State Farm - Don Roberts

I have been a proud customer of State Farm for a long time -- over ten years. Proud because I choose to go with a great company instead of a cheap company. I'm also proud of the people who represent State Farm here in Monroe -- Don Roberts and Ceil Kelly (and the rest of Don’s terrific team). A few years ago, I lost my engagement ring -- I had handed it to my husband when I went in for spinal surgery, but only an hour later, my husband Tommy had a massive heart attack in the waiting room.

For a young couple, this was beyond devastating. Over the next few weeks, we were focused on Tom's recovery and what this all would mean in our lives, and somehow my ring just never turned up. When Ceil called to see how we were and ask if she could help us in any way (just as a neighbor and friend), I mentioned the additional sorrow about the lost engagement ring. Well, Ceil swung into professional mode in TWO seconds and said that she thought my ring was covered for loss under our homeowners policy. You can guess the end of this story, we were able to replace the ring, and more importantly it continues to represent a beautiful young marriage between two very lucky people. How would anyone ever leave that team or State Farm?

Anyway, I wrote a great article for the State Farm Magazine today, and I thought all my lifeinmonroeNY readers might appreciate it – especially if they need to find a better way to protect their homes and families.

I recently left a high-paying job to pursue my life-long dream of being a freelance writer. As you can imagine, many sacrifices have gone on in my home to support this choice. To begin with, luxuries like great restaurants, new outfits and the vacation we were considering went out the window; next went some of the more basic things like my gym membership and manicures. (I have opted to run around the lake in my hometown every day and to simply keep my nails cut short – not easy for a girlie girl like me). Finally, we have actually hit a point where we have to change what kind of groceries we buy and opt out of some cable TV services.

I am left with two profound questions to ponder day after day. One, Is my dream worth the lifestyle changes it has forced upon my family? (Yep, without a doubt – the wife and mother in this home is so happy and so fulfilled that no one around us would dream of sending me back to investment banking in New York City.) The second question is actually more difficult and it takes a quick financial audit to answer every month – especially while I build my client base and make my freelance business more profitable.

It is this: What are we willing (and NOT willing) to edit or remove from our new lives.

State Farm is always at the top of the things that we are simply not willing to change.

I will do a lot of things to save money – after all, I am the mother in this home – and the one with the dream. I will run and hike instead of go to the gym. I will be enormously creative with pasta dinners and discover the magic hidden inside the ever-inexpensive hard-boiled egg. I will clip coupons and mow the lawn myself. I even sold a car to lose a car payment and bought myself a 1988 Dodge Aries K car with no power steering or air conditioning. (This same car even caused my daughter to ask what those hook things on the door were for, to which I blushed and answered, “They roll up the windows, honey.”)

But change my insurance? No way. Saving $300 a year to switch to something represented by a lizard or a caveman? Nope, not me. And what is $300 anyway? Quite literally, it is $25 a month. For an extra $25 a month, I have the profound knowledge that a great company and a great, local guy (Don Roberts in our case) stand on a line with my family every day. Together, they literally stand on the line between us and catastrophe.

They protect us financially in case the life-altering events we all hope will never happen do, somehow, come to pass. They insure my home from things that happen to people every day, like a fire or a robbery. They insure our cars and the people in them from accidents and injury. Finally, they insure the every member of my household in case one of us should pass away. Now I personally plan to live a long and healthy life, but knowing every single day that our good choice to stay with State Farm protects my child and would provide her with the one gift I could leave behind – the chance at the future I would wish for her – well, that’s something I’m not willing to “bargain” with.

State Farm is my good neighbor. It is the one bill that I can honestly feel good about every month. So a special “THANKS” to all of you who work every day to build and offer a great company and great products.