Today on MyMoneyLife with Chuck Bentley

Did you know you can negotiate some of your bills?  Price haggling is becoming a lot more common these days, thanks to the recession.

Now, experts recommend asking simple questions like, “Is that your best price?”  Or, after asking the price, simply make a statement, “Mmm, that’s not good enough.”

However you do it, price negotiating is becoming a lot more “trendy” these days, and Money Magazine suggests 3 places that you should give it a try:

1. Believe it or not, try it at the doctor’s office.  Think about it a second.  They negotiate with insurance companies all day long.  If you have to pay a large co-pay or a percentage of a procedure, offer to pay cash upfront for discount. 



2. At your dry cleaner.  Tally up how much you’re spending each month for dry cleaning and then ask for discount of at least 10 percent.  Again, offering to pay cash sweetens the deal because the dry cleaner avoids credit card fees, and they may get a loyal customer.



3. At hotels.  Travelers throughout Europe have always negotiated hotel rates, but now we’re beginning to do it on this side of “the pond.”  With so many Americans taking “staycations” these days, hotels are feeling the pinch.  So, all the hotel front desk directly, not the national 800 number, and politely ask for a discount.

Now, you won’t always be successful, but if you don’t ask, you’ll never get a better rate.  And the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Now, if you’ve got a success story about haggling for a lower price, I’d love to hear about it, and who knows, it may end up on the program.  Simply email me at ChuckBentley@Crown.org.

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