A few weeks ago I decided to shop around for cheaper car insurance. I told myself I wouldn't switch unless I saved myself at least $100. Otherwise it would be too much work to switch for such little savings.

I get those letters in the mail all the time advertising big savings. But I figured that when I shopped around last time, I got the lowest rate I could find, so I didn't think I'd save anything this time.

Imagine my surprise when I saved myself $516 ($43 a month). Not bad at all!

The downside is that I used an online quote service (NetQuote) so I got about 3 online quotes, about 6 different emails, and another 3 phone calls.

So the whole process took me about 3 weeks to contact the various companies (I skipped a few) and then compare.

But $400 bucks is worth a little work.

When you compare, make sure the company you choose has a good financial rating, which you can find through A.M. Best, and offers good customer service.

How much money did you save? Leave a comment below and let me know:

I just read an article about how hard it is for rich people - those making $250,000 a year - to save money. And for the first time since the Great Depression, the savings rate in the U.S. is actually LESS THAN zero (meaning that as a whole, we Americans spend more than we save).

Wow, what a sad story. If people making a quarter of a million dollars each year can't save properly, how in the world do the rest of us hope to build a nest egg?

Rising credit card debt ... skyrocketing numbers of foreclosures ... "rich" people having trouble making ends meet. Doesn't ANYONE know how to manage their money?

No. Plain and simple.

But there is hope. No matter how much - or how little - you earn, you can get ahead.

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