With rising costs in just about everything these days, household budgets are becoming tighter and tighter. Because of this, shopping around for car insurance quotes can be a tiring and frustrating experience. This article lists several ways to help reduce auto insurance premiums and hopefully help to stretch the household budget a little further.

• Keep a clean driving record. With other drivers on the road, this may not always be possible. However, it is the easiest way to lower an auto insurance premium. The longer you go without tickets or accidents, the more likely your premium is to go down.
• Drive for fewer miles. Insurance companies consider how often and far the car is driven when providing a car insurance quote. If it is at all possible, consider taking public transportation or participating in a car pool a few times a week to lower the amount of miles a car is driven on a regular basis.
• Consider newer vehicles. Oftentimes, companies will provide a lower car insurance quote for those who are driving newer vehicles. If it's a possibility, trading in an older car for a newer one may help to reduce the auto insurance premiums. 
• Ask for discounts. Many insurance companies offer different types of discounts to their customers. Asking an agent about these may help to lower the premium. Here are the most common discounts:
  • Bundling: Having either homeowner's or renter's insurance is a good idea. It helps to protect belongings in the case of instances such as fire, flood,  and theft. Bundling this with your auto insurance may be a way to reduce the payment amount on both premiums, providing a lowered premium all together.
  • Multiple vehicle: In America these days, many households have more than one car. Having each of these cars insured under the same premium can help to lower the total premium amount.
  • Automatic payments:  With the world becoming more and more technologically advanced, companies are often preferring to have everything, including payments, set up automatically. Providing information to have the company automatically deduct the payment from a checking or savings account may be a way to lower the premium.
• Consider making a full payment. Many households pay their premium monthly. However, an option is available to pay the premium every six months. Doing so will often result in a lowered premium amount. An added bonus is that it's one less bill to think about each month.
• Ask about a defensive driving course. Some companies provide a defensive driving course for their companies. Attending a previously-approved course may be a way to lower the premium amount.

Each company is different and not every company will provide every one of these options. However, asking an agent if their company, like Savage & McPherson Insurance, does may result in a significantly lowered premium payment.