Discover the Fortune Hiding in Your Insurance Premiums!

Ever thought about how to save money? Sure you have, what did you do? You downsized a few things, maybe cut back on the monthly budget, had a boot or garage sale to free up some money but there is a place which most people don't look. Insurance premiums!

There are normally 3 types of insurance:

Legally obligated - Such as Car Insurance

Contractually obligated - Such as Life Insurance if you have a Mortgage

Non Obligated / Perceived Need - Home Contents Insurance

Clearly you can't remove all of them as you can see you are legally required to have some insurance. But there are ways to make sure your insurance premiums are as efficient as possible. Here are our top 9 tips to finding that hidden fortune....

1 Try buying your insurances together. Some insurers will give you a discount if you buy both your car and home insurance together. If not told. Ask!

2 Buy or quote online. Buying Online will give you access to some discounts not available anywhere else as their administration costs are reduced. This could be up to 15%

3 Never just accept your renewal quotes from your existing provider. They are not as hungry to offer you the best deal each year as you are now a customer! Use the renewal quote as a benchmark to get further quotes. If need be once done, go back to your existing insurer with the other quotes and ask them to better them. You could be pleasantly surprised

4 Replace Poor Value or expensive cover. Did you take out Loan Protection Insurance with a Loan? It is normally 5 - 10 times more expensive than if you bought it separately.

5 Look at minimum levels of cover, where appropriate. If you have an old car for example, it may be worth looking at Third Party Insurance Only

6 Pay your insurance premiums annually. Monthly direct debit may be easier on your wallet, but you could be missing out on a 10% saving by paying up front. Just make sure you are paying for it and not putting it on your Credit card!

7 Don't buy extra cover you can live without. A courtesy car ion a car insurance plan is not free. You will pay normally £10 - £50

8 Put a higher excess on your insurance. If you don't claim the first £300 on your home insurance, you will reduce your premiums, but still be covered for major events such as flooding, fire of theft

9 Get rid of any duplicate cover by reading the small print on your policy documents. Travel insurance can cover valuables when abroad, but so can your home contents insurance so it is not worth the extra cost.

All in all, you can see there are several ways to reduce your premiums which don't involve moving companies. Read your insurance documents and take action when your renewals are due.

Spending a few hours online getting quotes and researching your requirements could save you hundreds of pounds for the same amount of cover you currently have. Don't be scared to question the quote or the cover being offered.

Jason Hulott is Business Development Director of Protection Insurance. Protection Insurance is an internet based insurance business dedicated to getting consumers the very best insurance rates and the best products. Our product portfolio includes many specialist products as well as life and critical illness insurance; UK Car Insurance, UK Home Insurance, and Self Build Insurance; Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance and Income Protection Insurance.

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Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich makes a statement at a news conference Friday, Jan. 9, 2009 in Chicago, after he was impeached by the Illinois House on a wide array of offenses including criminal corruption and wasting taxpayers money. The two-term Democrat becomes the first governor in the history of Illinois to be impeached. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)AP - The Illinois House voted overwhelmingly Friday to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, setting up an unprecedented trial in the state Senate on whether he should be thrown out for abuse of power, including allegations that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.



Smoke caused by explosions from Israeli military operations hangs in the sky over the outskirts of Gaza City as seen from the Israel-Gaza Border, Friday, Jan. 9, 2009. The U.N. Security Council called for an 'immediate' and 'durable' cease-fire in Gaza, but an intense bombardment of missiles from Israeli jets and helicopters early Friday and a barrage of Hamas rockets indicated there would be no rapid end to the fighting. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)AP - Israeli jets and ground troops hammered at Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip and Islamic militants fired barrages of rockets at southern Israeli cities Friday, ignoring a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire after two weeks of combat.



Steve Pruitt, from Belle Chasse, La., fills out an employment application during a Dollar General job fair in Metairie, La., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. The nation's unemployment rate bolted to 7.2 percent in December, the highest since early 1993, as nervous employers slashed 524,000 jobs. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)AP - The nation's unemployment rate bolted to 7.2 percent in December, the highest level in 16 years, as nervous employers slashed 524,000 jobs, capping one of the worst years in modern history for American workers.



President-elect Barack Obama speaks about the economy at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.,  Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)AP - President-elect Barack Obama said Friday that he and Congress will "hone and refine" his nearly $800 billion economic recovery plan, as he seeks to patch fissures with senior Democrats over key features of the still-emerging plan.



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Texas death row inmate Andre Thomas is shown in this undated handout file photo released Friday, Jan. 9, 2009 in Huntsville, Texas. Thomas, who has a history of mental problems is being treated at a prison psychiatric unit after authorities said he pulled out his only good eye and ate it.  He similarly had plucked out his right eye before his trial in 2004. (AP Photo/Texas Department of Criminal Justice, FILE)AP - A Texas death row inmate with a history of mental problems pulled out his only good eye and told authorities he ate it. Andre Thomas, 25, was arrested for the fatal stabbings of his estranged wife, their young son and her 13-month-old daughter in March 2004. Their hearts also had been ripped out. He was convicted and condemned for the infant's death.



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Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich speaks during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois January 9, 2009. (Stephen J. Carrera/Reuters)Reuters - The Illinois House of Representatives impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday for abuse of power, including a charge that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.



A weapons system fired by Israeli forces explodes over Gaza January 9, 2009. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters)Reuters - Israel rejected a U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Friday and warplanes and tanks pounded the Palestinian enclave.



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Voters fill their ballots during the U.S. presidential election in West Hollywood, California November 4, 2008. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)Reuters - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Friday it would consider a challenge to a central provision of the 44-year-old voting rights law aimed at preventing states and local governments from making it harder for minorities to vote.



A foreclosed home is seen in Stockton, California in this May 13, 2008 file photo. A top bank industry group said on Friday that it opposes an agreement between financial giant Citigroup Inc  (Robert Galbraith/Files/Reuters)Reuters - A top bank industry group said on Friday that it opposes an agreement between Citigroup Inc and Democratic senators that would rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, saying it could make home loans more expensive.



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A relative of Palestinian journalist Ihab al-Wihedi and his wife mourns prior to their funeral in Gaza City. Tanks and warplanes pounded Gaza on Friday after Israel defied a truce order from the UN Security Council as the death toll from the two-week-old conflict against Hamas passed 800.(AFP/Mahmud Hams)AFP - Tanks and warplanes pounded Gaza on Friday after Israel defied a truce order from the UN Security Council as the death toll from the two-week-old conflict against Hamas passed 800.



This US Navy photo shows the MV Sirius Star as it is observed at anchor by the US Navy. Somali pirates said Friday they had freed a Saudi-owned supertanker, whose capture nearly two months ago caused panic in international shipping and spurred the world into tougher anti-piracy action.(AFP/NVNS/David B. Hudson)AFP - Somali pirates said Friday they had freed a Saudi-owned supertanker, whose capture nearly two months ago caused panic in international shipping and spurred the world into tougher anti-piracy action.




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