Possibly the biggest variable effecting the cost of premiums is whether or not you have already made a claim on your homeowners insurance policy in the past few years.

Some people may think this is an unfair calculation as you may have been unlucky enough to have your home broken into and had to claim on the house contents insurance through no fault of your own.

Similarly your home may have been subjected to an unforeseen flood or fire that was not your fault, and you could not have made any provisions against it.

To a certain extent this may be true, however there are steps you can take to minimise the risk and consequently improve your chances of getting cheap homeowners insurance in the future by being claim free.

The most obvious precaution you can take is to make sure your home is secure at all times. Ensure doors, windows and any other entrance or openings are locked whether you are in the home or not, but especially when there is no one at home.

Do not be fooled into thinking that just because you have popped to the shops for five minutes in the middle of the day, you do not need to close your windows and lock your doors. Thieves are opportunist and it is a sad fact that many burglaries occur in the daytime as well as in the night.

You may be planning a holiday or break and be leaving your home unattended for a few days or even weeks. Do not brag or mention your holiday plans to strangers or even people you do not consider being close friends. Knowing a house is going to be unoccupied is a clear invitation to any burglars.

When you are on holiday always make sure you have someone you completely trust to check your home, draw curtains, and turn on and off lights to give anyone watching the property the impression there are still people at home.

Every home should have fire alarms fitted and fire extinguishers within easy reach. Should you be unlucky enough to have a fire break out in your home then it is important to have an early warning from the fire alarms, not only to protect your home and its contents, but primarily to save you and your family’s lives.

To minimize fire damage and hopefully negate the need to claim on your homeowners policy having a fire extinguisher nearby to quickly put out a fire is also a vital aspect to keeping your home safe.

If you know your home is in an area that has a history of flooding then you should have an adequate supply of sandbags available to stop or at least stem the flood. A good water pump is also an essential tool you should have to minimize the water damage.

The above are some very basic steps anyone can incorporate to keep their home safe from flood, fire and robbery. These steps are not exhaustive and people should check their local government guidelines on the best and most complete ways of keeping their homes safe.

Keeping your home safe is not only something you can do to qualify for cheap homeowners insurance but is an essential requirement any homeowner should take in order to keep there family safe and injury free.

When you need to obtain a car insurance policy you may find you are overwhelmed with choices. Obviously different levels of cover may also alter your premium as well as combining your homeowners insurance.

Each vehicle has an insurance grouping. This essentially means each vehicle is placed into different categories according to their risk groups; this is something that you need to consider when purchasing a vehicle.

If you need to really compromise on the premium costs the simplest solution is to sacrifice the fully comprehensive coverage and forgo the benefits that you would be entitled to under comprehensive cover.

Another sure way of dropping your car insurance outlay is to drive carefully. Having fewer speeding offences or accidents will reduce your yearly premium dramatically and will save you money both now and in years to come. Driving carefully will not only save you cash on your car insurance, but will also keep both yourself and others safe on the roads.

If you have more than one vehicle then always remember to ask your insurance company if you can receive any sort of discount for insuring more than one car with them.

As mentioned above the type of vehicle you drive will affect your car insurance. Typically the power of the car will have a direct bearing on the premium. To save money you could consider driving a smaller car with a smaller engine, and accordingly you will find you will be able to find a much cheaper insurance quote.

Whether it is homeowner Insurance companies or car insurers most will offer discounts if you show you are taking steps to minimise the risks. For instance to further reduce your premium for car insurance you can make the insurer aware that the vehicle is fitted with anti theft devices and air bags or similar equipment.

Furthermore if you park your car overnight in a garage make sure you tell the insurance company of this.

Most insurance companies will offer age discounts. Remember to only buy the cover you require. You may be drawn towards adding on additional cover or extras such as breakdown cover, however if you are someone that does not travel far this may be something you do not need.

If you have multiple vehicles make the older or less valuable car the main car for any younger drivers in your home. If you do have young drivers in your home a good way to reduce their car insurance is to get them to take additional driving courses.

You may also want to think about raising your excess. This is the amount of money you would be required to pay if you needed to make a claim. If you increase this amount your quote should in theory be reduced.

Finally always get more than one quote and remember to ask the insurer concerned if they are able to combine or reduce the premium if you take out homeowners insurance with them.