5 Sacrifices People Have Made To Afford Home Insurance
Written by
Crystal Mayer
Edited by
Jenna Klaverweiden
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According to a new survey from Insurify, home insurance rates have risen significantly in the past year. When asked, 59% of homeowners saw their insurance premiums increase in 2025.
As a result, most homeowners said they have made some sort of financial trade-off in order to afford the rise in cost. Here are five sacrifices people have made to afford home insurance, according to Insurify.
Also see five states with the most stable home insurance costs.
1. Cut Back on Nonessentials
When surveyed, 30% of homeowners said they had cut back on nonessentials in order to afford the increased costs of insurance. These concessions include not eating out as much or forgoing unnecessary travel. While some costs can be mitigated, home insurance is usually nonnegotiable. Most lenders require a homeowner to carry insurance in order to protect the asset. Unfortunately, these premiums can add thousands of dollars to housing costs each year.
According to Insurify, some states with the “highest weather risk” are seeing sky-high insurance costs. Florida homeowners, for instance, pay an average of $8,500 a year for insurance. In California, after insurers canceled thousands of policies in areas prone to wildfires causing a steep rise in pricing, state regulators were forced to step in, according to CBS News.
2. Delayed Home Repairs
Another sacrifice homeowners made in an effort to offset rising home insurance costs was delaying home repairs. According to the survey, 22% of homeowners said they delayed home maintenance or repairs to afford an increase in insurance premiums. Among those who struggle to afford insurance, the number was even higher. A stunning 37% of homeowners surveyed who said they struggled to afford paying insurance indicated they delayed home repairs in an effort to afford increases.
Today, nearly half (49%) of all homeowners take the cost of insurance into account when deciding where to move, as reported by Realtor.com. Extreme weather events, which have plagued some states in recent years, have been a contributing factor in the rise in insurance premiums, leading homeowners to look elsewhere.
3. Took On Debt
When asked, 15% of homeowners noted that they had taken on debt in an effort to offset high insurance costs. When broken down by homeowners who struggled to afford insurance, the number rose to one-quarter.
While many people have gone into debt in order to deal with the rising cost of insurance, 28% of homeowners said they would drop the protection altogether if they could.
4. Borrowed From Friends and Family
Another financial sacrifice people are making in order to afford home insurance is borrowing from friends and family. According to the survey, 12% of homeowners have done so. They’re also considering more extreme measures in order to get lower premiums, including almost 1 in 3 who said they would allow an insurer to install and monitor cameras in their home for a 50% discount.
5. Skipped Meals
A surprising 1 in 10 people said they skipped meals in order to deal with higher insurance premiums. People also sold personal belongings, stopped spending as much on essentials, and skipped medical care or treatment in a concerning trend to afford these increased costs.
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