It's time to learn how to save some real money on your car insurance! Below are a few tips on how you can bring down the price of your car insurance premium. With the price of gas, food, movies, housing, and just about everything else on the rise, it's become more important than ever to save on life expenses.

Shop around / switch auto insurance providers

You may be surprised, but different insurance providers have significantly different premium rates. Shop around for quotes from insurance providers such as State Farm, All State, Geico, Century, Progressive, and GMAC. Sites such as esurance.com, insurance.com, and insure.com help you compare multiple policies from multiple companies in the same place. Note that you shouldn't have to pay for getting quotes, so if someone's charging for a quote, go somewhere else!

Drive safely

Having a clean driving record is HUGE in taking your insurance premium down. The fewer accidents and tickets (i.e. speeding) you have, the lower your premium will be. For better or worse, insurers look at accidents and tickets as indicators of your likelihood of making a claim (which means money out of the insurers pocket). So, think twice the next time you want to speed through that red light or put the pedal to the metal.

Take video safety courses

Some insurers have short videos or courses you can take which significantly reduce the price of your premium. Ask your insurer - watching a 30 minute video (one-time only) has reduced my premium by over $250/year.

Drive less

Some insurers have different premiums for those who drive under the average annual mileage. For example, State Farm reduces its premium for those who drive under 7,500 miles per year. Ask your insurer about this!

Purchase multiple policies from the same provider

Often, insurers give multiple policy discounts if you purchase more than one insurance policy from the same company. This may come in the form of multiple car policy discounts or just multiple policy discounts (i.e. home insurance, life insurance, etc.). Ask your agent about ways to reduce your premium!

Some cities have significantly lower premiums than others

If you're looking to move (especially out of dense, urban areas), research cities that may provide a lower premium for you. Often, dense, urban cities have higher accident rates, and thus, higher insurance premiums.

Lower your deductible

If you're one who drives safely, and your insurance premiums are high because you fall into certain categories (new car, type of car, male vs. female, age group, etc.), look into increasing your deductible. If your deductible is currently $100, making it $300 or even $500 often has a significant impact on premium prices.

Ask your insurance agent!

Talk to your insurance agent about ways to lower your premium. They should be open to exploring options if you're proactive about it. If you feel they're hiding information and/or not helping you, ask yourself if this agent and company are even right for you to begin with!

Good luck! In this day and age of rising prices and increasing expenses, every little bit of savings helps!