So many times in life, we just accept circumstances as they are and don’t question them. What would happen if we did? What if we started looking at price tags as a suggestion rather than a hard and fast rule? What if we started asking businesses what they do with certain items? What if we started throwing our own skills into the equation as a way to reduce prices?

One example of a great time to ask is when you’re in a store and you see a flaw in an item you intend to buy. If you know how to sew and can easily patch or restore an item to mint condition, there’s no reason for you not to request a steep discount for it.

One time a few years ago, I was in the market for a small grill. I went to Home Deport, started browsing and settled on a $40 grill. When I asked the employee there to help me get one down from the shelves, we found that the display grill was the last one left. As he offered it to me, but apologized for it not having a box, it suddenly occurred to me that this might be a bargaining opportunity.

I nonchalantly mentioned that if the grill doesn’t come with it’s box and it’s been sitting out for who knows how long with people touching it, it should probably be discounted right? And he agreed. That grill cost me $20 and was as good as any other grill.

Another example of a great time to ask is in a bakery or anywhere perishable goods are sold. If you or your family eat food quickly enough that day-old items won’t turn into week-old ones on your shelves, you can ask if the place you’re in has any sort of deals for good that are right past their sell-by date.

If you’re a regular at a grocery store or bakery, it doesn’t even hurt to ask what they do with their goods as they go bad. What a store considers “gone bad” and what you do may vary widely. When a bakery is selling a fresh good, they know that it’s possibly got to last another day or two till it’s consumed. If you know you’re buying a tart for dessert tonight, you’ve got more wiggle room to negotiate.

Along the same lines, if you’re in a store like this at the end of the night, ask what they do with all those baked goods. Do they just toss them? Will they make you a deal or maybe even throw in an extra cookie for free? You never know till you ask.

Finally, another great time to ask is when you’re bartering for skills. If you’re working with someone who owns their own business, they are in complete control of their price quotes. Even larger companies may allow managers to alter prices as they see fit.

Clearly, it’s important to remember that everyone is trying to make a living — and requesting something like a barter for a complete home renovation is unlikely to work. Materials cost money for someone, no matter how you slice it.

However, if you just need a door hung or a wall patched and you are a lawyer, it doesn’t hurt to ask your local contractor if he’s willing to cut you a deal in exchange for law advice of equal value.

Maybe a three-hour wall patch job is the equivalent of writing up a will — in this case, you’re offering your time, which is certainly valuable, but able to avoid a direct financial hit.

Don’t have a specialty skill? Babysitting is underrated. So is offering to clean someone’s house or cook them dinner. Deals like this are likely to work a little better if the two parties are already acquainted, but again, you never know till you ask.

An important aspect to remember in all of these situations is to make sure you’re talking to someone with enough power to change the price — whether it’s the business owner or a manager. The secretary at a law firm will probably not have the power to lower a price, but the lawyer himself, with a never-ending running toilet at home, might for the right plumber. It doesn’t hurt to try.

More from U.S. News

50 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2015

11 Ways to Save Time and Money

10 Ideas for Dating on a Budget

How to Save Money Just by Asking originally appeared on usnews.com