One day, while waiting for the milkshake to be made, I asked the bartender to detail the ingredients in the shake.  He told me, and the next day I went to Whole Foods to buy vanilla coconut ice cream, chocolate syrup, and almond milk.  The total cost for all items was about $10.  I could get about 4 milkshakes from the ice cream and still have plenty of chocolate syrup and almond milk to spare.  This brought the cost of the DIY (Do it Yourself) milkshake to less than $2.50, which saved me $4.50 per milkshake.

I learned two important lessons from that experience.

1. DIY can be a huge cost saver.  If you have a favorite restaurant and you always seem to get the same item, ask your server what ingredients are used in the dish.  This way you can try to replicate the dish and save money.  You can even Google your favorite dish, because some websites list the DIY version.  This is a site that lists 100 “copycat” recipes from major chains.  Who knows! Maybe I will find the perfect Grilled Cheese recipe!
2. Ask for what you want.  Women typically are way less likely to ask for what we want and less likely to negotiate which is part of the reason why women still earn less than men.  What we need to understand is that the worst that can happen is that someone says no.  However, if you don’t ask, the answer is no every time.  Trust me.  I’m speaking to myself when I say that because sometimes I talk myself out of asking because I assume that it is inappropriate to ask or that the person will say no.

What are you going to do differently after reading this article?  What DIY projects will you embark on?  How will you ask for what you want?

Leave a comment to let me know your answers!

Aisha Taylor is a #1 Amazon Best Selling Author of the book “5+5 FNPhenomenal Ways to Save $100 This Week Without Killing Your Lifestyle”, and the Founder of FNPhenomenal (Frugal –n- Phenomenal). FNPhenomenal helps women to break the vicious cycle of making money, but not keeping it.  FNPhenomenal provides education about money management, empowers women to take control of their lives, develop a healthier relationship with money, and pursue being phenomenal.

Visit Aisha online at www.FNPhenomenal.com

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