HOW COLLEGE STUDENTS FIND INSURANCE SAVINGS

College is a long list of expenses: tuition, housing, books, food, transportation, and so forth. On top of all that, you've still got to worry about things like car insurance. Of course, a penny saved is a penny earned, and you can save a whole lot of pennies on car insurance if you know how.

Use these tips to lower your car insurance rates.

Low Mileage Discount

Most students don't drive all too much. If you live near campus or even on campus, you are already close to your classes. The major mileage expenditure is likely to be for people who are commuting or those who are driving a long way to visit family on the weekend.

Save as many miles as possible by walking, biking, or using public transportation to get to class. When you are looking for housing, it's worth it to pay a bit extra to live near campus - you'll quickly make that money back in gas and car insurance by lowering your mileage.

If you do have to take a long drive, carpool! There are ride boards you can look at to see if someone is headed the same way you are.

Low mileage discounts reward people who spent less time on the road - and so are less risky to insure - with better rates.

Carpooling

There are the obvious advantages of carpooling:

• Save gas
• Save carbon emissions
• Save wear and tear on the vehicle

Then there is the chance that it will reduce your mileage enough to qualify you for one of those low mileage discounts mentioned above.

However, carpooling can also bring about its own discount, depending on frequency and insurance company.

If you are committed to a daily carpool, you can save a lot of money by getting a discount.

Parents with Benefits

Most people in college are young enough to stay on their parents' car insurance plan. Keep your primary address at your parents' home and register your place at college, if you have moved away that is, as a temporary address.

There are downsides - going home for mail and voting - but the sometimes hundred or more dollars in insurance savings are definitely worth it.

Use Credit Cards Carefully

The credit card offers will be coming in rapidly, and it is a good idea to get one to start building a credit history, but you have to be very careful about how you use it. Put a lot of money on it right away and your credit score goes down. Forget a payment, boom, big credit dip. You want to make very small purchases, stay well below your limit, and pay it all off every month.

If your credit score goes down, your insurance rates will go up. However, spending wisely will build good credit and lower your rates.