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" Believe it or not, there is one cost-of-living expense going down in some places: insurance for your home and car. You could save hundreds a year \u2014 or more \u2014 by making a few smart moves. Tell your agent how you became a lower risk Driving less because of high gas prices? You&amp;#039;re likely entitled to a reduction in your auto premiums, because there&amp;#039;s a lower chance that you&amp;#039;ll be in an accident. Insurers like State Farm, Travelers, and Farmers Group offer low-mileage discounts of 10 percent or more for drivers who motor fewer than 7,500 miles a year. Some companies, like GEICO and Nationwide, also shave premiums 5 to 30 percent for drivers who&amp;#039;ve been accident-free for five years.  Get it all under one roof  Keep your home and auto coverage with one insurer, and many companies, like Allstate and State Farm, will offer big discounts (up to 20 percent). That&amp;#039;s what Cynthia Flash Hemphill of Bellevue, WA, found when she combined her insurance and cut her annual bill. Alert your insurers to key life changes Attorney Jonathan G. Stein of Elk Grove, CA, says if you recently got married or moved, you may qualify for a reduction in your car and homeowners&amp;#039; premiums. If you improved your credit score, ask for cheaper car insurance; a higher score may get you a lower premium. Boost your deductibles  When you raise your deductibles (what you pay out-of-pocket before an insurer will pay a claim), you lower your insurance premiums. Agree to a higher deductible, and your premiums could drop significantly. For instance, a 45-year-old Chicago couple could lower their auto premium about $285 after raising the deductible from $250 to $1,000. The more your house is worth, the more you&amp;#039;ll save by increasing its deductible, says Wayne Blackwell, an insurance agent in Grand Rapids, MI. &amp;quot;Going from $500 to $1,000 will save about $70 a year on a $125,000 home and over $400 on a $600,000 house,&amp;quot; he says. Go comparison shopping Spend a half hour online seeing how rates vary for your current coverage (or the coverage you want). Check out insweb.com to see if you can get a better deal. If the thought of insurance shopping makes your head spin, call an independent agent who will compare premiums for you at no charge. You can find local accredited agents through the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America&amp;#039;s Website, trustedchoice.com. If you&amp;#039;re shopping for a new car, your insurance quote will depend partly on the model you buy. In many states, Travelers and Farmers Group offer 5 to 10 percent discounts for hybrids. You can also save about $100 a year on coverage if you choose a conservative sedan over a sporty coupe that&amp;#039;s more likely to be stolen. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/money/advice/a17916/lower-insurance-rates/>