When it comes to getting value for your money, the race doesn't go to the lazy.

You have to assert your prerogative to get a good deal and tune in to your common sense.

Let me give you a recent example.

I'm not a great skier, but I enjoy it, even if it is a little expensive. But one aspect of it has been bugging me.

I have a European SUV that has all wheel drive, but it just barely saved my life the last time I went to the Sierras. By the thinnest of margins, I escaped disaster without using chains.

So, I vowed to get this needed item before trekking into the white stuff, again.

I called the dealer, and he quoted me $500, plus tax for a pair of chains!

"These are from the manufacturer,” he explained, "and they're the only ones that are factory recommended!”

500 bucks?

No way, I thought. That's a ton of money.

I called other dealers, searched the web, getting the same story and hearing the same price.

Finally, it hit me: call a dealer in snow country, where I can pick up the chains on the way to my destination.

He said, "We don't stock them.”

"You don't? You're in snow country!”

"Right, but nobody wants to pay $500 for chains so we send them to the local tire dealer.”

I got that guy's number and his price ended up being "79.95.”

Did I hear that right?

Emboldened, I called a local mechanic I use for an ancient station wagon that I keep safely in the garage, so it doesn't have to be on constant life-support.

He told me to try a few local auto parts stores.

Within two calls, I heard a show stopping quote: "39.95.”

I bought them!

Thi

s price is less than the TAX ALONE on the dealer's pair of chains.

The moral to the story is simple. As a consumer, if a price seems utterly out of line to you, you're probably right, and not alone in thinking that.

Keep shopping, and you'll find out what others, who've come before you, have done, and you'll be glad you did.

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