See Something You Like? Haggle Till The Price Is Right.

In this recession, everything is negotiable.

I learned that lesson when I bargained to get a lower interest rate on my home refinance. And I put that knowledge to work recently while browsing for furniture at the Eastern Market flea market with my husband. He spotted a small wooden cabinet that might look nice in our foyer and waved me over. The price tag was $150.

A saleswoman quickly descended, offering a special, low price of just $140. I raised my eyebrows and made a big show of inspecting the cabinet. I thought about my mom, a master bargainer who once spent 12 hours at a car dealership negotiating the price. We were there so long the dealer ordered us pizza. What would she do?

I decided to counter at $120.

She laughed. She laughed so hard that she called over another salesman to tell him the story. Even my husband laughed at me -- until I shushed him for ruining my game. I smiled and told them that I was so glad that they were agreeing to $120. No, no, they said, still laughing. $140.

I walked away.

Consumer Reports says walking away is one of the main weapons in your bargaining arsenal. You have control over how and where you spend your money -- and retailers realize that. A survey by the magazine found that 66 percent of Americans have tried to negotiate for a better deal in the past six months.

Those who haggled had the best luck with hotel rates (83 percent successful), cellphone bills (81 percent) and clothing (81 percent). Salon.com's Pinched series chronicles one writer's attempts to bargain for a better deal at the dollar store (where, by the way, not everything is just $1).

I'll let you know what happens if/when I go back to that vendor at Eastern Market. But maybe the best thing I can do with my money is spend it elsewhere.

-- Ylan Q. Mui