I’m a clumsy person. No idea why, but it clearly comes naturally to me.
In my first term of university I fell out of a taxi (coming home from work, completely sober), dropping my phone into a puddle. The phone developed a smashed screen, and was also very unpredictable. Luckily it was insured, and quickly replaced. In my second year, my boyfriend gifted me his old tablet. In the first fortnight of using it, it had an argument with the floor (to this day I don’t know how it feel off the table!). The floor won the argument. Unfortunately my tablet wasn’t insured, though I did replace it…and insure the replacement!
I’ve also known of multiple thefts from student accommodation. The most “amusing” being the back door left open, people came into the kitchen, blocked the inside door, and stole every bit of meat from the fridge and freezer. Others range from climbing through windows whilst residents popped to the loo and (my personal experience) post being opened by housemates and vouchers taken. A house three doors down last year left their (tiny, first floor) bathroom window open last Christmas…someone climbed in and cleared the place out.
With this in mind, student contents insurance is something I don’t hesitate to take out. Sure, it might seem expensive (mine’s about £125, but I do have a past claim), but it will be more expensive to replace all your belongings if something happens. I pay extra to insure whilst travelling, and to take electrical items such as my laptop outside of the house. This year much of my contents is insured on my landlady’s policy (I just rent her spareroom) so I’ve plumped for Gadget Insurance plus jewelry cover at a bargain price. I might not need to use it, but the security is there!
But physical security isn’t my only worry. I’m also clumsy when it comes to cyber-security. I’m sure we’ve all not saved work before, but I’m an expert at accidentally deleting everything permanently, at losing memory sticks, at corrupting family photos. I’ve loved using my Samsung Portable Hardrive* to back everything up, keeping files secure. It’s so huge it backs up my laptop, my sisters, and anyone else who wants to use some space. I’d definitely recommend one – I’m liking having as little saved on my laptop as possible too, as it really does run so much faster without all the photos!
Disclaimer: I was sent a selection of goodies, including the portable hardrive, by Insure2Go in exchange for a post about student security. All opinions are my own, as always, and no money exchanged hands. More the pity as I’d quite like my student loan in!
What do you think about student insurance – worth it? Ever had a clumsy moment like me?
