Man shares the best money-saving tips his 'cheap' parents taught him while growing up

It is a commonly known fact that many people struggle to manage their monthly bills even after having a full-time job in today's economy. In such a scenario, any tip to save money might come in very handy, especially if they have been tried and tested. Sean Lans–who goes by @seanlans TikTok–grew up with "cheap" parents. Hence, he learned some amazing money-saving tips from his parents while growing up. He has shared some of his favorite frugal tricks, learned from his parents, in a series of videos on his profile, and people are loving all of them.

"I have cheap parents who taught me a lot about saving money, so I am going to share my favorite money-saving tips because I realized that not everyone was lucky/unlucky enough to have cheap parents," Lans said in part one of the videos. "When I say cheap parents, I mean like my mom was borderline an extreme couponer when I was younger. So today's tip is something that I actually use today." He continued, "Okay, it's this. If you go to the doctor's or the hospital and you get a bill in the mail, your medical bills are usually negotiable. There are layers to that. Because they might say that they are not negotiable but they are looking for persistence."

"So my most recent example is this. I went to the dermatologist several weeks ago and I got a bill in the mail for like several hundred dollars because I haven't hit my deductible yet," Lans recounted. "So I call the billing department and I say, 'Hi, I just got my bill. Is there any discount if I pay in full?' Because that's like a benefit to them if you like, pay it all at once." After several attempts, he did get a discount. Asking for a discount while promising to pay in full might be a person's best bet, according to Lans.

In part two, Lans shared how one can avoid paying increased service charges every month. The trick is to avoid interacting with automated customer service systems when inquiring about an unexpected price increase for the service. "When you call the customer service number and are speaking to an automated system, you want to select all the prompts to cancel your service," he explained. "It sends you to speak to someone in the retention department, the last line of defense. People in the retention department, their job is to keep you from canceling, so they would do anything to keep you from canceling." According to him, this process will not let the service companies charge people extra.

In part three, Lans shared a tip about credit cards. He shared how people can get maximum rewards and cashback by getting cards based on their spending habits instead of paying from a debit card or a cheque, where you get nothing in return. However, he cautioned people against opening infinite accounts as there is a responsibility of juggling multiple accounts and handling your payments. "But if you are going to be spending that money anyway, spend it smartly and earn rewards for it," Lans remarked.

In part four, he shared the difference between buying things at in-person stores and buying them online. "The in-store prices, especially in New York City, are so heavily inflated and a quick little comparison is all that you need to see," he explained. He first discovered this difference when he looked at the sunscreen prices he had been using. To make his point, he showed his viewers the price of sunscreen on an online platform and then compared it to prices at various in-person stores. The same sunscreen he could buy for $9.98 online, went for up to over $18 at a store.

In part five, he shared a tip about increased rent and different fees that people get charged, sometimes for no apparent reason. "There are so many random fees that we get charged every day and so many people pay them without question. But the thing is, if you ask to get it waived, a lot of times you will be," he claimed. He gave an example of when his lease was renewed, and his rent was increased. He called his landlord and explained that he had always paid his rent on time and even early, and requested that the increase be waived. As a result, it was, along with other fees, simply by asking.

People appreciated Lans money-saving tips and shared their views about the same. @probablyhangry wrote, "$50 a month is $600 over your 12-month lease. Well worth a quick phone call." @jesseperegrine commented, "Also, periodically call your credit card companies and ask them if you're eligible to lower your interest rate." @katiegingersnap remarked, "Dealer prep fee when buying a car. We always talk when signing and it gets waived by lowering the negotiated price."

You can follow Sean Lans (@seanlans) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.