How To Save Money ($260/year!) on car insurance if you're unemployed

If you are one of the millions who have been laid-off recently, saving money on all your expenses is probably a high priority. You've probably read about some ways to save money on your car insurance; combine your home & auto policy w/ the same company for a discount, raise your deductibles, etc.

Well, today, I discovered 2 new ways you can save money, and you're probably qualified just because you were unlucky enough to have been laid off.

1. Most car insurance policies have some type of provision for approximately how much you drive each week or month. When you originally got your insurance, you may have been classified as "drives to and from work, 100 miles or less per week," or "drives daily for outside sales job - 101 - 250 miles per week." Each insurance company may have slightly different categories, but the more you drive, the more you pay for insurance. Well, if you're not driving to work everyday, you can probably fit into a lower category. With State Farm, I called my agent, gave her my current mileage reading, and an estimate of how many miles I drive each month and she made the change. She said I'll be sent something periodically requesting my mileage to make sure I still qualify.
2. I also qualified for a discount for having a low "earned income." This is because I have coverage for loss of earned income if I am injured in an auto accident. They do not count severance, unemployment, interest, social security etc., so if you are unemployed, it is fairly easy to meet the qualification of $500 or less per month in earned income. She emailed me a form I have to fill out, sign and return by mail.

Total savings: $130 every 6 months. Not bad for what was literally a 5 minute phone call. And I didn't even have to lower my deductible to save money.