Most of us are having to tighten our belts these days, so these tips on how to save money can help us meet our budgets.
The inflation rate may have cooled bit from pandemic-era highs, but higher prices are still wreaking havoc on millions of Americans’ budgets.
Affordability is suddenly the buzzword du jour after years of soaring prices for groceries, health care, housing and other essentials. And it’s not exactly a surprise that inflation is the top financial concern among Americans across all income groups, according to a 2025 Gallup poll – a spot it has occupied every year since 2022.
Unfortunately, the squeeze may continue. Economists from Deloitte, for instance, project that inflation will rise modestly in 2026 as tariffs take their toll, with consumer prices forecast to increase at an annualized rate of 3.2%, compared with an estimated 2.9% in 2025.
What’s a frustrated consumer to do? If you’re like many people, reining in spending probably tops your list of moves, with half of the respondents in a recent McKinsey survey saying they planned to scale back discretionary outlays, such as travel, home-improvement projects and electronics purchases.
That’s a sensible response, of course. But it won’t ease the sting of high prices on everyday essentials. And depriving yourself too much can drain joy from your life at a time when everyone could use a break from economic stress.
What will help: Experts say there are several smart strategies you can pursue to lower the cost of almost everything you buy, from groceries to insurance to cell phone coverage to streaming services – without depriving yourself.
“A lot of people think that to save money you have to sacrifice and cut out certain expenses or purchases or outings, but the reality is you may not need to,” says consumer expert Andrea Woroch. “You might be spending extra on services you don’t need or use, or there could be a better deal out there that you’re missing out on.”
The key is knowing the right approach and the scripts to follow. Here’s what experts say works to save money on just about everything.
Pick up the phone
Sometimes the key to getting lower prices from providers – from insurers to cellphone carriers – is simply to call and ask for a better deal. Customer service and retention specialists are often empowered to offer discounts, experts say, and the personal interaction humanizes you, making it harder for the representative to say no.
The strategy has an impressive success rate. Among those who called their credit card issuer and asked for a better interest rate, for example, more than 80% received one, according to a recent LendingTree survey. Meanwhile, 95% of those who asked their card issuer for a break on their annual fee had the charge reduced or waived.
“Providers pretty much always have some promotion running that if you ask about you might be able to get applied to your account,” says Daniel McGrath, general manager at Rocket Money, a money-management app that helps consumers lower bills.
For your best shot at success, do some research before the call, including collecting competitor rates and promotional offers, which you can use as leverage when asking for a better deal. You might say, “I see competitor X is offering a similar service for this amount. Can you match that price or apply a promotion so I don’t have to switch?”
Timing matters. Reach out first thing in the morning or toward the end of the workday, because midday hours tend to get busier, suggests Barry Gross, founder and president of BillCutterz.com, a bill-negotiation service. That way, he says, “Maybe they can spend some time with you and thoroughly go over your bill, line by line, to see what they can do for each particular charge or fee to lower it for you.”
If the first rep you speak with isn’t authorized to make changes, ask to speak with a supervisor or the “retention department.” Still no luck? Hang up and call back. Different representatives have different discretion to offer discounts or apply credits. Calling back may get you someone with more flexibility or a better attitude about helping you.
Don’t accept the first offer, which probably isn’t the best and final deal you can get. Instead, follow up with questions such as, “Is that your best price?” or an open-ended query such as, “What else can you do for me?”
Once you’re satisfied with the offer, make sure to confirm the new rate in writing or via email. Then check your next bill to ensure the discount is applied correctly. Keep records of the person you spoke with and details of the agreement in case future discrepancies arise.
If you’d rather outsource the task, services like BillCutterz (billcutterz.com) and Rocket Money (rocketmoney.com) will take care of such negotiations on your behalf. But it’s not cheap: The typical fee is 35% to 60% of the first year’s savings.
Try your luck online
In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a “click to cancel” rule, aimed at making it just as easy for consumers to cancel online subscriptions and services as it is to sign up for them in the first place. A court blocked the rule’s implementation in July, so companies in most states can still make you jump through hoops when you want to cancel.
The upside is that those hoops might save you money. Providers of phone or internet services, streaming and other digital subscriptions, or other recurring services tend to follow this pattern when you try to cancel: First, they’ll remind you how great their service is, then they’ll offer you a modestly better rate. If you decline, they’ll propose other options, such as reduced service (think streaming with more ads), or suggest suspending service for a few months. If you say no again, they’ll offer an even bigger price cut.
“Providers escalate the deals as you approach cancellation, whether you’re doing it online or chatting with a retention rep,” says George Kamel, a financial coach and co-host of radio’s The Ramsey Show, a financial advice program from the Dave Ramsey team. “Their whole goal is to make leaving feel harder than staying.”
For a service you’re on the fence about, going through with a cancellation may nab you an even better deal later on. Providers often send out e-mails a month or two later, begging customers to come back at a deeply discounted price that beats their original “best” offer.
Let tech do the heavy lifting
Apps and browser extensions now make it much easier to check whether a given product’s current price is higher or lower than usual and whether you might be able to buy it for less from a different retailer.
Consider setting deal alerts for planned purchases via sites such as Google Shopping (shopping.google.com) or Slickdeals (slickdeals.net), which will notify you when an item you’re tracking goes on sale. Deal alerts can also give you a heads-up if something you purchased goes on sale later, so you can request a price adjustment from the retailer.
When possible, check multiple sources before making a purchase, both in-store and online, as prices can vary drastically and promotions change frequently.
Technology can help here as well. The app ShopSavvy, for example, allows you to compare prices both online and in-store, using its barcode-scanning feature.
Deal-finding browser extensions, such as Capital One Shopping, Honey and Rakuten, automatically search for and apply coupons at checkout when you’re shopping online, while CamelCamelCamel tracks price history on Amazon, so you can see whether something is actually a good deal or just marked as one, Kamel says.
If the apps and extensions don’t surface any discount codes, open the retailer’s chat feature and request one.
“Many live chat operators are sitting there with coupon codes for those who politely ask,” says Kyle James, founder of the blog Rather-Be-Shopping. “Tell them you have items in your cart and are looking for a little help on the cost or possibly free shipping.”
You may not even have to connect with an actual person. In 2024, nearly 60% of online shoppers used artificial-intelligence chatbots to find coupons, discount codes or less expensive product prices, according to Talkdesk, which provides AI-powered customer service technology.
Beth Braverman is a contributing writer at Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.
©2025 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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