I've pretty much stopped putting in small insurance claims for things I can afford to pay myself. I learned the hard way that too many claims in a short timeframe causes your insurance to skyrocket. Use insurance to cover the big items only (total of a car). I actually keep a $30K emergency fund around for these types of things. When something happens, pay for it, replenish the emergency fund, move on. I no longer keep the optional insurance around - only the stuff that is required (liability and collision in my state).