Thanks to a kind and skilled pharmacy technician, my prescription costs for Asmanex decreased from $135 a month to $39! This is a welcome reprieve from one of the medications I take. Asmanex is the only asthma inhaler I can use without significant side effects. GEHA didn’t cover it in the past, and I purchased it using my GoodRx card.
This pharmacy technician asked me why I wasn’t purchasing it through my health care provider and offered to look it up. After a few minutes, I received the good news. How we do things becomes the norm, and we stay the course. It pays to ask questions, and the reward is often lower costs or better services.
Questioning Everything
Today, we have the world at our fingertips, unlike in decades past, when our only sources for more information were encyclopedias, the library’s index card system, magazines, or from the horse’s mouth. The newer generations don’t even know what an encyclopedia is, and when it comes to the horse’s mouth, that is for another conversation.
I can tell you from first-hand experience that the 18-volume abbreviated encyclopedia set I sold door to door in my youth weighed over a hundred pounds. I carried it from one presentation to another, and at the end of the day, my arms felt like they would fall off. I also sold West Bend stainless steel cookware sets in the 1960s, which weighed about the same.
The encyclopedia sets were out of date shortly after they were purchased. Things changed quickly, even back in the 1960s. Annual updates kept the money rolling in for these companies.
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Ask and You Shall Receive
Siri, Alexa, Google AI, YouTube, and many other services make life much easier. In a pinch, I call on Siri and Alexa to answer many questions on the spot, such as how old so-and-so is! When playing Scrabble, I need to know if a word that our mischievous grandkids want to use is legitimate.
YouTube makes assembling and disassembling many things so much easier, and their cooking videos have saved the day and expanded our diet many times over. Who did we ask growing up about these things? Mostly our parents, siblings, work associates, and friends. The last resort was the local library, where I spent a lot of time in my youth.
Discounts for the Asking
Many companies offer discounts for various groups if you ask. Boscov’s, a department store franchise in our area, provides a 15% discount to veterans who sign up for their loyalty program. Lowe’s and Home Depot offer a 10% military discount, as do many other retailers.
Even Kentucky Fried Chicken offers a 10% senior discount in our area. McDonald’s senior discounts for a small coffee are around $0.90; this can vary by location, and some places may offer even cheaper or free coffee for seniors. You have to ask for a senior’s coffee!
The only way to find out is to ask, and many are hesitant to do so. I always ask contractors and vendors if they offer senior or veteran discounts, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how many do offer discounts.
Ask and You May Not Receive!
Most people want a short and sweet answer, but I’ve always had a penchant for creating Gantt charts and providing details to make sense of it all. Many people just read a few paragraphs, if that, and then file away what they received, hopefully not in the trash bin.
In one case, I was directed to eliminate a shift at my duty station. I provided a lengthy, detailed proposal to management outlining the actions needed to accomplish the assigned task. In the last paragraph, I requested their approval to proceed—the change required coordination with the regional office’s LMR staff.
Months later, I was accused of disobeying an order! I asked the manager for the proposal I sent, pointing out the last paragraph where I requested their approval before proceeding. I had asked if they had read the proposal several times over the past few months, and each time I was advised it was on their desk; they never got back to me.
The moral of this story is to read what is sent to you, and for senders to note up front that input is needed before proceeding. A win-win for everyone.
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The Possibilities
In school, I didn’t hesitate to ask questions in class, much to my classmates’ displeasure. They wanted to move on to another subject, where I was focused on comprehending what was presented.
John Hawkins stated, “Sometimes we get so caught up in appearing smart that we become afraid to ask the question that will make us smart.”
By posing questions, we create an environment where it’s okay to think about what is happening, explore better ways to do things, and possibly get a better deal, and challenge the way we’ve always done it.
I often negotiate for better terms or lower costs, both in my business and personal life. Questions bring clarity and often with benefits such as lower costs or enhanced services.
Helpful Retirement Planning Tools
- Financial Planning Guide for Federal Employees and Annuitants
- TSP Guide
- Free Retirement Planning Report
- Budget Worksheet
- Retirement Planning for Federal Employees & Annuitants
- The Ultimate Retirement Planning Guide – Start Now
- Deciding When To Retire – A 7-Step Guide
- 2026 Federal Employee’s Leave Chart
- Medicare Guide
- Social Security Guide
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Last 5 posts by Dennis Damp
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Dennis V. Damp is an author, retired federal manager, business owner, career counselor and veteran. Damp is the author of 28 books, a recognized benefits expert, and a retired federal manager with 35 years’ service. Dennis has been a guest on hundreds of radio talk shows, CNN’s YOUR MONEY and the Lou Dobbs Cable TV shows, lectured at universities and colleges, produced Internet web sites and training videos, and has written hundreds of articles for national magazines and newspapers. His books have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times and U.S. News & World Report.
Dennis joined the Air Force in 1968 and spent over three years on active duty and an additional seven years with the Air National Guard. He was hired by the Department of Defense (DOD) after leaving active duty and transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1975. He spent the remainder of his career in various positions with the FAA. His last position was technical operations manager at the Pittsburgh International Airport’s air traffic control tower.
