WEBVTT - How To Pay Less For Almost Everything #377 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.240 Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel and I'm Matt, 0:00:03.440 --> 0:00:06.400 and today we're discussing how to pay less for almost 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:28.280 everything that's right, how to pay less for almost everything 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:31.080 in life. There are some things that we can't or 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:33.640 that we shouldn't ask for discounts, Angel or you're not 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:35.120 gonna get a discount from the I R S on 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:37.120 the taxes you all, you know, like you can't don't 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:39.239 even bother asking. I'm not going to be able to 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:43.000 get my mortgage reduced by the loan holder. Can you 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:44.920 reduce some principal amount on what I hope? Please? I 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:47.360 would love a discount now there. But there are a 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:49.240 lot of areas in our lives where we can ask 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:51.720 for a discount. And generally speaking, our hope for this 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:54.440 episode is that at the end of it that you're 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:56.760 going to still think that we're being frugal here, not cheap, 0:00:56.840 --> 0:00:58.640 because you know, and we're gonna talk about this more. 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:01.000 But that's one of the big strike against asking for 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:04.360 a discount is the perception of just coming across looking 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:06.600 like a scrooge. That's true, Yeah, yeah, you don't want 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:08.480 to end up in that position. Well, we'll talk to 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:10.320 you kind of like how you go about doing it 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:12.360 and how to do it well some of the tactics 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:14.280 you need to take so you don't come across looking 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:17.240 like yeah that guy or gal Yeah yeah. So okay, dude, 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:21.440 speaking of being cheaper, frugal, so browed X cicadas right, Like, 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:24.640 there's a lot of talk about these bugs. I'm actually 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:28.320 disappointed because I literally have not seen a single cicada 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:30.920 here in Atlanta? Have you? Uh no, But I've been 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:33.479 on the lookout you, Okay, So I find I'll explain 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:38.720 to our listeners because I saw just some headline about cicadas. Okay, cicadas, 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.240 but yes, okay, so yeah, here's the thing. I'm disappointed 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:44.800 you mentioned nutritious. I'm disappointed that we haven't seen a 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:48.400 single one because I came across this online cookbook that 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:52.240 teaches you how to prepare how to cook cicadas. It 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:55.320 turns out you can actually eat these suckers, man. And 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:57.480 so when I when I saw that, I thought, oh 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:00.480 my gosh, you better believe I'm gonna try to convinced 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:02.920 Kate that this is something that we should do as 0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:04.880 the family. And so at this point, we have not 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:07.480 yet been able to do it because I literally haven't 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:09.760 you know, there haven't been these swarms of cicadas like 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:12.000 I've seen pictures of online. What are you supposed to 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:13.760 like catch these things with a net while they're in there? 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:15.360 What do you like the pictures I've seen, they're like 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:17.880 all over trees and just like I mean, just in piles. 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:20.800 I have seen places where there are a lot of cicadas, 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:22.760 but it turns out that the pan pick them, toss 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:25.120 them in the frying pan. Uh yeah, I mean so 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:27.160 my mindset was like, Okay, I'll get a bunch of them, 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:28.720 throw them in a bag, throw in the freezer until 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:31.120 we get enough, and then yeah, there's different ways you 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:35.560 can go about preparing them. Uh they are, that's it. 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:38.000 D Yeah, that might be the only way you're gonna 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:41.919 that might be quite delicious. But so yeah, that being said, 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:43.799 would you actually eat cicadas? Do you think? I mean 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:45.320 so deep frying him? You think that's the way to go? 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:47.000 All right? So if someone served them to me, I 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:49.720 feel like the classy thing to do is to give 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:51.920 it a try. Right, So if I'm at your house 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:55.320 and you guys lovingly made cicadas for dinner, like I 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:57.720 would take a bite, but um, I'm probably not gonna 0:02:57.760 --> 0:03:00.560 go like cicada gather. It is not a are of 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:04.120 our culture. I meant, in other countries they eat bugs 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:07.240 a good bit and you can eat bugs, but it's 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:09.320 just not a part of our culture. It's not the 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:11.359 American way. They're gonna be a lot of folks out 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.720 there who are gonna say, no freaking way. You know, 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:16.440 are you gonna be able to convince me to eat bugs? 