I get where you’re coming from, but I actually lean the other way on this. For me, the math just makes more sense with a higher deductible—especially if you don’t have a history of claims. Over the years, I’ve saved quite a bit in premiums that way. Sure, there’s some risk, but I’d rather self-insure for the smaller stuff and use the extra savings to build that emergency fund faster. Maybe it’s just my risk tolerance, but I don’t like overpaying the insurance companies unless I really have to.
I get the logic, and honestly, I’ve seen folks come out ahead with higher deductibles—until that one year when Murphy’s Law shows up. Had a client who went five years saving on premiums, then got hit with a double-whammy car and home claim in the same month. It evened out in the end, but man... timing is everything. I guess it really does depend on how much risk you’re cool with carrying.
That’s the thing, right? You can crunch the numbers all you want, but life throws curveballs. I’ve thought about bumping up my deductible, but then I remember the time my neighbor’s kid backed into my car—totally random. How do you figure out what’s “enough” cushion for those surprises?
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I lean the other way on this one. I’ve run the numbers a bunch of times, and yeah, raising the deductible looks good on paper—until something weird happens. Last year, my son left his bike behind my wife’s car and she didn’t see it backing out. Bent the wheel and scratched up the bumper. Not a huge deal, but if we’d had a sky-high deductible, it would’ve all come out of pocket.
I know people say you should only file claims for big stuff anyway, but with kids and a busy schedule, little accidents just seem to happen more often than I’d like to admit. For me, having a lower deductible is like buying peace of mind. I’d rather pay a bit more each month than get hit with a $1,000+ bill when something random happens.
I guess it depends on how much you’ve got set aside for emergencies. If you’ve got a solid cushion and can handle those surprise expenses without sweating it, maybe bumping up the deductible makes sense. But if your budget’s tight (like mine usually is), sometimes it’s less stressful to just keep things predictable.
It’s kind of like playing defense against Murphy’s Law… if something can go wrong, it probably will—at least in my house.
I hear you—stuff just happens, especially when you’re juggling a lot. I went for a higher deductible last year to save on premiums, but then I clipped a mailbox on a road trip. Ended up paying most of the repairs myself. Kind of made me rethink if the monthly savings are really worth it for my peace of mind.