The easiest bill to negotiate down, according to financial planners

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• When you're trying to cut costs, don't overlook recurring, essential expenses like bills.
• Medical bills are some of the easiest to negotiate. You could be able to adjust the price or set up a payment plan.
• When you call to lower a bill, make sure you understand the new terms and payment schedule.

When you're trying to curb spending, some of the biggest cost-cutting mistakes you can make are overlooking recurring expenses and only focusing on small expenses. Really, you need to look at everything — including bills.

Bills are often seen as necessary and fixed costs, but you can often negotiate them to better suit your budget.

Medical bills can be the easiest to negotiate

Valerie Rivera, CFP® professional and founder of FirstGen Wealth, says medical bills can be the easiest to negotiate.

"A lot of times, medical bills, if they're with a hospital, for example, they aren't building up interest along the way," says Rivera.

Christopher Stroup, CFP® professional, founder, and president of Silicon Beach Financial agrees that medical bills can be easier to negotiate, although you have to make the call, or maybe even multiple calls, to lower or adjust costs.

"I found that for those who are willing to put in the time to potentially negotiate or renegotiate medical bills, they can actually find some savings, which they would have never expected," says Stroup.

Besides medical bills, you might be also able to review credit card interest, insurance policies, subscriptions, or utility bills to see if there's any wiggle room.

Tips when negotiating a bill

Negotiating a bill requires you to put in some work. First, you'll need to review your bill and ensure that the services listed are correct. Common billing errors include having services listed that you didn't get or seeing duplicate charges.

When you make the call, Stroup says, "Be polite, but be direct in terms of what you're seeking or what you're questioning in terms of your bill. Then, use certain phrases in terms of the care that you were expecting and that you believed you received versus what you actually saw them bill you for."

Make sure you understand the new terms you're agreeing to. You should know the new payment schedule, if there are any penalties, and when you'll receive the final bill, says Rivera.

Even if you can't negotiate a lower bill, you still may find it helpful to call to make other types of adjustments.

"It may not be a lower bill, but it might be the ability to make smaller payments along the way," says Rivera.

Alternative strategies for lowering bills

Research competitor offers

Find out what competitors are offering to see if your services are still the best fit. You might realize that there is better value elsewhere. You might also use it as a way to negotiate for a lower bill with your existing provider.

Use a bill negotiation service

There are services you can use to identify and potentially lower some bills, such as internet or phone services. Rocket Money and Billshark are a few examples.

Keep in mind that Rocket Money charges you a percentage (you can choose any amount from 35% to 60%) of whatever it will save you for the year for its bill negotiation feature. Billshark charges 40% of what it will save you for that year.

Make lifestyle adjustments to indirectly impact your bill

You also might be able to lower some bills indirectly by making adjustments, such as switching to energy-efficient light bulbs.

"Utility bills can be fixed spending, but there are ways to make your house more energy efficient and indirectly cut spending. Maybe you can consider — which comes at its own costs — replacing your windows if you have old windows, and maybe just start with doing an energy audit of your house, says Jing Zheng, CFP® professional and founder of Neat Financial Planning.

Cut services you no longer want

Perhaps you review your bank statement and realize you have some subscriptions you aren't using, or you notice a bill for something you thought you had canceled. You might find it's best to cut expenses entirely.

After you make adjustments in your spending, it can be helpful to track your expenses to see where your money is going.

Many of the best budgeting apps let you link bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts so you can get a full picture of your financial situation. You could also opt for a spreadsheet or use some of the best personal finance software.