To get a better deal on your next purchase, all you really need to do is ask.

Thanks to a slowing economy and a subsequent decline in consumer spending, haggling has become a lot easier.

"Practically everything these days is negotiable," says Mary Hunt, the founder of consumer Web site Debt-Proof Living. "Retailers want to move merchandise, even if it's at a discount."

And you don't need to do any fast talking. Most deals can be had with a little research and a few simple tricks.

Here are five expenditures worth haggling over:

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