|
|
||
|
As
Seen in Newsweek,
|
|
BetterBudgeting.com
|
|
| |||||||||
|
Simple Living It Does NOT Hurt to Ask So often we pass up savings and discounts just because we are afraid to ask. We have been blessed with many financial gifts this last year. Had we not asked though, we would not have received them. * * * Our children belong to Camp Fire and are able to do so because of the financial aid that is available. Children who qualify for financial aid are asked to participate in the fundraising events. You could never put a price on the lessons they learn while selling Camp Fire candy. It is a win/win arrangement. They do contribute to the club treasury and participate in the activities planned for the club. But, if we had not asked about financial assistance we might have just overlooked Camp Fire as an option for our family. We have participated in new experiences and our children have been able to grow through community service projects all because we asked about Camp Fire's policy. We have also been blessed with food provided for our children through WIC. But to make this even better, we shop at the stores that regularly offer buy-one get-one-free sales. That way, if we are allowed to buy two boxes of cereal, we walk away with four because the store gives us a free one for each one we buy. Of course this takes a little bit of time to go through the grocery ads. But we would be doing that anyway. Just by asking the store a little bit about their policies concerning WIC and buy-one get-one-free sales, we have gotten free milk, eggs and breakfast cereal. The swimming pool I use offers a monthly pass. A few months ago, I was sick and could not use the pool for two weeks. I called the pool and asked the manager if she could extend my monthly pass for the same amount of time. She was happy to extend the pass and told me how sorry she was that I was sick. Just by asking, I was able to get the full value out of my pass. Back in September when I started our Christmas shopping, I found a book that would be just perfect for one of my children. Thinking it might be too expensive, I used the self serve scanning machine provided by the store. The price didn't register. I then took it to a floor employee who took it to a manager who offered it to me for $6.96. I just knew that was a great price and it would make a great gift too. When I got home, I looked up the item on Amazon.com and discovered that I had just bought a book worth $19.99 for $6.96, all because I had taken the time to ask. You may not be in the same situations that I have been in, but that doesn't matter. This is a universal principle. If you take the time to ask what is available and get all of the facts before proceeding you will be able to save money too. It might be a senior discount, or a volume discount or something else that you may have overlooked or thought that you did not qualify for. Just ask, it does not hurt to ask.
* * *
Copyright © 2003 by Deann Curtis
|
|
|
