Getting Drunk Or Oil Changes For Cheap (Or Free)
Posted on May 28, 2007 by Him and tagged family, free, friends, relationship
This past weekend I went to lunch with a friend of mine from way back in the day. Although I haven't seen this guy in quite a while, when we do get together it usually results in a crazy night where I wake up without pants (in my bed, mind you) and half-eaten Doritos all over me. The great thing is that almost all of my cash that I left the apartment with is usually still left in my pants, wherever I left them.
What I neglected to say is that my friend is bartender. Not only does that mean free drinks at the bar that he works at, but he seems to know every bartender at every other Chicago bar. He also worked at a restaurant, and when he did we would get heavily discounted meals at nice places. Alas, the biggest expense whenever we went out were for cab rides and tips.
Normally, I'd really feel guilty taking all of the free drinks, but I NEVER ask to go out to the bars with him. Whenever I invite him out, it is usually for lunch where I can pay for myself. Whenever he invites me out, it is generally to a tavern or six. I consider myself really lucky to have such a generous, well connected friend.
When it comes to getting discounted services, I also able to get inexpensive service performed on our car. A family friend of ours has been the mechanic for all of our cars for the past 10 years. At first we would bring our cars to him because we knew he wouldn't rip us off, and he would charge us only a fraction of the labor charges. Now when we ask him to look at our cars he offers to do it "on the side" at his house, assuming it isn't too complicated. He takes a little longer, but only charges us for any parts. Of course we add in some extra cash to compensate him for his work.
In the first example, I get free stuff because of a mutual friend relationship - we do more than drink. In the second example, it is purely a business relationship - we only really see each other when the car needs work.
Do any of your relationships (business, friendships, etc.) directly affect your personal finances? How did these relationships come about, and how are the discounted services or goods handled?
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Claire in CA | May 29, 2007
My dh is an auto mechanic and plumber by trade, so he's usually the one giving the free services. However, many times friends will treat him to meals or a 12-pack (which is funny since he drinks very little).
He has one friend who loves going out to eat and is a business associate as well, so he takes dh out for lunch (and sometimes dinner) frequently...and we're talking nicer restaurants.
We don't know anyone in the medical field, but we have insurance, so no need for free services. My dad is a photographer, so we have oodles of free pictures of every kid event.
Well, since I work for a very large beer company, I am often giving out free "samples" of our product to family and friends. I'm happy to do it though - after all, I get the product for free and am hopefully creating new loyal customers!
As for services my husband and I get for free, his family is one of all lawyers, so legal advice is always available.
Sarah | May 29, 2007
I have a few friends who just finished med school... one I am really close to and am comfortable talking about medical issues with her. I don't use her for a diagnosis or skipping an appointment, but she knows me and always is insightful as to what I am told from my doctor appts if I need to talk about something more. I gain more knowledge of the medical community from her, and I repay her by making her margaritas. Pretty good trade-off if you ask me.
My husband works for a firm that has access to lawyers, we pay $18/month for legal access. We did our simple wills/health care directive (typical cost $800) using that service and didn't have to pay a dime extra. Hopefully we don't have to utilize the service in the future, but it is nice to have for any sort of needed legal situation.
I don't have any relationships that are really all that profitable for me. Well...my boyfriend changes my oil...which I guess is nice. It saves me about $10 per oil change. He also changed my air filter...
I'm the computer kid. If anyone needs anything hooked up (printers, new hardware) or installed (software, etc), I'm called. I don't get anything in return. However, the stuff normally only takes a few minutes (max 30 minutes), and the people are usually so computer illiterate that I feel guilty!
Gigi | May 29, 2007
My fiance's parents are in restaurants and naturally many of their friends are. We will eat for free but we don't often go except to visit. We don't want to abuse it.
A few of our friends are med students and enjoy the occasional "what's wrong with me" question. It's saved a few trips to the doc's office.
Diana | May 29, 2007
Dh's uncle is a kitchen general contractor, so we were able to redo our kitchen for about 1/3 less than what it would have cost. Bonus was we trusted him implicitly, and his subs did a fabulous job. I often joke about the "low low family discount" but what was even more important was how well we were taken care of. Now every time I see him, I tell him how much I love our new kitchen (and it's been over 2 years!)and how grateful I am for his help.
Gary | May 30, 2007
Love the ideas that are out there. Any way to save some money is good. I have a lawyer for a bro and got that whole will done free. He also is a decent mechanic and handiman, so I've gotten some work done there. (I really should give him more beer, our usual compensation). His wife is an accountant and she does all of our families taxes, though my wife and I did start giving her a small amount of money to compensate for our lateness in filing during her busy time. My wife's sister is a doctor and her mom a nurse, so we get free medical advice. I really have it pretty good. Not a lot of skills that others want outside of beer or babysitting. I have helped build a few things. I've done some computer work in exchange for some killer Puerto Rican food.
My favorite one is a friend, who does construction framing, built a house by trading out construction work with friends who did his electrical and plumbing while he did the rest.
Keep up the good bartering.
As a pharmacy student, I get to answer many drug questions from family. My husband is in computers and electronics, so he gets to help with that a lot.
On the other end, we know someone in pest control and get a great rate from him.
I always say how nice it'd be to know a doctor and dentist. Even if you have health insurance, doctors just don't spend much time with their patients and dentists are a pricey area for us. A lawyer would be nice too :)
MVP | May 30, 2007
My sister and uncle are doctors and several other family members are nurses, so I have experience in that area. While it can be great to call on their expertise when someone has a serious emergency medical situation, I've generally found their advice is worth about what I pay for it. After asking them a question, I usually come away more confused than when I started, mostly because we're usually chatting during a family event where their attention isn't fully on the topic at hand. Then they end up peppering their advice with lots of personal opinions that may conflict with my personal philosophy. Not to mention the lack of privacy; do you really want to discuss the wart on your foot with your uncle at Thanksgiving?! ;)Yeah, I definitely prefer to receive my medical care from my regular family physician in the privacy of his/her office.
anna | May 30, 2007
I work in the entertainment business so I am the one who is hooking up my friends and family for things. Unfortunately I have found that they have come to expect me using my connections to get them things, and it has really hurt a few relationships... actually, it has ended a few friendships. I would caution everyone to make sure you are thankful to your friends for their expertise or connections, and do try to pay them back in some way, even as a gesture.
Best friend from college = doctor. Other best friend from college = lawyer. Roommate 1 works for the famous zoo out here, I get free tickets to every tourist attraction in my city. Roommate 2 is a DJ at my fave radio station, so I get free passes to every concert, free CD's, and all her promotional stuff she doesn't want (surfboards, skateboards, etc.). My cousin works for an airline, so I get discounted or free airfare everywhere.
I get free baseball tix through my work, so my roommates benefit from me that way.
Gary | May 31, 2007
Nice E!!! You have definately got the hook-up. If you are single, I could give you my brother's number.
Matt | Jan 11, 2008
Service-swapping is a great way to build relationships and social networks and get help for cheap.
Not to mention that for these types of transactions, you're not paying sales tax (for services you receive) or income tax (for services you render.)
The IRS hates it but it's completely legal.
ariella | May 29, 2007
Yep! I am a lawyer, so of course we get most of our legal services for free or deeply discounted (i.e., all our estate planning was done for free by a friend). I am good friends with our veterinarian and she does not charge us, except for supplies like vaccine. One of my husband's good friends is a dentist/orthodontist, so we don't pay for dental services either.
I could go on and on. Since I am a lawyer, I should probably point out that any type of quid pro quo arrangement of this type you may be involved in is considered tax evasion (ie, exchanging dental services for a week in your condo in the caribbean).
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