Defensive Driving for Fun and Profit
Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!
While reviewing our auto insurance bill, I noticed our defensive driving discount had just expired. And thus, a new money-saving opportunity appeared.
Our insurance company offers a 10% discount for three years in exchange for completing a defensive driving course. The course costs $24.95 and typically takes four to six hours to complete. Our auto insurance bill is currently $125/month (and this is below average as we only own one car), meaning that this course saves us $450 over three years, an excellent return.
Almost all insurers offer a significant discount for taking a defensive driving course, generally about 8-10%. In most cases, these courses can be taken online. Our insurer recommends the course offered by the National Safety Council, though check with your insurer for their recommendation and to confirm their discount, as some only accept certain courses or have other restrictions.
Just like some of my other favorite money-saving tips (such as using promotional discounts to cut your cable/internet bill or getting as much as 76% off a NYTimes subscription), these tips can be used periodically for additional savings, so make sure to set recurring reminders (as discussed in this post) for when these discounts expire.
And now…Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:
Two articles I enjoyed this week:
As many readers are likely aware, Scarlet Johansson is suing Disney over their decision to release Black Widow on Disney+ at the same time as in theaters, reducing the likely bonuses she would have otherwise received under her contract. This great WSJ piece discusses their negotiations (Johansson asked for $100 million, Disney stood by her contractual $20 million salary plus an undetermined bonus) and what’s at stake for the film industry.
I’ve generally thought of shoplifting as an annoyance, and most shoplifters to be first-time offenders who made a mistake, like Marissa in Season 1 of The OC. But shoplifting by organized teams of shoplifters selling to large-scale fences (who often sell stolen products on Amazon) is serious business, costing retailers an estimated $45 billion per year. I found this article about CVS’s 17-person anti-theft division (complete with its own surveillance van) very interesting.
I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.