Another way people are saving money is by changing the way they pay their car insurance.

About a month ago, Leaanna Castro, commercial customer service representative at Bain Insurance Agency in Bandon, said she began noticing the impact of the economy on her customers, as some are struggling to pay bills. Others have asked to change their coverage to fit their budgets. At least 50 percent of her customers have either switched their term of payment from a lump sum to monthly installments, changed insurance companies, or reduced their coverage, she said.

“Everybody is requoting and moving around if they have to,” Castro said.

Clients with four or five cars on their policies have cut back by at least one car, oftentimes because they are selling a car or cars and not replacing them.

 “Some people are even moving their adult children on to their policies, because it’s expensive,” she said

She said she does see people moving coverage to smaller vehicles, but others are taking advantage of the shrinking market for trucks and SUVs.

“We’ve had people come in saying they got huge deals on bigger cars,” Castro said.

Others have invested in vehicles of the very small, two-wheeled variety. Castro said one of her customers asked how much insurance would cost on a moped.

“It cost $75 a year,” she said. “He bought another one.”

Tami Heppner at Country Financial in North Bend hasn’t seen people move around to different companies, but she has been working to find people more and better coverage for their dollar. Her customers who can afford to spend more money on coverage haven’t necessarily done that lately.

“I think they are hunkering down,” she said.