Family Finance: Teaching Your Child to Negotiate for Better Value
Episode 16: The Art of the Ask
There is one skill that separates the financially comfortable from the financially stressed, and it is rarely formally taught. It is not intelligence. It is not discipline. It is the willingness to ask.
Two children walk into the same shop. Same book. Same price: £15. The first child pays without a word. The second asks: “What if I buy three books?” The shopkeeper offers a discount. Same book. Same value. Different price. The only difference? One child asked.
Negotiation is not aggression. It is not pushiness. It is not asking for what you have not earned. Negotiation is simply having a conversation about value, and whether the price being asked matches the value being offered. That is it.
In the real world, almost everything is negotiable. A salary. A phone bill. An insurance premium. A rental agreement. The only way to know is to ask. Most people pay full price for everything because they assume there is no alternative. But the assumption is expensive.
Your child will grow up in a world where every seller, landlord, and employer is asking for what maximises their benefit, not your child’s. The checkout counter does not know your child’s budget. The employer does not know your child’s worth. Your child’s job is to know their own value and to ask for it, respectfully, clearly, and without apology.
The questions are simple: “Is there any flexibility on the price?” “What would it take to improve this offer?” “Is this your best rate?” These are not rude questions. They are intelligent ones. And the person who asks them walks away with more than the person who assumes the answer is no.
This week’s challenge: The First Negotiation
Have your child negotiate for something small this week. A discount at a market. A better deal on a chore. A lower price on a haircut. The goal is not saving, it is building the muscle of asking. One conversation changes everything.
Dinner table question this week:
“Tell me about a time you wanted something but did not ask because you assumed the answer was no. What do you think would have happened if you had asked?”
The person who asks gets more than the person who assumes. Always.
See you next week
Dr. Mayowa Olusoji
The Money Smart Coach