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:18.360 I will say, I'll admit I think that's part of 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:23.040 my hamburger and uh and apple pie American americanized takes bugs. 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:27.720 That's that's the cheddar. Well, I'm on the lookout for cicadas. 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:29.400 And if we actually didn't have together, dude, we're totally 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.960 gonna do it and make sure to update listeners so 0:03:32.000 --> 0:03:35.880 they know what's up. And we can link to to 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:38.280 that little online recipe book as well that it came 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:40.320 across that kind of explains how you can go about 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:42.760 cooking these jokers. Okay, sounds good. I gotta say too 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:45.280 that they can't be all that different. Um, maybe like 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:48.800 they're the flying version of crawfish. That's what they seem 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:51.000 like to me. Maybe, And I like crawfish. So maybe 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.360 the crawfish of the sky. Now that I've made that correlation, 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:55.440 maybe I would like them, because man, I can I 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:57.440 can pack away some crawfish. They say that they're supposed 0:03:57.440 --> 0:03:59.640 to be, you know, kind of nutty, but also very 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:02.120 good for you and the best part free, you know, like, 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:03.800 why would you not like if there is just a 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:06.280 you know, if you see a random strawberry or tomato 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:07.800 or something like that, like, would you not eat it? 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:10.240 Of course? Well, the same thing with bugs, in my opinion, 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:13.560 but obviously there's a lot of differences between a bug 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:17.400 and a vegetables. True. All right, let's let's move on. Matt. 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:19.880 Let's mention the beer or having on this episode. This 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:23.800 one's called Origins. It's by Crooked Stave out of Colorado. 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:26.960 This is a Burgundy sour and they make pretty much 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.080 only good beer. So so so looking forward to sharing this 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:31.480 one with you today. But let let's move on to 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:33.159 the subject at hand. To we're talking about how to 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:36.560 pay less for almost everything. Yea, and Matt, have you 0:04:36.600 --> 0:04:41.480 ever heard anyone say I love paying full price for stuff? No? Nobody, 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:43.960 me neither, right, But I think you know, most of us, 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:46.200 we never think to do what it takes to pay 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:48.960 less on things that we buy. It's it's kind of 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:51.320 like maybe seeing dollar bills on the street and then 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:54.400 not picking it up. But I guess that kid is 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:56.080 like on the trade that you might eat, like what's 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:58.240 the food? Yeah, what are you doing? Why? Why aren't 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:00.520 you getting it? But maybe the the dollar bill in 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:03.240 the streets not a perfect illustration because you know, they 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:04.920 might have like gum stuck to it or something would 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:06.760 be like, oh nasty. I'm never not going to pick 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:08.960 up a dollar bill or a five or ten or anything. 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:10.839 Definitely anything higher than that. If I were to see 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:12.160 it out in a parking lot or something. You're picking 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:15.440 up a penny. Uh yeah, I pick up all money. 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:17.800 If I see money on the ground, I'm picking it up, 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:21.400 even Canadian money. Well, kids think it's interesting, I do. 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:23.480 I do take him home. And uh, if it looks 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:26.160 extra sketchy um, or if it's like have you ever 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:28.000 heard of the poop dollar? No, I don't want to know. 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:31.640 It's it's a terrible thing. It's like a practical joke 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:34.240 that people do. But if it kind of looks like, 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:36.480 you know, a sketchy piece of currency, I'll take it 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:38.279 home and wash it and wash my hands and not 0:05:38.360 --> 0:05:40.520 touch anything else before I do that. But I appreciate 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:43.679 your dedication of savings. I am not above washing a 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:45.760 yeah dollar bill I'm missing get when I get home. 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:49.120 But let's talk about maybe easier ways to yeah, to 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:51.240 save money, right, and I think you know there are 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:53.520 there are some really simple ways for all of us 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:56.200 to be able to get discounts on lots of things. 0:05:56.480 --> 0:05:59.680 But we're either just not aware that these discounts exist, 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.800 or often we're just too self conscious to take advantage 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:06.640 and to ask for a discount when it's readily available. Um. 