By Nicholas Hunt

- Shop Around

By comparing prices from several insurance companies, youll probably be able to reduce your premiums by a substantial amount. This may seem obvious, but research has shown that a surprisingly large proportion of people either just renew their current policy, or get only one or two quotes. Many insurance web sites will automatically compare dozens of policies for you, making this one of the easiest ways to reduce your insurance bill.

- Buy online

If you buy your policy online you can often get a discount of up to 20% on normal prices, because there are less administration costs involved and the savings can be passed on to you.

- Combine your buildings and contents policies

Many insurers will give you a discount if you take out both types of home insurance with them, and this usually works out cheaper than getting the two kinds of policies from different companies.

- Pay upfront

Although most insurers let you pay your premium in monthly instalments, many will charge interest for this. If you can afford to pay a full years premium in advance, then this will work out cheaper in the long run.

- Dont claim for small amounts

Making many small claims can increase your insurance costs, as your insurer may see you as a greater risk and increase your premiums. You will also lose any no claims discount your policy has. Of course, youre entitled to claim for anything your policy covers, but ask yourself if making a small claim is really worth the hassle and possible future costs.

- Voluntary excess

This is related to the last point. Insurance policies feature something known as excess, which basically means that the policy wont pay out on claims below a certain value. On some policies, if you choose to raise your excess to a higher level, then your premiums will be lower.

- Increase your home security

Beefing up your home security with better door locks, window locks, outdoor lighting, and alarm systems can all result in lower premiums. Ask your insurer what you could do to get extra discounts.

- Reduce your cover

Many policies feature benefits that you might not need, such as cover for personal possessions while travelling, or free legal advice. Look through your policy and see what parts of it you really need - by cutting your cover down to size you may be able to reduce your premium.

Nicholas Hunt is a financial writer for OneStop Finance. You can find a more detailed version of this article at Getting Cheaper Home Insurance, along with more information on home insurance providers.

Tags: 8 Easy Tips, Cheaper Home Insurance

By Jon Butt

Depending on your business activities, a commercial home based business auto insurance policy may be necessary, particularly if you have employees. For the most part, both personal and commercial car insurance are the same with regard to the main types of coverage, but finding the cheapest car insurance rates for either means pinning down your specific needs.

Personal Or Commercial Coverage?

For the home based business, home based business auto insurance may not be necessary, and a personal auto insurance policy might be sufficient. It is important, in that case, that the policyholder inform his or her auto insurance company that the personal auto is sometimes used in business, and, should the vehicle be in an accident or be damaged, it is essential that the claim state the vehicle was being used for business at that time.

The auto insurance provider may require commercial auto insurance, however, particularly if your home based business has employees that use owned or leased company vehicles or personal vehicles for business purposes.

Choose A Well Rated Vehicle To Keep Premiums Down

Car insurance for both commercial and personal vehicle use are affected by the choice of vehicle. If used more for business than for the family car, the owner of a home business should choose an auto that carries one of the cheapest car rates because, in the eyes of auto insurance companies, it is less expensive to buy or repair, is stolen less often, or has more standard safety and security equipment.

Listings of the cheapest car rates can be found at state insurance agency websites.

Jon Butt publishes www.which-car-insurance.com A free resource site devoted to advising all on the car, motor and auto insurance facts you need to know, the different types, cover levels, the top car insurance companies, how to buy wisely online or through local brokers. All vehicles are all covered in this easy insurance guide

Tags: Business Activities, Home Insurance