SENIOR NEWS

By Matilda Charles

Rising Cost of Home Insurance

When I got my home insurance bill and it showed a massive payment for my policy renewal, I actually laughed. I ipped the page over, believing I’d received someone else’s mail by mistake ... probably a neighbor down the street. But when I saw my own name, I wasn’t laughing anymore when I grabbed my calculator and discovered that the new amount was a 45% increase over last year.

Still, ever hopeful, I called my insurance company, wondering if someone else’s home had been plugged into my account. No, it hadn’t. e amount listed was indeed for my home, as were the numbers for out buildings, personal property and temporary living expenses.

I called several neighbors: Has your insurance gone up? No, they all said. I discovered the likely reason for that during a call to a friendly local insurance agent. ey’re no doubt in the middle of a policy period, he said. eir bad surprise will come when it’s time to renew that policy and all the price increases hit them.

ere are several reasons why a policy can increase, such as material and labor (which is the big one right now), additions to the house, number of prior claims, your deductible, your credit score and the breed of dog you own.

A er several calls to di erent insurance companies, it’s not looking good. What I get so far is that if I decide to gamble and lower my coverage level, I run a risk that something will happen and I’ll be stuck for mammoth amounts of money that insurance won’t cover.

e only thing that’s going to save a few dollars is to pay the whole year upfront and not have to pay the monthly budget fees with every payment.

Take a deep breath before you open your next policy renewal envelope. Good luck.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Echo Valley AUCTIONS

5810 Goodale Rd., Canandaigua

Preowned Items Can Be Good For The Environment

Visit consignment stores: Consignment shops and Goodwill(R) stores are popular places to buy preowned items. These stores take donations or offer items for sale on consignment, which means once sold the person who provided the item gets a portion of the sale.

When browsing the racks of these stores, it’s possible to discover highend items mixed in with less expensive items. Shoppers may find designer handbags and clothing for much less than they would sell at retail, especially if the pieces are one or two seasons old. Relying on these stores to supplement classic wardrobe pieces is cost-effective and beneficial to the environment. If you regularly shop consignment stores, you can develop a rapport with the shopkeeper, who may alert you when new items are available.

Public Hearing Notice

Notice is hear by given that the Town Board of the Town of Cohocton will hold a Public Hearing on Local Law #1 of the year 2023, a Local Law to Establish a Real Property Tax Exemption for Volunteer Fire ghters and Volunteer Ambulance Workers.

Public Hearing is April 18, 2023 at 19 Main St., Atlanta, NY 14808 at 7PM. A copy of the proposed Law is available at the above address.

By Order of the Cohocton Town Board Town of Cohocton, NY