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:08.080 But yeah, that's part of what we want to talk 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:10.000 about today. We want to make sure that changes and 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.800 then people are more aware of the available discounts that 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:15.480 are hovering around them, and then also to encourage them 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:19.320 to ask more frequently for discounts when you can snack one. Yeah, 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:22.040 last week we talked about how basic. I mean, we're 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:24.279 spending so much money, dude, We're spending more money on 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:27.880 virtually everything. Again, that's partly because of inflation, but also 0:06:27.960 --> 0:06:31.240 this has to do with societal and personal lifestyle creep 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:34.640 or lifestyle inflation, and nobody in the right mind wants 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:37.159 to pay more for something than they actually need to. 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:39.760 So the problem is that most people they don't even 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:42.760 think about asking for that discount, even when it is 0:06:42.839 --> 0:06:46.360 easy pickings. We mentioned a stat recently where almost nine 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:48.839 percent of folks who called their credit card company to 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:51.760 have a late payment fee waived that they were able 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:54.080 to get that money back. So that's that show that 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:56.840 you would be overwhelmingly successful were you to ask for 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:59.280 a discount there. Those companies are happy to do it 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:02.520 just to keep you happy. But we don't get oftentimes 0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:05.000 because we don't ask. Yes, Like, man, you can get 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.320 that that interest fee in the late fee waved. All 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:09.600 you gotta do is make the call and ask. That 0:07:09.600 --> 0:07:11.680 could be like fifty six bucks. But you know you're 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:14.280 too shy or too unwilling to make that phone call. 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:16.440 So like why don't we ask? I guess is is 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:18.560 one of the big questions here right, Like I think 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:21.520 in this country, just like maybe we're particularly averse to 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:24.560 eating bugs like you mentioned, but that's just not part 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:27.440 of our culture. We also to culturally we're not big 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:31.000 in into asking for a discount. It's a commonplace in 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.320 a whole lot of other countries around the world, Matt. 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:34.960 In some of my travels I go into some of 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:38.400 these markets, they expect you to haggle if you if 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:42.040 you pay the price that they first say that, they 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:44.200 don't understand it, like, what are you talking about? You're 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:46.280 not gonna negotiate with me. So I think part of 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:49.280 the reason that we don't ask for discounts is cultural. 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:52.040 But I don't think that means that we're not going 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:54.240 to be able to get discounts when when we do 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:56.640 um actually ask for them. I'm totally with you, man. 0:07:56.720 --> 0:07:58.800 Just like eating bugs in other countries is more acceptable, 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:01.600 I think haggling should also be something that is more acceptable. 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:03.520 I remember the first time I went to Central America, 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.960 our guide made a point to tell us that's haggling, 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:09.000 Like that is just a part of the process. That 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:11.640 is how a transaction occurs. That's a part of going 0:08:11.640 --> 0:08:14.280 to a market. Right. So that's one reason that we 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:17.000 avoid asking for a discount or haggling. It feels like 0:08:17.080 --> 0:08:20.040 we're being rude. Also, another reason we often avoid asking 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:21.960 for a discount is because we're just not used to it. Right. 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:24.560 The decision to ask for a discount can become a 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:27.040 habit and since it's not a part of our culture, 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:29.360 most folks are are just out of the habit of 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:31.840 looking for a discount and asking someone for a better 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:34.440 deal when it's necessary. It's kind of like a muscle, 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:35.920 you know. We used to talk about this a lot, 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:37.680 but you know, it's a muscle that you can build 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:40.440 up by using it over time. But most folks they've 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:42.920 got weak muscles in this category because they haven't made 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:46.640 it a habit to ask for that discount. They're just underdeveloped. Yeah. Yeah, 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:49.080 when you're out of the habit of doing something, it's 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:51.719 tough to actually keep it a shot. Right, You just 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:54.199 haven't done in a long time, or maybe ever. Really, 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:57.720 I think another reason, Matt, that that folks neglect to 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:00.520 ask for a discount sometimes is because they're are afraid 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.400 of rejection. Right. A lot of folks are scared that 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:05.320 when they ask her a discount, they're gonna get shut 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:08.120 down cold. And it's important to not let that know. 