Often, when you tell a salesman that a bed is too expensive, the first thing he'll do is ask if it's important to you that the mattress and box spring match. And if you've never heard that question before, you'll be somewhat puzzled.

Many times, salesmen will offer you a lower price if you're willing to buy a mismatched set. The mattress and box spring will be different colors or different patterns. This is probably the most common discount I've been offered.

And as long as both pieces are from the same make and model, I don't think it matters if they match or not. I never see my mattress or my box spring. The mattress has a sheet on it, and the box spring is covered with a bed skirt. Even without the bed skirt, I'd only see the box spring. So as far as I'm concerned, matching is not an issue.

Just make sure that both pieces are new. You don't want something that someone else returned.

From my experience, this is usually the first discount that I've been offered after I balked at the price. And sometimes, this can mean saving hundreds of dollars. So this is one way for you to save money. But it's not the only way. You may be able to save even more with some of the tips coming up.