Every cent counts when times are tough. One way to reduce your day-to-day expenses is to negotiate the best possible rate when you take out a home loan, credit card or even sign a new phone contract.
In fact, there are plenty of opportunities to angle for a better outcome across a range of everyday expenses. The idea is to know the market and your worth in it, approach the situation with an open mind and be prepared to consider nontraditional lenders, operators or solutions.
James Anderson, 38, who lives with his wife and two young children in Sydney's inner west suburb of Erskineville, had been with his bank for a decade when he noticed it was offering new customers a considerably lower interest rate on fixed-rate home loans than it was offering existing customers.
