You start by filtering the list of hundreds of policies, offered by dozens and dozens of insurers by premium. You’re essentially saying, “This is how much I have to spend on car insurance. Tell me what I can get.” But still, the spreadsheet has a list of hundreds of possible, viable, credible options. You filter it down further. “Let’s see what sort of list I can get when I filter by deductible.” Now you’re narrowing things down a bit. And then you start playing with the amounts that dictate the upper limits of what you can be reimbursed for, say, a collision. “Results: 0″. That’s where the tweaking comes in. You then adjust the deductible up a bit. “I can actually afford a lot more. I was just testing the boundaries here.” And you get a few results. Nice, but not yet quite there yet. You notice that some things are covered that you need to be covered.