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:10.320 Someone be like, no, no, you can't have a discount 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:12.000 on this, to get you down for long. Yeah, I 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:14.280 mean that's a natural reaction, right, Like, nobody actually wants 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:17.360 to experience that rejection. They're not shaming you. They're just 0:09:17.360 --> 0:09:19.599 telling you know, and that's okay. I don't know. I 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:21.480 don't know what you Matt. But I remember my single days. 0:09:21.760 --> 0:09:24.160 I had some friends who, like when they would ask 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.280 somebody out then they get turned down, they were like 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:28.480 Teflon man, they would go out and ask somebody else 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:30.080 out like that. I would stay. I would like, I'd 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.240 be berated myself for like a week or two, and 0:09:32.320 --> 0:09:35.520 you're all right, time to go home. Parties over. But 0:09:35.720 --> 0:09:37.520 I think that's like a better way to react to 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:41.120 kind of have that teflon ish response to where you 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:42.840 know you're you're able to give back up on the 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:45.559 horse and try again and ask again. It's important that maybe, 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:48.040 like if you don't get a discount that one time 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.280 that you ask, not to let that prevent you from 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.320 asking for more discounts in the future. Yeah, just remember 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:56.559 it's just a no. You know, it's not a huge deal. 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:59.360 I feel like we could all stand to to toughen 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:02.000 up a little bit. Maybe, Like you said, Teflon, I'm 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:04.160 thinking like less teflon and more like cast iron pot, 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:07.240 Like that's what I want to be when it comes 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:10.000 to rejection. A reason we're talking about this as well, 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:12.200 is that it's also important to remove the stigma of 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.679 getting a discount. Uh. And so on this episode, we're 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:17.240 here to convince you that paying less is okay. Just 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:19.920 because you're paying less, that doesn't mean it's always going 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:24.240 to be an inferior product. Uh. Deep deals and promotions 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:26.559 out there, they exist as a behavioral tactic to get 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:28.920 us to to open up our wallets. We'll actually talk 0:10:28.960 --> 0:10:32.200 more about that and the downsides of discounts a little 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:34.920 bit later on. But there's nothing wrong with getting a discount. 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:36.520 It's a mostly good thing, and it doesn't mean that 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:41.200 you're this cheap, stingy, miserable person. Uh. And actually how 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:43.360 you go about asking for a discount that actually has 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:45.880 the most to do with how you're perceived, And we'll 0:10:45.920 --> 0:10:48.280 also talk about that later on in the episode. But 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:50.800 just keep in mind that, you know, just because you 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:54.800 might be perceived as cheap, that doesn't mean you necessarily are. 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:57.200 You're just looking for a deal, that's right. Yeah, And 0:10:57.360 --> 0:11:00.920 scoring a discount also doesn't mean you're automaut ripping somebody 0:11:00.920 --> 0:11:02.959 else off. I think sometimes people feel that way. They're like, 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:04.840 if I ask for this discount, yeah, they feel the guilt. 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:07.040 They give it to me, and I'm taking food out 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:10.840 of their baby's mouth, Like, you know, that's actually literally 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:13.640 you're removing, you know, the cheerios out of that baby. 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:15.640 That's what one of my bosses used to say. I 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:18.719 worked at a restaurant and like if we would eat 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:20.360 too much on breaking, like, you're taking food out of 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:22.719 my baby's mouth, and I felt bad about it. I 0:11:22.760 --> 0:11:24.560 started to eat less. You know, they're like, oh my gosh, 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:28.000 I am, like, now, your baby's fine, buddy, but you 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:30.240 see him take the leftovers home. Oh my gosh, you 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:34.040 really feed that to your children. But being literal, yeah, 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:36.560 I guess so. But unless you know, a business is 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:39.320 being forced to sell you a product at a discount 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:41.880 against their will. They want to sell you their product, 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:44.040 that's what they're in the business of doing. And so like, 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:46.120 as long as they want your money, they did, and 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:49.040 you want their products, and so that business can say no, 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:52.320 then it's a fair transaction. That's how markets work. It's 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:55.079 supplying demand, right And and there might be some folks 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:57.800 out there who who feel