is just the time of year.

I am on a year-long quest for financial simplicity and control. Below are the updates for March in the debt, savings and goals met areas.

So, after writing out my regular bills and paying on my credit cards for April, my credit card debt is under $10,000. I do have another section of debt which is my longer term debt. After the above is paid off, I will snowball that money into those two areas (my car and my son's college loans). After that, it is my hope to add some of the freed up money towards my mortgage. I would like to be totally debt and mortgage free in 10 years.

After keeping track for the month of March, here is the update.

My ING account is now up to $1,144.72.
Savings account is up to $601.25.

Spent $285.07 on gas. $112.17 more than the month of February, but due to having to travel for my kid's Odyssey of the Mind Competition.

My stock in my Sharebuilder account has been steadily going up. I have received my $25.00 bonus and have transferred that to my checking account.

I called around on my auto and homeowner's insurance and was able to lower the cost by a total of $800/year. That switches over this month.

I will be opening a high interest checking account which I will call my "Freedom Account" with the check I receive from the sale of my property. This checking will cover those bills that come every three, six and twelve months.

I spent
$527.88 on Groceries
$202.40 on Fast Food/Eating Out
Both of these categories are higher than last month due to traveling

Two big expenses the month of March. Paying for taxes and a new washing machine. My washing machine seized up.

Extras: There were a lot of extras that I just didn't quite keep track of this month. They included birthday parties, items needed for competition, etc.

So that pretty much covers it. It was a busy month and it is looking like April is going to be even busier.

The colors are the best I have ever seen, but the new blog is kinda confusing to me. Just my opinion.