Discounts. Wouldn't they be great to get every single time you purchase something? Big or small, from new hats to furniture sets?

But when you're in that department store, or grocery store, or whatever store, you don't want to stick your neck out and actually ASK for the discount. Because that would be rude, right? I mean, that sticker price took teams of people ages to come up with; striking that fine balance between meeting their costs and making a meagre profit. Right?

Wrong!

Just by asking for a discount, I almost never pay the sticker price for anything. Car insurance and repairs, clothing, airfare, hotels, all sorts of services from hair cuts to tax preparation, and sometimes even groceries.

Most store managers have the discretionary ability to discount almost any item in the store by up to 15%. All you have to do is ask. It's really that simple.

You still think I'm crazy. Okay, let's start with two easy tactics to get you comfortable with asking for a discount:

1. You have found the shirt of your dreams. The only problem is, upon close inspection, you notice a button is missing, or a pivotal thread is loose, or there is a small hole. Great! March up to the sales desk, show them the defect, and say you'd still be happy to take the defective merchandise off their hands....at a discount. All you have to do when you get home is some fancy footwork with your needle and thread and your defective merchandise is like new again.

2. Last week you bought that big ticket item you've been saving up for, be it a camera, home furnishing, tent, or even just a pair of shoes. The general rule of thumb is to stop looking once you've bought right? Wrong! Keep searching the stores, but look specifically for the item that you bought. If the store you originally purchased the item from puts it on sale (usually within 30-90 days from the date of purchase), they should refund you the difference between the sale price and what you paid.

If another store is offering it for less money, try talking to the store you originally bought the item from. If they won't refund you the difference, then just get return the item you bought and march right on over to the other store offering your wares for less. (This obviously wouldn't work for certain consumables, but you'd be surprised what can happen when you ask. Sometimes store credits become available since the place is afraid they'll lose your business to the cheaper store next time).

These are just two ideas for how you can justify asking for a discount (like you need a reason to save money). But once you understand that the worst that can happen is that people might say "no" if you ask, then you'll get into the habit of asking for a discount more often.