Haggle For It! – How To Save Money On Almost Anything

The Power of Haggling - How To Save Money On Almost Everything

Money not going as far as it used to? Wages being stretched every month? Bills rising?

Phone tariff and mobile phone costs getting you down every month?

Want to be trendy but spend less on getting there?

We are living in cash-strapped times and most of us feel a little bit poorer as our pay rises are frozen, our pension rights decimated and our disposable income shrinks before our eyes.

And yet, in one respect, we have never had more power; we are still consumers!

Businesses everywhere are relying on us to buy their wares because they need us to spend in order to make a profit.

Need a new laptop or TV or fitted kitchen? Welcome to the Power of Haggling!

Need a holiday, DVD player, conservatory for your home? Haggle for it. And once you’ve got the price you want, ask them what extras they might add on.

You had the nerve to ask for it cheaper, might as well push your luck.

Knowledge is Power

Haggling is the new word on the streets if you still have some money to spend and you want to get the best deal possible for your buck.

There was never, ever a better time haggle over something.

All it will take you is an hour online with a pen and paper to check out prices across a variety of retailers. Write everything down and then go out shopping.

Retailers still need us all to be spending money in their shops and as a customer you need to go to a store forearmed with information about what you could buy a particular item from somewhere else.

Whilst some retailers may not offer you the item for less than another store, they will usually 'match' the prices elsewhere and may enhance the sale by offering you a longer warranty at no extra cost or offer a giveaway so that as well as leaving with your purchase, you also leave with something which might be of use with that purchase.

Haggling is well worth the trouble for large white goods and also for TVs, Blue Ray Players, etc.

If you are parting company with upwards of $500, you should be prepared to get the best price for it.

Write all of your prices down and try your luck, you have absolutely nothing to lose.

Look For Offers - Get The Best Deals Then Haggle Some More!

If you don’t believe me, go out today and check out the billboards outside of the many mobile phone stores in your main high street.

At the moment, those guys are cutting each others’ throats for business.

No sooner have Phones4U gotten bragging rights over a tariff than T-Mobile, Virgin and Orange are trying to undercut them.

Carphone Warehouse does the same; go out there and use your power to haggle.Martin at Moneysavingexpert.com has a great page which gives you advice on how to get the best mobile deal (if you are in the U.K.)

You can even get a better deal on your mobile phone tariff after a year by ringing your provider and haggling – just tell them unless they give you an offer you can’t refuse, you’re signing up with someone else. A company called GiffGaff are making a killing from offering SIM only offers and if your phone doesn't need to be replaced, they are your best option. But you might be pleasantly surprised at just how much your phone company is prepared to offer to keep you in contract with them. Why wouldn't they? Most contracts now last for 24 months, that's a long time to keep someone tied in to your company. Haggling may keep you with them at a cheaper tariff.

Haggling will work anywhere at the moment. John Lewis Partnership will happily match any price you find cheaper elsewhere and they will usually offer an incentive for you to purchase with them. Haggling is big business again especially if you can offer cash as well, rather than a credit card payment.

Furniture stores, white goods stores, kitchen retailers, Electrical Goods stores are crying out for business so do your research first (online, at home with a nice cup of coffee) and then attack the high street head on. You will get the best price possible because they need your business.

The power of haggling is second nature in Southern European cultures but in the West, we tend to be more reserved and more willing to pay the price advertised. Well that’s ok if your money is growing with prices but at the moment inflation is forcing up prices and our wages are lagging way behind. Time to fight back!

But think about when you buy a house - you rarely offer the asking price, you try to haggle a better price first, why should buying a TV be any different?

I hope you will embrace the power of haggling today. At first, it will feel weird and you may feel a little bit embarrassed but a retailer needs to justify why they are charging more than the guy down the road and you’re the one with money in your pocket.

Use your power! Haggling is fun once you get used to it and you will be only too delighted to boast to your friends about the bargains you’ve managed to get just by doing research and not allowing businesses to have the upper hand. Remember, they want your money!

You should also sign up with compnaies like Groupon and KGB who will send you amazing internet offers every day by email - there are hundreds of genuine bargains to be had be a bip of judicious selection and companies like these have a bright future ahead because they are able to offer cut price holidays and the like by buying rooms and holidays 'in bulk'. You can't haggle with Groupon but once you go to one of their hotels, be prepared to haggle for a better room or a free dinner - tourism is suffering a dip at the moment and some hotels are only too happy to offer an enhancement if it might lead to you staying with them again.

Haggling is not 'being cheap', haggling is a way of getting the 'best price' for you - go for it!