10 Ways to Save on Car & Home Insurance This New Year

image courtesy of Stuart Miles at www.freedigitalphotos.net

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Getting together with family, friends, and co-workers is a blast. And there’s nothing quite like the joy of exchanging gifts with people you care about. Plus, some mild weather here in Central New York was a bonus for travelers (if not so much for skiers!).

But then 2016 greets us with all of those bills coming due. Food, gifts, and restaurant charges add up, so we thought that this would be a good time to think about actually SAVING some money.

So here we go with a list of 10 ways you can save money on your car and home insurance.

Save on Car Insurance

Here’s a list of credits and discounts available on your car insurance policy. Take a look through the list and call us to be sure you’re getting the discounts you deserve. Also, if we don’t carry your auto insurance now, we’ll see if we can save you some money with one of our very competitive companies.

1. Take a Defensive Driving Course
   Save 10% on your car insurance with a Defensive Driving Course. Courses are offered throughout the year at various locations in Central New York. You can even take courses online. Find out more at the DMV website here. Also, check the Utica Observer Dispatch and local papers for dates and places of courses offered in New Hartford and the Utica area.
2. Do You Have Automatic Seat Belts or Air Bags?
   Most new cars do so be sure you’re getting the right discounts.
3. Factory Installed Anti-Lock Brakes
   You’ll get a discount from your Liability, Collision, No-Fault, and Medical Payments premiums.
4. Anti-Theft Device
   You’ll save on your Comprehensive Coverage, which pays for your car if it’s stolen. Let us know the kind you have and we’ll apply the credit.
5. Are You a Safe Driver?
   Many of our companies offer a “Careful Driver” discount if you have not had a major accident or moving traffic violation during a certain period of time.
6. Raise Your Deductibles
   You might be surprised at the amount of money you save by raising your Collision and Comprehensive deductibles.
7. Are Your Kids Out of the House?
   Make sure they are off your policy. Adding your kids onto your policy back when they lived with you cost you more. Now that they’re gone, you can pay less.
8. Retired and No Longer Driving to Work?
   Call us and let us know. If you were driving over 3 miles to work before retiring, we can save you money by rating your cars “Pleasure Use.”
9. Eligible for Mature Driver Discounts?
   Many discounts start at age 50, so give us a call.

Save on Home Insurance

10. The major way to save money on your home insurance policy is with higher deductibles.
We like to quote our clients with at least a $1,000 Deductible here in the New Hartford area. That’s because raising the standard $250 Deductible to $1,000-$2,000 can save from 8% to 10% on your annual homeowners insurance premium. That often amounts to hundreds of dollars per year.

You might think that paying for the first $1,000 in the event of a loss is excessive. But think of it this way: would you pay $200 per year to insure an item worth $750? That’s the approximate difference in price between the $250 and $1,000 Deductible. You would probably say no. Why should you pay so much to insure something worth only $750?

So there you have it, a quick list of ways to save money on your car insurance and home insurance this year. We hope you take advantage and if you’d like us to quote any insurance we don’t have, let us know. We’ve been saving people money from all over Central New York and would love to help you put a little something back in your pocket, too.

Until next time,
Your SZW Team

Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig, Inc. is your New Hartford area independent insurance agent. Call us for a quote on insurance for your home, car, business, or life at 315.792.0000. Or request a quote here.