Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

Generosity begets generosity.  That is the basis for what I’m about to say.  If you yourself are not holding loosely to your possessions, there is no way that you are going to be able to do what I’m about to suggest without being called a mooch.  Today’s experiment: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask.

Step one.  Be a generous person.  Give away your possessions that aren’t of use anymore.  Bake bread to give to someone.  Pass on your gently used outgrown baby clothing.  Do this and you won’t be seen as a greedy grabber when you ask.

Now that step one is complete, break through your inhibitions and ask.  Ask for what?  Whatever you need.  You aren’t guaranteed a “yes,” but you’d never know if you didn’t ask.

Several years ago, I got a yes from a lady at church.  She was my size and had great taste in clothing.  I asked her if she would consider passing some hand-me-down clothing to me whenever she next cleared out her closet.  She said yes and I still wear a super cute corduroy jacket that she gave me.

A couple weeks ago, I went to my local mass merchandiser and asked them if they’d sell to me at a reduced price produce that was soon to go bad.  They said, “No way, Jose.”  They didn’t really.  That’s just my interpretation.

Don’t be afraid to ask…

  • For a reduced price.  This one is successful for my mom all the time.  She finds clothing with a stain or rip, gets it for a reduced price, then mends or cleans it herself.
  • To trade services.  You’re a plumber and he’s an accountant.  Waive fees for one another by trading help with your expertise.
  • For goods alongside the road.  See a couch that looks better than yours sitting by the curb at your neighbor’s house?  Don’t be afraid to ask to take it.
  • To share expenses with someone.  This one got me by in college all the time.  Splitting gas money was the only way for me to get from Missouri to New York for Christmas break.
  • For hand-me-down clothing.  I would love for someone to ask me for hand-me-downs because I would see it as a huge compliment to my style!

Remember, this will never work unless you are generous with others.  Don’t wait for people to ask you.  There is nothing better than surprising someone with a special gift of something you own that they’ve admired.

What’s your “asking” success story?  What are you roadblocks to asking?

1 thought on “Don’t Be Afraid to Ask”

  1. I love the barter/trade system. Just a few weeks ago I had listed on craigslist some things I wanted to sale, I needed the money so was hoping for a buy, however, this guy contacts me and ask if I’d be willing to do a trade.

    I contacted him and asked what he had to trade, while he didn’t have anything I truly wanted, he was desperate for what I had, but he didn’t have the money to buy it, so I did do a trade and ended up with over a hundred dvd holders of various sizes that will take me forever to get rid of, but it felt good to do something for someone else.

    You can even ask for samples of something like at pharmacies, doctor offices, office supply places. The thing is to ask .

    Great article

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