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Make Money in Minutes
I know. You’re skeptical.
This isn’t a pyramid scheme, and I didn’t sell a kidney. Making money in mere minutes is much simpler than that, but there is an art to it. It’s called negotiating. And I’m not even talking about big life things, like negotiating a raise or a house or a car (all of which I’ve done.)
For the vast majority of people, negotiating terrifies them, especially for more every-day things. It gets a bad rep (so let’s call it “haggling” from now on, yeah?) They worry about appearing overly aggressive or too pushy. And many people simply don’t know how to do it effectively.
“Haggling” isn’t being rude — if you’re being rude, you’re doing it wrong. Instead, haggling is demonstrating facts, being well-prepared, and having the confidence to ask for what you want.
Many people think prices are set in stone and for certain things, you’d be correct. Here’s a list of just some of the everyday things you can haggle for:
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A flight, your seat, a checked bag fee, or airport lounge access
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Your insurance bill
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Your phone bill
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Your cable bill
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A concert/event ticket
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Bank overdraft fees
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Retail purchases that aren’t perfect (i.e. a furniture scratch)
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A hotel room
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A rental car or ad-ons
Here’s how I “made” $150 off a few short phone calls and an email:
1) Asking my insurance company if I was getting the best discounts
This took 2 calls, which often happens. The first person told me I was receiving every discount (uh huh…sure.) Two days later, I called again and spoke with a different guy. He was able to give me a discount for being a AAA member, something the dude before hadn’t bothered to ask me.
Savings: $75 (even more when you consider my future payments)
READ MORE: 3 Money Podcasts You Need in Your Life
2) Haggling the price of a concert ticket on Craigslist
The concert was two days away, and I didn’t want to pay full price for the ticket ($50 including fees.) I offered $35 via a brief email and made sure to mention the nearness of the concert date. Done.
Savings: $15
3) Asking an airline to waive a bag fee
You’re way more likely to succeed at this if you’re a frequent flyer of a specific airline. My friend and I were flying Delta to Costa Rica (learn about our life-changing trip here!), but our preferred airline is Alaska (I love you forever, Alaska Airlines, I’m sorry for cheating on you.) Using our Alaska mileage number to book and being Alaska card holders, we asked if there was anything they do to wave the bag fee, even though we were flying Delta. They said they couldn’t, but generously offered us 2,000 Alaska miles EACH just for the hassle. Talk about awesome customer service!
Value: $60 per each person
So you’re thinking “well that’s cool but how do I do this?” Here’s the exact script!
And I know we’re all strapped for time, so here’s Trim to the rescue! Trim negotiates these crazy bills FOR you, along with budgeting and money management tools. Sign up here!
Let me know in the comments how much you saved after using my strategies!
RESOURCES
I get asked all the time: what are your favorite money management tools?
Coupons.com: An app that gives you free printable and digital coupons for all your favorite products.
Status: Wanna see if you’re on track when it comes to your monthly spending and total savings? This (again, free) tool compares your financial numbers to others in your age group, city, etc.
Personal Capital: The tool I check daily, Personal Capital is the best tool for tracking your net worth and your progress towards goals like saving, debt payoff, and (yes!) $100K.
The $100K Club Facebook Group: Need some honest money conversations in your life? Join my free community to get your burning questions answered.
