How to Save Money on Almost Anything
2008
Most people, when they consider how to save money on something,
first look for a better price on the product or service. But
that's just half of the equation. We'll take a good look at how
to pay a lower price, but then we move on to the second way save
money on most things you buy.
How to Save Money - A Better Price
Checking out another store is a start when it comes to paying
less - especially with larger items, where negotiation is more
common. But it's not the only way. Try some of the following
as well.
- Offer less. I bought a new book for half-price at a regular
bookstore, just because I asked. The owner was behind the counter,
it was a slow day, and I simply said it was worth half the cover
price to me, otherwise I wasn't interested in it. Ask, and sometimes
you'll get a yes.
- Stock up cheap. When something you buy regularly is on sale,
stock up on it. You can do this with paper towels, batteries
and canned food, among other things that can last a while in
your cupboards.
- Visit several stores. Even better, do this phone if it is
just one or two larger items you want to buy. Try calling in
the early afternoon, when it isn't too busy.
- Use negotiating techniques. I read a true story about a
man buying a new refrigerator for 25% off the retail price. So
how did he get such a deal? He did it by spending an hour on
each of two days with the salesman, and then making a low "ultimatum
offer" after all that time. The poor salesman didn't want
to lose the sale after all that effort. The technique is called
"time investment," by the way, and is just one of the
secrets of good negotiators.
How to Save Money - Alternatives
We're often too specific in what we think we need or want.
As a result, we look only for ways to get a better price, which
is a very limiting approach to saving money. Don't ignore the
many great alternatives that cost less. Look around and see what
they are, and how much you might save.
You might think you really want to take a summer cruise along
the coast of Alaska, for example, but if you're flexible, you
may find a better deal. Maybe it costs half as much to go in
September, when the cruise lines have a hard time filling their
rooms. It's possible you'll have just as much fun in September
as August, or even more if you get to extend the vacation and
still spend less for it.
Keep in mind that there is almost nothing you buy that you
need specifically. There are categories of things you need, like
food and clothing, but not specific foods or specific brands
of clothes that are necessary. Remember that and you can save
a lot of money. For example, instead of just buying the fruits
that catch your eye, you could buy apples when they are cheap,
oranges in season, and so on. You might even eat the same amount
of each fruit and vegetable in the course of a year, yet spend
half as much for them.
Then there is the ultimate alternative to buying something:
not buying it. This may not sound too inspiring, but sometimes
there are things we don't really get much value or pleasure from,
which we buy out of habit or impulse. You may feel even better
at work if you skip the stop at the coffee shop, for example
(at least once the caffeine withdrawal is past). Perhaps you
don't watch most of the channels in your expanded cable service.
Everything you don't buy frees up money for the things which
really are important, whatever that may be.
How to save money on almost everything? Try putting together
the two basic ways outlined above. First look for the cheapest
alternatives that will give you what you need, and then find
or negotiate the lowest price you can.
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