In our family, dealing with car insurance has always been a bit of a juggling act. With multiple drivers and policies to keep track of, it often feels like an overwhelming maze. Questions like “Which insurance company am I with?” or “What’s my policy number?” are commonplace amongst our family. This confusion is further compounded by our habit of shopping around for the best deals, a practice that, while financially prudent, adds layers of complexity to our insurance management.

Our family’s approach to car insurance is reactive, primarily focused on the renewal period. This procrastination often leads to frantic searches for policy details and last-minute decision-making. According to MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis’ research, the optimal time to seek quotes and renew car insurance is 23 days before the expiry date, as prices escalate closer to the renewal date. This crucial piece of information highlighted the need for a proactive approach in managing our car insurance.

What i came up with…

To streamline this process, we decided to leverage technology, specifically Google Sheets and Google Calendar, to create a system that automatically reminds us of important insurance dates. We developed a Google Sheets script that syncs with our “Family Events” calendar, creating and updating calendar events based on our insurance data.

Breakdown

1. Data Extraction: Our script pulls data from a Google Sheet, where we maintain details like the start and end dates of policies, car registration numbers, insurance companies, policy numbers, and the crucial “23rd day” for getting new quotes.

2: Calendar Integration: The script interfaces with Google Calendar, specifically targeting a shared calendar named “Family Events.” It creates all-day events to remind us of the start and end dates of each policy and the best day to shop for new quotes.

3: Avoiding Duplicates: To prevent clutter, the script checks for existing events before creating new ones. If details have changed, it updates the existing event instead of creating a duplicate.

4: Monthly Trigger: We set up the script to run automatically once a month. This ensures that our calendar stays up-to-date with all the latest insurance information without any manual intervention.

Outcome

This automated system has been a helpful tool the family. We no longer scramble at the last minute to find policy details or miss out on the best renewal deals. Our “Family Events” calendar now diligently reminds us of upcoming insurance dates, making the whole process more manageable and less stressful.