For many of us finding extra money in our budget is harder than squeezing blood from a stone. But, follow a few of these savvy money strategies and you might find yourself with more money in no time flat.
1. Learn the fine art of haggling.
Americans are notoriously shy when in it comes to the fine art of haggling. But opening your mouth can yield huge results. I once saved $100 on a new laptop simply by asking if the store would honor the sales price from a recently expired promotion.
It never hurts to ask. In fact, according to Consumer Reports, buyers are amazingly successful in obtaining discounts just by haggling.
“Now is not the time to be shy. It may feel awkward to ask the salesperson for a discount, but it’s more important than ever to make the most of your money. Our poll shows there is a very good chance they won’t say no,” explains Greg Daugherty, Consumer Reports executive editor.
In their poll, nearly 71% of people who asked received discounts on furniture and electronics. Sixty-two percent were successful in getting credit card fees reduced. Even medical bills could be negotiated, with 58% of people achieving success in reducing their medical expenses.
Remember to be respectful, and if they won’t budge on the price always negotiate for a freebie. You might not get a discount on a HDTV, but you might receive a free high definition cable cord or wall mounting kit thrown in, simply by asking.
2. Negotiate your interest rates like a bargain shopper.
The difference in just a few percentage points on a loan can save you literally thousands of dollars. Too often, however, we’re so interested in finding the perfect house or car that we fail to shop for the perfect loan.
Take a typical home mortgage. A 3.75% interest rate mortgage on a $200,000 home over 30 years will set you back $926.23 a month. With a 5.75% mortgage, however, you’re looking at a monthly payment of $1,166.23, about $240 extra each and every month!
In fact, paying higher interest rates than we need to on a wide range of loans represents one of life’s biggest money pits.
3. Shop differently to slash your grocery costs to the bone.
If someone told you there was a way to purchase your next car or home for half the price, you’d probably jump at the chance. Unfortunately, there’s no way to slash these top two expenses that much. But there is a way to significantly cut your third largest expense by 30% to 50%.
Simply by changing your grocery shopping strategy you can save thousands every year. Have you ever passed those “buy one, get one free sales” at your local supermarket? Essentially, this allows you to purchase a grocery item at half off. Now what if you could do this with all your food items?
With careful planning you can. Simply stockpile grocery items when they are significantly discounted. When you see a “buy one, get one free” bag of sugar, for instance, purchase a one or two month supply. If you find butter on sale for 40% off, purchase several week’s worth. Almost every item at some point in time is discounted significantly. The key is to stockpile enough of the product to get you until the next time the product is significantly discounted.
Does this method of shopping require a little more work and organization? Definitely. But it’s all worthwhile when you consider the ability to cut 40% to 50% off the typical $7000 yearly grocery budget.
BMWK — What are some of your savvy tips for saving mad money?