Keep on Talkin'

Until about my junior year of high school, I was painfully shy. I'm talking blushed any time anyone acknowledged my presence shy. Then I got a job where I had to talk to strangers, greet them, be friendly, and come out of my shell. It helped a lot. I grew quite a personality in that phase of my life.

That's when things changed. I now have the "gift of gab." I can usually talk to anyone. Talking to total strangers doesn't bother me much at all. Sometimes, if I really get going, I have trouble stopping (talking that is).

This past week, talking has saved a bundle of money. With a little encouragement and guidance from my father-in-law and my dad, I've wiggled a few prices down. The following are some good tips for frugalistas like me:

#1--Be accepting of open box items (aka display models of products). My camera pooped out on me on Saturday, so it was time to find a new one. We found an open box camera that had many, many features for the price of a camera with far less. Since I've been blogging, I've been in the market for a little laptop to call my own. I found an open box HP mini for less than store cost. My teensy snowflake (that's her name) is adorable and meets all of my needs for half of what we wanted to spend.

#2--Ask if they'll take less. We found both aforementioned items at Best Buy. We asked if they would take less money for the camera since we were purchasing the laptop too. They lowered the already clearanced camera by 10%, saving us $15.00. We would have bought it anyway, but by asking we saved a decent amount.

#3--Keep on talking. My mom & dad wanted to stay in a hotel the night before dad's surgery--which was moved to next Monday. My hubby and I were in St. Louis a day or two before anyway, so I went in to the location and started talking to the desk clerk. They wanted a King bedroom (internet price $119.) and a King suite that was adjoining to the King room. I asked questions and asked for deals. Both rooms were reduced to $75.00 per night--even the suite. I'm sure it cost more than the regular room. So the minimum savings were $90.00, though most likely the savings were probably more.

Talking to the employees of these businesses was not embarassing, nor did it give my pride a ding. I was friendly, matter of fact, and upbeat. The employees didn't seem to mind my asking these things. In fact, they seemed glad to help.

Lingering thought of the day: Dad's surgery was moved to next Monday due to an emergency that came in. Please keep on praying!