Cutting your car and house insurance bills is much easier than many think.

Sometimes you just have to ask for it.

Too many of us simply keep renewing our insurance policies instead of simply asking whether we are getting the best rate.

If your agent assures you that you are, don’t believe him until you check it out yourself.

Check the competition. Try AAA as well AARP for other rates. Of course don’t go with some fly by night insurer and check to make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

Also, check your deductibles: since you face much higher rates for collecting on a small accident or a minor house issue, you are better off to self insure a little.

In case you think it is not worth the time, check out a recent story in the New York Times by Tara Siegel Bernard that I read on CNBC:

“Most consumers know that they aren’t going to get a courtesy call from their service providers telling them they qualify for a better deal. Yet they still fail to review their policies or contracts each year to make sure they’re getting the lowest rates possible. Well, Mr. Mitchell’s accidental victory may provide just the needed incentive.”

“After retiring last summer from a long career as a programmer, Mr. Mitchell said he knew he should review his expenses and try to trim whatever he could. His hefty auto insurance premium on his two cars — he was paying $2,537 a year — seemed a juicy potential target. But he said he “dillydallied,” and didn’t call his insurer, Liberty Mutual, until a couple of weeks ago, shortly after AARP contacted him by mail and urged him to call The Hartford for a free quote on his auto insurance.

“And it was a good thing he decided to call. The Hartford told him it could offer him a policy with the same coverage for just half — yes, half — the amount he was paying Liberty Mutual, or about $1,267. Mr. Mitchell said he contacted Liberty Mutual with the news. And wouldn’t you know, the representative told him that it had revised its underwriting standards and he would now qualify for a premium of $1,207.”

“I was happy to get the reduction, but I was dismayed to learn that the burden was on me, which means there are probably thousands of policyholders who are eligible for this but don’t know what they don’t know,” said Mr. Mitchell, who was insuring a 2002 GMC Envoy and a 2010 Toyota Prius. “It is a rip-off.”