Save Money in Daily Life – Tips, Tricks and Practicalities

Everybody hates bills, so why should car insurance premiums be any different. And just like other bills, such as cable, grocery shopping, and electricity, there are ways to save on the cost of car insurance. Listed below are 15 realistic approaches to help everyone reduce their premiums.

Multiple Line Discount - one can take advantage of deep discounts by insuring all cars, boats, homes, and apartments with one insurance company.

Update agent if recently laid off or work from home - Driving less miles per week, usually less than 100 per week can reduce your policy rate.

Safe Driving Discount - You might eligible for a discount if you have been free of accidents and tickets for several years.

Raise your deductible - Raising you deductible can save you hundreds of dollars every year, but make sure you have money saved to cover the higher deductible if needed.

Comparison shop - Let your agent know that you are looking at other agencies to reduce your monthly premium; it is likely the agent will pull some strings to keep you as a customer. Caution: if you find a better deal, confirm that it is not an introductory price. Many times your premium will increase to what you were paying with your previous insurance agent.

Discount for parents under 25 - Car insurance companies reduce their policy holders premium at the age of 25 assuming there have been no accidents, some insurance companies offer this reduction for parents under that age of 25. However, another reduction will not apply once you turn 25.

Full coverage or liability - An insurance company will not spend more money repairing a car than it is worth. Therefore, check the value of your car using Kelley Blue Book and determine whether full coverage if still needed or if it is best to switch to liability.

Get insurance quotes before you buy a vehicle and choose vehicle color - the type, model and color will affect you premium. If you don’t want your premium to increase stay away from red sports cars. Also popular foreign models such as Toyota and Honda might have high premiums because they are stolen regularly.

Don’t buy short-term policies - There might be a penalty so buy long-term.

Don’t let your insurance lapse - A lapsed insurance policy indicates irresponsibility and high-risk. Avoid this at all cost. When you are ready to renew you will notice that your cost will have jumped tremendously.

Only insure cars that are driven - Cars that are inoperable do not need to be insured. To avoid any complications or penalties with your state, make sure your car is registered as ‘inoperable’.

Refresh your driving skills - confirm that the money you save when your premium is lowered outweighs the cost of the training courses.

Don’t hit anything or get a ticket - Your fault or not, this can increase your policy rate for several years. Keep your eyes on the road. Avoid tickets. Speeding tickets and other moving violations can push your rates up substantially and these, like accidents, usually affect your insurance for 3-5 years.

Don’t insure teenager driver with your car - Premiums for a teenager driver is through the roof. Instead, purchase a safe, used car and only purchase liability. You will save hundreds of dollars.

Have good credit score- I don’t agree with this step for determining policy price, but some insurance companies are now using credit scores to calculate the cost of your premium. High credit scores have lower premiums and low credit scores have high premiums. Keep your score high.

Pay semi-annually - This is my favorite!! A surcharge fee is generally applied to customers who pay monthly. This fee is easily avoided by paying semi-annually. Begin to save up enough money to make the 1st semi-annual payment. After you make that payment, automatically transfer the monthly insurance payment into a high-yield savings account to earn interest. When you receive your semi-annual bill, pull money from your high-yield savings account to cover your premium cost. Any money earned from interest is profit.

Out of the 15 options listed above, I hope at least one of them will help you save money on your car insurance.