to be agog that my friends have no contents insurance

[AdmiralButterfly]

I mean it is none of my business but it came up in conversation. They have buildings insurance but not contents. So if they were burgled they would get nothing and if the house burned down they would not have anything to cover clothes and furniture etc. I am totally agog. They have all the normal laptops and TVs etc and all the usual burglar able things - jewellery, musical instruments, a bit of silverware.

I've just renewed my contents insurance

£100000 cover
£200 freezer cover
Accidental damage & new for old cover

All for the grand total of £4.72 a month.

I just wouldnt consider not having it.

My friends' house was flooded in 2000 (along with half the town). The water never got above the ground floor, but it was nearly up to the ceiling.

Their contents was claim was over £23k, even that long ago. They had managed to get the valuable books and an expensive camera upstairs, and all her jewellery was in the bedroom, so there was nothing particularly valuable, just mid-range furniture, carpets, electricals, white goods etc. Reference books and CDs came to a remarkable amount.

The thing that astonished them was the cost of replacing the kitchen stuff. All those bits and pieces that they'd acquired over the years added up to far more than they imagined. And their insurance was new-for-old, so her 20+ year old top of the range Kenwood Chef was replaced with a new, top of the range, Kenwood Chef. We spent a couple of evenings going through an Argos catalogue with them going "We had one of those ... we had one of those ... we had one of those".

They had a ground floor bathroom and were surprised at the value of the contents of that. All her make up, perfume and skin care stuff was in there, as well as towels, electric razors etc.

So many people were flooded out that autumn that getting rented accommodation anywhere in the area was damn near impossible. They lived in a static caravan in their front garden for 7 months, which was hell. The winter was bitterly cold and the sewage pipe and Calor gas both froze.

We revised the level of our contents insurance upwards at the next renewal, we were massively underinsured.

I agree LakieLady that most people vastly underestimate the value of the contents of their home.

I calculated that just my jeans alone would cost over £1k to replace blush After that shock I would never be without contents insurance!

It's astonishing, isn't it? I've got around 50 pairs of boots, shoes and sandals. Because I've got awkward feet, cheap shoes never seem to fit properly, so they'd probably average £50 apiece to replace. That's £2.5k!

When I met my husband I was agog that he didn't especially as he has very fancy expensive photography equipment.

Needless to say we do as an add-on to buildings insurance most years. I lost my engagement ring (out of the home) and got it replaced. That's my only ever claim but def worth it.

That’s what happened to us Justme. Endless lists and ticking offs, then when they returned the stuff that had been ‘cleaned’ ticking off and getting rid of that was just horrendous.

I’d just finished knitting an expensive mohair and silk scarf the night before the fire. They destroyed that😭

I seem to remember for done weird reason curtain rails were under contents and not buildings.

The whole thing was awful. We used to have massive arguments in B and Q all the time. It was the only place where you could get paint, bathrooms, fittings, curtain rails, door handles and all the other stuff in the same place. We just didn’t have time to shop around. I remember one monumental day, when we went three times in one day and had a massive screaming match about taps. It was the stress of it all.

We were burgled one new year. The irony was that our useless video recorder (yes it was a long time ago ) was stolen, so we could afford to buy a new one that actually worked.

I am amazed at what some people say on this thread they have spent on shoes or jeans.

I am amazed at what some people say on this thread they have spent on shoes or jeans.

Why? Just because you don't?
I have started buying fitflop shoes as they are the only thing that alleviates my plantar fasciitis. So far I've only bought in sales/with discounts but even so perhaps you think I should go down to Shoe Zone for a pair of £10 plastic shoes that hurt my feet - just to pay an "acceptable" (to you) price?

Do you only every buy budget ranges for every single thing in your life? Not one single level above low cost/value ever?

I guess you live in an undecorated, bare walls and floors, home with old pallets for chairs - I mean, what a waste of money buying actual carpet, furniture and wallpaper, right?

Anyone else checking their contents insurance today to Check they are properly insured?

Its all very well telling people to wise up, Emoji.
However I'm sure everyone is well aware of the importance.
The thing is though. Some people just about have enough money to put a meal on the table let alone to pay out for insurance against something that may never happen.

Building insurance won't cover the contents. If your house burns down, it will be repaired but you won't get any of the interior.

Buzzshit I buy decent shoes, but still can not imagine having £2500 worth of shoes.

Everyone spends money on different things clearly...our cutlery is worth about 1500k and it was a wedding gift so I would definitely want it replaced with the same again (we use it daily)

I have only claimed once on contents insurance for a £100. I have paid nearly £10,000 premiums on contents and building insurance

Well you'd better keep your fingers crossed that your house burns down so you can get your money's worth.

I think dh and I have probably got £2,500 worth of shoes each

They're not even fancy shoes!

Loving the 4 Yorkshiremen'eque top trumps about how frugal and threadbare people are that has happened through the thread, yes, we get it, you're superior to us consumerist monsters that like to have nice and/or expensive items in their house.

"If I lost everything, what would I wear? Ohh, it's just poke three holes into an upturned bin bag and use that as a snazzy poncho, like I do every couple of weeks already".

Yeah, I've got contents insurance, I don't want to have to replace my £1,800 TV with a £100 TV from gumtree, or my £1500 oak dining table with a chipboard table from facebook marketplace.

Having suffered a house fire while going through serious health problems the contents insurance was very much needed. We literally replaced everything except the clothes we stood in. 5 of us at the time. Not something we could have easily done without the insurance cover, and worth the £8 a month we were paying.

Locally a couple of families have had fires and set up a go fund me or similar and it is frustrating. The same people are drinking and smoking regularly but 'can't afford insurance'.

We pay £10 a month for contents. Over our life time 20-80 say, we will have paid £7,200. In that time if we have to claim once for a flood or break in or fire we will have to pay way more than that.
Then there’s the legal cover that’s included, I guess if someone falls over in our is or such like, the personal cover if I lose an item whilst out and about - wedding rings, laptop etc. Plus accidental coverage for when —me— DS dropped the iPad.

Great post Biker47. I agree with every word. The moral superiority from people who never, ever buy anything new (from choice) is astounding.

You're just not getting the fact that some people don't care about material things in the house as much as others. I wouldn't dream on spending £1500 on shoes, but I've probably spent it on shoes for my horse. I wouldn't dream of spending £1800 on a tv, but I've probably spent that on food for my animals on the last year. None of the things I care about are covered by house contents insurance. We're all different. There's no moral superiority from what I can see, people are just seeing things from different sides of the fence. I don't actually see why people are so critical of those choosing not to have insurance - it doesn't affect them, it's hardly like driving without insurance..

Is your horse insured?

No. I have an emergency fund.