'The best consumer advice I ever got'

Follow these top tips from readers and staffers and you'll be the wiser

• Before you travel abroad, learn how to say "Is there a discount?" in the native language.
• It's worth what you're willing to pay.
• When you have a complaint, pretend you're the supervisor. Remain calm and walk the customer-service person through the process of solving your problem.
• From my grandmother: Before you buy it, you're the boss. After you buy it, they're the boss.
• Never ever pay full retail.
• When you're faced with out-of-pocket medical costs after your insurer has paid its share, contact the health-care provider's billing office to negotiate a lower amount for the remaining fees. You can negotiate a discount of 50 percent, especially if you agree to pay it all off immediately.
• Shop at warehouse clubs. We've saved a fortune.
• When having work done, get three estimates. Don't always go with cheapest.
• Be careful when a pushy salesperson tells you, "Don't worry," when you ask questions about what you are buying.
• Go to the very top. It's amazing how effective a letter, an e-mail, or a phone call to a CEO can be. A bit of detective work online can usually dig up an e-mail address or phone number, and it's remarkable how many executives are at their desks first thing in the morning or last thing at night with no assistant around to shield calls.

• Make friends with the butcher.
• Before you buy anything online, search for a discount coupon code and free shipping codes.
• Skepticism is the antidote to salesmanship.
• Always bid 20 percent below the asking price on a home. You may insult the buyer, but you also may strike a good deal.
• Read the fine print.
• When shopping for anything over $100, wait 24 hours before you buy it. Chances are the next day you'll decide you don't really need it or want it.
• Don't buy the extended warranty.
• Press zero to get out of the voice-mail loop to a real person.
• Never invest your money in anything that eats or needs repainting.
• Use your credit card for major purchases. (Back story: A friend dropped her new iPhone and was about in tears until we told her to call her credit-card company. Sure enough, it's covered and they're crediting her account, so she can buy a new one.)
• If something is free, there are always strings attached.

• Never go grocery shopping when you're hungry.
• Always fight a parking ticket.
• When a salesman says, "You have beautiful eyes," try not to believe it.
• Small spending adds up.
• Whenever you're in a supermarket and see an item on sale, always double-check larger and smaller sizes to make sure it's really the better price.
• Write down what you want to buy. Is it a need vs. a want? Is what you already have good enough? What else could you do with the money?
• If you want something, ask.
• It's possible to negotiate price for just about anything, in any type of store. I've successfully negotiated in bike shops, department stores, small private clothing stores, and more.
• Be friendly. Nobody's going to do you any favors if you're firing off insults.
• If you are negotiating to buy a car, you are not getting the best deal unless you feel so stressed you want to vomit.
• If you're worried about buying a big-ticket item online, find the lowest price online and negotiate with a walk-in store to see whether they'll match it.

• The potato is a perfect vegetable. It's easy to grow, nutritious, and can be cooked and prepared in an infinite variety of ways.
• If you don't need it, don't buy it.
• You're not saving money just because it's on sale; you're still spending money.
• Consider the source.
• Always keep your receipts. You never know when you may need to return something.
• Never buy the first version of anything.
• Submit rebates promptly.
• Don't pay companies for the privilege of being billboards for their brands. My dad used to tell me that when I was a teenager and wanted clothes with big-brand labels on them.
• Never take no for an answer.
• If it's slightly damaged or irregular, ask the manager for a big reduction. I've gotten huge markdowns that way.
• You can return anything. My sister-in-law took back string and a bag that had once contained a kite. The kite had flown away (the string broke), but she convinced the store clerk that it was a faulty product and that she deserved to get her money back. That taught me a lesson to be a more assertive consumer.
• An infomercial is an oxymoron.
• You're not required to buy it.

• Don't be pressured into buying something big (like a car) when the seller says, "I need a decision soon" or "Someone else is really interested."
• If you aren't getting what you want from a customer-service rep on the phone, call back until you find someone helpful.
• Don't take up your complaint with people who can only tell you no.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you live by those words, you'll avoid being taken to the cleaner over and over again.
• Don't invest with Bernard Madoff.