like they're taking advantage of 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:00.440 other people when they get a better deal. But as 0:12:00.440 --> 0:12:02.440 long as we're in the context of a free market, 0:12:02.679 --> 0:12:05.360 everyone really wins, right, absolutely, man, So it makes me 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.040 think of you know, before starting the podcast with you, 0:12:08.040 --> 0:12:11.480 I used to be a photographer and folks would often 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:15.120 ask for a discount. Was I ever offended? Never you 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:18.959 ever say yes? No? Well, yeah I did say yes 0:12:19.000 --> 0:12:20.760 because if business was a little bit slow, if we 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:21.959 didn't if I didn't have a whole lot of it 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:24.640 shoots booked, if my my workload was looking a little 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:28.600 bit light, I would rather offer a ten discount versus 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:30.560 sitting at home and feeling bad about myself because I 0:12:30.559 --> 0:12:33.760 wasn't earning enough money. But you know what if I was, 0:12:33.880 --> 0:12:36.080 if I was busy and someone asked for a discount, 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:37.680 I could politely decline to be like, you know what, 0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:39.240 I would love to be able to work with you 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:41.640 and offer you something. I understand your you know your 0:12:41.679 --> 0:12:44.559 budget is maybe a little bit smaller, but I am 0:12:44.640 --> 0:12:46.719 just too busy. I'm sorry, you know I can't work 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:49.480 with you. And so yeah, when it comes to asking 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:51.079 for a discount, which we'll get to a little later on, 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:53.200 but also too, you know, from the standpoint of a 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:56.640 business operator, you can be polite on both sides of 0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:59.079 the transaction. Yeah, I think for either person the person 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:01.719 who's asking for the account or the person who's being 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:04.680 asked to give a discount. In neither circumstances, it a 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:08.439 reflection of the quality of the good or the kind 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:10.920 of person you are, right, I think, um that we 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:12.480 need to get past that. We need we need to 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:14.640 move past that. That's kind of part of what it 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:16.640 looks like to pay less for things and to ask 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:20.840 our discount. But Matt met there aren't some downsides two discounts. 0:13:21.080 --> 0:13:24.240 In some ways, discounts can actually be bad for consumers. 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:36.240 We'll talk about that right after this break. We're back. 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:38.720 We're talking how you can pay less for almost everything 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:42.240 out there. Uh And Joel, Yes, we simultaneously love discounts, 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:44.200 but there is a darker side to them. Let's talk 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:47.880 about the downsides two discounts, like jackline hide. You know, Yeah, 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:49.840 it's true, man, there's there's a there's always the end 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:51.960 and yang too that there's always a balance. You know. 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:54.920 We're we're in favor of asking for discounts, but paying 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:57.719 less isn't always a good thing. When we talked back 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.360 with Michelle Singletary last week, uh, and she said that 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:03.679 discounts make us dumb. There can be some truth to that. Man. 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:06.599 You know, when we prioritize price over the quality of 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:08.880 the item that we're buying, it can lead to buying 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:12.320 junk that doesn't last all that long. Getting the lowest 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:15.559 price can feel like this game, but oftentimes it's a 0:14:15.559 --> 0:14:17.959 game that some folks lose because they are a way 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:20.480 too focused on getting a deal. And you know, then 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:22.360 we have items that we don't really enjoy or use 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:24.400 all that often because they're just made to fall apart. 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:27.240 This is an instance where spending a little more on 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:29.560 an item can actually cause you to come out ahead 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:31.280 in the long run when it comes to your money. 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:33.880 Very true, been there. I've talked about that on the 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:37.440 show before. My penchant for deal loving actually came back 0:14:37.480 --> 0:14:39.280 to bite me in many instances when I was younger, 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:43.760 just yeah, buying general crap, uh, stuff that wasn't I 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.160 didn't hold up as well. And I've learned my lesson 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:49.000 over the years, and you know, I'm a reformed deal addict. 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.520 I'll say maybe, um, I think yeah, it can cause 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.240 us to buy too much chunk, right, because like running 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:57.440 in tandem with focusing on price over quality, discounts can 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:00.400 cause us to buy more stuff like we too much stuff, 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:03.520 not just poor quality stuff, but just too much quantity. 