Struggling to make ends meet, yet haven''t mustered up the nerve to ask the boss for a raise? Here's three tips that just might help you gather your courage.

We will preface this by saying that nearly 40% of men and women have asked for raises. But don't expect to get one. But still, it never hurts to ask for more towards what you think you are worth. Better news? Nearly 85% who asked, got the raise!

So get your wits about you and ask, but be prepared with these three tricks.

1. Make the first offer. That way the boss can begin negotiating. Let them counter, but do not be afraid to bring him or her back up.

2. Weird, but using anything BUT round numbers works as well. It shows that you thought about it, and the weirder the number the less they will try and talk you down. Ask for $46,560 and they'll likely round it down to $45,000. Exactly where you wanted to be anyway!

3. Ask for a raise WHILE working on a big project. Not after. Bosses tend to value their employees more while working on a project rather than after it is finished. .

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