You win some, you lose some

Hello. I managed to save a few £'s yesterday by making a phone call. Every year I get a renewal letter from the RAC, (breakdown and recovery policy), and every year I ring them up and ask why has it gone up so much. They usually find a way to knock a bit off and so I agree to the new amount that they have offered. Well now I an fed up of doing that, so this time it's curtains, cancelled I am not paying the extra 20 quid that they want.

I rang my insurance brokers because they have offered me a much better price in the past for the same RAC cover, so now I am moving to them. Seems a bit bonkers to me, you pay direct to the RAC and it costs more than going through another channel.

Ok, so now I want to explain why I use an insurance broker for my car insurance. Some will say, they cost more, yes they probably do because they have premises and staff to pay for, but I am paying for a service in the same way that someone might pay a window cleaner or a gardener, or a cleaner. I can clean my own windows, look after my own garden, and clean my own house, so savings there. 

I know my weaknesses and big numbers are not my strong point. I am confused by spreadsheets, and the small print in policies, who reads them all anyway. I want to get it right so I speak to my broker on the phone as I have been doing for the last 48 years. They explain everything to me, I get a real person in an office, I know where the office is I have visited it in the past. It's a family business which I stick with because they provide a good service. They are the experts in insurance, and after all this time they are still in business.

I know, things have moved forward, people can look for better deals on the internet. That's fine for those who want to spend time doing that. There is a trade off between time and money. You can save all the money you like on every aspect of your life, and you can become obsessed by saving money. You can search out the best deals on every penny you spend, but if money is controlling your life, you will have no life worth living.

I know the areas where I am hot on saving money, I know the amount of time I am willing to invest in achieving those savings. Some people are not so keen on saving a few £'s on food shopping, doing it my way takes time and effort to go around the shops comparing prices. Others would rather tap a few keys on a keyboard to do their shopping. I see that physically walking around shops is better for me, I am in the open air, I am walking, I am not sat at home looking at a screen.

I am now going to cancel the direct debit to the RAC, I am leaving them. The wheels are in motion for joining the RAC via my insurance broker. I know there are other breakdown companies out there, but I would rather stick with a known brand, a man, or woman (I have yet to meet one), in an orange van.

There are many different way of saving money, people have different needs and wants. I do the best for me, now you do the best for you.

A note has popped up in the corner of my screen, Scott has a new video out on yoootooob, so now I'm going to get a coffee and watch that. It's raining, and it's mobile library day, so I won't be going far. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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