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:06.200 You become the opposite of a minimalist. Basically, right, yeah, 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:09.200 we we we buy stuff way too often in order 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:11.520 to score a deal, leading us to buy and own 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:13.760 way more than we actually need. And and this is 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:17.240 partly due to what's called anticipatory regret. Right, it leads 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:19.240 to this yeah, well you know, we get we get 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:21.760 fancy here on that the money. But yeah, it really 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:23.240 what that does is it leads to a sense of 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:26.840 urgency to pounce before this deal no longer exists. I mean, 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.720 that's exactly what retailers are trying to get you to do. 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:32.920 They're creating this height heightened sense that this deal only 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:35.560 last for so long, you better get it while it's hot. Um. 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:37.720 And and that that that's when we end up with 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:41.240 an attic or a garage full of wonky items, maybe 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:44.080 items that we never used, half broken items from our 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:47.040 house addresser full of clothes that we don't really wear. 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:49.280 I mean, we just have to keep reminding ourselves that 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:52.120 we got a deal, though, because if we don't, we're 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:54.120 gonna be heartbroken over all the money we've wasted at 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:55.880 least you got that deal. At least you saved money, 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:58.000 and you've got all this stuff that you no longer 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:00.640 use or that you don't even like. Uh. And then 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:02.640 before you know it, you've you know, you're paying rent 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:05.760 to house all your stuff in this place that's called 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:07.840 a self storage and then we all know where this goes. 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:10.600 Then there you're on a and ees hoarders. You're the 0:16:10.640 --> 0:16:14.400 subject of other people's entertainment. That's right, someone's buying your 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:16.480 whole storage tunit for like a hundred seventy five dollars. 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.640 That's when you've really lost out. And also, man studies 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:21.880 show that getting a discount it reduces the chance that 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:25.240 will shop around. Right when we're presented with an easy 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:27.360 coupon at checkout or or just for signing up for 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:30.240 their newsletter, we're more apt to quickly pounce on that deal. 0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:33.240 And again, this is that fancy term anticipatory regret that 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:36.280 you mentioned. Internet retailers have caught on to our desire 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:38.200 to get a deal, and it makes us feel good 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:40.400 to see that discount. Gives us that hit of dopamine. 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:42.200 It makes it feel like that we found a treasure, 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:46.360 even when it's just like spoon fed to us. But 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:50.040 often those deals that are touted, they're not really deals 0:16:50.080 --> 0:16:52.320 at all. And you know, we would find that out 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:54.480 if we did some shopping around before purchasing, you know, 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:56.480 just because there's a coupon code for ten percent and 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:58.400 we make that purchase. But if we did a little 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:00.240 bit of shopping around, we'd find out that another door 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:04.240 might be selling that same item forf with no code 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:06.760 even necessary at all. Yeah. So that's another downside to 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:08.800 deals is how do we know when a deal is 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:12.720 actually a deal? Especially in today's atmosphere, right like technology 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:15.040 and online shopping has made it easier to be a 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:18.520 savvy consumer with like hundreds of retailers at our fingertips, 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:22.120 it's easier than ever to compare apples to apples, especially 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:24.760 using a plug in like honey Um to be able 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:26.679 to tell for sure, like they'll tell you price history 0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:29.359 on that one website and then you can compare um 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:31.760 and then often honey will find Cuban codes for you 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:34.520 or compared to other websites. Capital one shopping Dude, that's 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:36.120 another one too, that's gonna come on the scene that's 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:38.320 actually really good too. Yeah. So so checking out like 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:40.959 both of those can help you know, Okay, this this 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:42.760 is being touted as a deal, but maybe it's not. 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:44.880 It's not as good as it looks um at least 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:47.239 at first plans. But it can be more difficult when 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:49.760 you're shopping for something in person. Right. For example, if 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:52.280 you're buying from a car dealership, they talk all about 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:55.840 the discounts that they're offering you, but is it really 0:17:55.920 --> 0:17:58.919 cheaper than you could get that car forward elsewhere? Especially 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:01.159