In Perspective

Got a notice in the mail yesterday about something that I do feel very strongly about, mainly because I've been in a predicament where I was really glad I had this stuff.

How many of you have had the misfortune of having your home catch on fire? Hopefully, if any of you, my readers, have had this happen, it was a small fire, or you got out safely, got out your valuables that can't be replaced too.

In our case, we were very lucky because it didn't destroy the entire house but it sure as heck did wreak a lot of damage to the upstairs. We lost clothes, yes and a lot of bedroom furnishings and the like along with many old photos and stuff like that. It also made cleaning the attic out an absolute necessity which was, in fact, a very good thing as it was stuffed to the gills with stuff dating back to the 20s and 30s -things that had belonged to this aunt or uncle or stuff my Grandma -who, like my mother and me -was the original pack-rat, I do believe.

But anyway, that part is beside the point -well sort of.

The mail I got was a reminder about my home owners insurance and the cost that will be incurred to me if I keep the current policy I have in effect. (I get one of these notes from my insurance company periodically.)

All this means is that if I am unsatisfied with the current pricing there I will need to shop around and get a home insurance quote from some other companies -or even talk to the agent about revamping my current policy perhaps.

The thing here for me is that I am, overall, generally quite satisfied with the company and plan I have although it might be interesting to see how my plan shapes up compared to others in price and coverage.

But the most important thing -and the actual message I'd like to impart here (because I think of this every time I get one of these notices ya see) is to state unequivocally how important it really is to have insurance that covers this type of issue. Whether you own a home or rent, it is one expense that too many people overlook or try to slide by without that and in my humble opinion, it really is an absolute necessity!

When my house caught on fire, the insurance I had (still have) covered the cost of repairing the entire second floor, rebuilding the attic where it was damaged, replaced the furnishings lost and the clothing my kids and I lost too. In addition to that, because for the time the repairs were taking place, we couldn't live in the house, it also covered the expense of our living in a motel for almost four months as well as any meals we ate at the local restaurant because I couldn't use the downstairs and the kitchen from time to time then too!

If something like this happened to you and your family and you had no insurance coverage, could you afford to "keep" yourself by paying out from your own pocket for all those repairs, for another temporary roof over your heads, for all new clothes and such?

If not, how would you manage then?

Just some food for thought about something I do believe whole heartedly in the necessity of having this type of insurance coverage.

I hope you never have to call your insurance agent and make such a claim but maybe if you don't have insurance now, this post might cause you to think about things a bit and put stuff into perspective in that aspect!

Stay safe, please!