We Finally Broke Up with Our Old Insurance (It Wasn’t Us It Was Them)

October 22, 2025

Hey Project Money friends! We’ve got a little confession to make…

Remember earlier in this competition when we all talked about the small things we could do to make a big difference in our budgets? Things like reviewing phone bills, car insurance, and all those “adulting” tasks we tend to put off?

Well… this week, we finally tackled one of those dreaded items: our insurance policies.

Instead of spending hours on hold, we reached out to a local insurance agent recommended by our brother-in-law (who used to work in the industry). We sent him copies of our current policies, and within a day, he got back to us with quotes for the same coverage plus a few upgrades.

The whole process was surprisingly easy and, honestly, kind of painless.

Here’s the kicker (and the slightly embarrassing part): by just making that one phone call, we’re saving over $120 a month!

We’ve talked about accountability before with our Summit financial coach, Jess, and this was a perfect reminder of why having that guidance matters. It’s so easy to procrastinate on the boring stuff, but sometimes, that “boring stuff” saves you hundreds of dollars a year. We’re definitely kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner.

If you haven’t reviewed your insurance rates recently, take this as your sign. Premiums go up over time, and checking in every few years can really pay off.

A Lesson in “Trying Too Hard to Win”

We also had a great conversation with Jess this week about another learning moment, one that’s a bit humbling.
Last month, we bought airline tickets and booked a hotel for our upcoming Vegas trip to see my sister renew her vows. (So excited!) Normally, we pay off our credit cards weekly, a system that keeps us on track and helps us feel confident in our spending.

But this time, instead of paying off the travel costs right away from our savings, we decided to get “creative.” (Like we did in the last blog post when we only slightly went over budget.) We thought maybe we could cover it again with side hustles or extra income over the next few weeks.

Spoiler: that didn’t go as planned…

We stretched our budget too thin, the balance lingered, and for a few weeks, we couldn’t clearly see where our spending stood. It threw off our rhythm, and honestly, it didn’t feel good.

After talking it through with our coach, we realized that sometimes trying too hard to find a clever workaround can actually make things harder. We decided to pull from savings (like we should have from the start) and get back to our weekly payoff routine.

Now, we’re back on track! With a clearer understanding, if it’s a big, out-of-the-ordinary expense, it comes from savings. And before we do it, we’ll ask, “Is this really worth it?”

Moving Forward with Gratitude

We’re learning as we go, navigating these new financial waters with the support of our friends, family, and our financial coach. The emotional side of money is real, and celebrating small wins (or learning from small mistakes) makes all the difference when you’re building sustainable financial habits.

By the way, if you haven’t reviewed your own insurance rates recently, Summit Credit Union makes it super easy.

They’ve partnered with TruStage and Liberty Mutual to offer members discounted rates.

Check them out here:

Thanks for the support, and we hope our lessons learned can help your financial success!

Dawn and Marco