Diana Clement: It takes a bit of cheek ...

But virtually everything we spend our money on is negotiable and you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars a year by simply asking for discounts. Most people don’t ever think to haggle with their accountant, estate agent, financial planner or insurance company. Yet ask these professionals and most will admit having dropped their fees for clients they want on board.

Bargaining doesn’t come easy to New Zealanders. If you played Monopoly as a child, you’ve bargained. And what happened the last time you went to buy something and found yourself short on loose change? The likelihood is you probably got the item for the money you had.

Some of the easiest items to bargain on include:

* Houses
* Professionals’ fees
* Hotel rooms
* Private hospital fees
* Gym memberships

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