I was writing the other day about how amazingly different things were when you live in the city rather than the suburbs. The first thing I noticed was how close everything was in the suburbs. In the city we had to drive 45 minutes to get anywhere. Whether it was a restaurant or a grocery store, everything took forever to get to. The best surprise I found after moving to the suburbs was that my Van Insurance dropped from $650 every 6 months to just over $300 for the same period of time! It was cut in half just by a change in zip code! I still had never had a claim, an accident or moving violation of any kind–so to see such a drastic difference was quite the shock! I guess the more urban the area, the more claims each insurance company receives, and those of us with great records who’ve never made a claim are the ones that have to pay for it! Honestly, had my car been damaged, vandalized or stolen, I would have been thrilled to have the complete coverage that I had for the price. But looking back, I’m glad I was insured–but a break in the rates would have been nice!

Insurance is something that you have to have. In most cases it’s the law, but in every case it’s important to protect yourself and your investments. As the old proverb says, Better safe than sorry! But do your homework when you are looking for coverage. Had I known how much cheaper it was to live elsewhere–we may have moved just a bit sooner!!