Ever have one of those family members that always manages to get everything just slightly cheaper than you? Well, I do. I have a sister-in-law that can save money at a dollar store and negotiates the heck out of any contractor within a 10 mile radius. Lucky for the lot of you… I’m on vacation with said sister-in-law right now and thought I’d share a couple of her money saving tricks.
- Negotiate in bulk. Whenever my sister-in-law is having work done, she always talks it up with the neighbours and rallys a few of the folks on her block to hire the same contractor. The contractor will have 2-5 days work in one location and will always give them 10-20% off on the price.
- Offer your services. Sure you may not be up for wiring the fuse box but what about handing out flyers to your neighbourhood friends? This same sister-in-law (she’s got it going on) came up with a plan to hand out flyers to every house in her neighbourhood on behalf of one of the plumbers she was hiring. Guess what? That’s right – price down & money in her pocket!
- You catch more bees with honey! Now I’ve watched this particular woman in action and she is good, very, very good - talking and smiling to everyone from the butcher to the poolman. While a smile always gets you a little extra help, what I’ve learned from my sister-in-law is that in asking questions about the work that is being done on your home, you are a) making the person feel more comfortable b) learning what it is that they are doing so you can better negotiate later and c) coming off as this great person with whom they should totally be “cutting a deal”!
Not all of us are born with these natural deal-making, penny-pinching talents and would not necessarily come up with this stuff on our own. I guess that’s what family is for (or a good blog).
What are the folks saying?