Ask & You Shall Recieve! My Top 3 Ways to Save on Fixed Expenses

You can easily pinch your pennies on some expenses, like groceries for example, by using coupons, sales, scratch & dent and CVS/Walgreens/Rite Aid deals. Then there are some expenses, like phone, cable and so on that are fixed expenses, right? Wrong!

You can save on these expenses by knowing what to ask for and being bold enough to ask. I used to be too embarrassed to ask for a price break until I finally realized the person on the other end of the phone really didn't care. They are people like us and I've never had anyone get mad at me for just asking. What's the worse they can say, "sorry, but no"? And that happens to be #1 on my list of ways to save on bills;

1. JUST ASK! Make sure you ask politely and smile as you talk. Believe it or not, people can hear your smile in your voice. A little flattery always helps ("You all just have the best customer service!") but don't lie or lay it on too thick. People can smell insincerity and become uncooperative within minutes. I always give a genuine compliment, a smile, a 'Thank you so much' and a 'I know you're busy, but..." and I have gotten a discount almost every time.
   
2. COMPARE DEALS! Let your credit card know that Discover just sent you a 0% until 2030 AD and you might switch. Read the advertisment to your cable company that their competition sent you. One quick call to our cable company knocked our bill in half for the next three months to match their competition, and I was told to call back in three months and renew that savings. I saved over $150 in 10 minutes. Not too shabby!
   
3. CHECK OUT YOUR VACATION OPTIONS! When my husband had to take a three month deployment I asked our cell phone company to put his phone on hold until he came back. I didn't pay fees for his phone unitil his return. Some other companies like phone or cable will put your account on 'vacation hold' if you leave for awhile. You will pay either a drastically reduced rate or nothing until you come back.
   

These are my top three ways to create my own 'coupon' for couponless expenses. What are ways that you reduce your supposedly fixed expenses? What's been your best savings? Leave a comment and let me know! I'll make a post with all the best ideas consolidated into one.