The five policies
Three quotes yearly, same coverage levels for a fair fight. Higher deductibles (with a cushion saved) cut premiums 10-30%; low-mileage and bundle discounts stack.
Cheap ($10-$25/month) and covers theft, fire and liability. Photograph your stuff once; the claim you never planned for goes smoother.
Re-shop at renewal, mind the deductible you could actually pay, and confirm replacement-cost (not market-value) coverage on the structure.
If work offers plans, compare premium + deductible + your real usage, not premium alone. No coverage? Healthcare.gov enrollment periods and Medicaid (income-based, year-round) are the two official doors.
If someone depends on your income: simple term life for the dependent years is the standard tool. Price it while healthy; skip products that mix investing and insurance until you've read widely.
Insurance pricing punishes loyalty. Re-shopping at every renewal isn't disloyal; it's the game as designed.
Rules that save money safely
Small-screen protection plans and $4 package insurance profit the seller. Insure catastrophes, self-insure annoyances.
Liability is the part protecting everything you own. Cut deductibles' comfort, not liability limits.
Moved, married, credit improved, car aged out: each one re-prices you, usually downward.
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Which discounts should I actually ask for by name?
Bundling (auto + renters/home), low mileage (commutes shrank for lots of people and insurers didn't notice), good student, defensive-driving course, autopay/paperless, and, the sleeper, asking whether your credit tier or claims-free years qualify you for a better bracket now than at signup. Agents rarely volunteer re-tiering; the phrase 'can you re-rate my policy?' is the key that turns that lock.
What does 'insure catastrophes, self-insure annoyances' mean in practice?
Insurance is priced to profit on predictable small claims, so buying it for things you could cover from savings (phone screens, $4 package protection, an extended warranty on a $60 appliance) is a losing trade on average. The products worth real money protect against events that would wreck you: liability, the house burning, disability, a family income vanishing. Practical version: once your emergency cushion can absorb a $1,000 surprise, raise deductibles to $1,000, decline the register add-ons, and put the freed premium toward the coverage limits that actually matter.