BRIAN BRUSHWOOD: The following program contains secret hacks.
Attempting some of these shortcuts can be dangerous
and is ill-advised.
Need some extra cash? Who doesn't?
I've got some hacks that'll help put
almost $100,000
of free money in your pocket.
From your home to your car
to things we don't even think about,
like drinks, haircuts, or even mattresses.
I'm gonna show you how to make money.
I want a ten percent increase.
BRIAN: Save money.
Take it off my hands today, you get up to 40 percent off.
BRIAN: And find money you didn't even know you had.
You are owed $100 by the State of Texas.
-Yeah, boy! -[laughing]
I'm Brian Brushwood, and I've picked up
the tools of scientists and spies,
of criminals and con-artists.
I've mastered incredible tricks
and dangerous stunts as a professional magician.
Now, I have an encyclopedia of shortcuts,
secret data, and helpful hacks
designed to help you make life easier
and give you the upper hand.
This isHacking the System.
If you've ever lost sleep over money,
you're not alone.
So I'm gonna show you a one-two punch
that'll knock out your money woes
and your sleepless nights.
I'm talking about a new mattress.
But here comes the hard part.
Buying a mattress is, well, stressful.
Prices vary wildly for the same product
and can have huge markups.
Six thousand dollars, reduced fifty percent,
to 3,000.
BRIAN: Like as much as 50 percent.
One way mattress sellers get the best of us
is by making it nearly impossible
to compare prices.
This is because manufacturers
will sell the exact same mattress
to different resellers under different names.
So how are we supposed to know whether the Turquoise Sleep
is really just the Sleeptron 9000 in disguise?
Only one way to find out.
Beautiful!
Boom.
Well, now that we have a baseline,
let's see what's in mattress number two
which cost $500 more.
Mattress two, you're going down!
Yeah!
There we go. [breathing heavily]
Well, that was highly unpractical
and a lot of work.
Now obviously, you can't do this at home.
But what you can do is check out
each of the mattress' features
like coil count, coil pattern,
materials, and padding.
If they're the same,
you may be looking at two identical mattresses,
so it's always worth haggling.
I'm tired. I'm gonna take a nap.
Uh-oh.
Stick with me, because I'm gonna expose
some of the cheap tricks of the mattress trade.
Take the extended warranty.
You want a king, sir.
Have you ever fallen asleep on a cloud?
-Uh... -[distorted voice]: Give the king a shot.
And guide you to a better buying experience
from coil count to cost.
This one store owner was so sure
of his team's sales techniques, he agreed
to let us put cameras inside his store.
Here's what I found.
Pretty nice, bounce, huh?
[chuckles] Yeah, man.
Hello, I'm Ken. Welcome to Mattress City,
-and can I say something? -What's that?
You look like a man of quality.
You ever gone to a VIP room in a club?
-I have. -KEN: Well...
follow me to the Cleff.
-Right. -KEN: Six thousand dollars
reduced fifty percent, to 3,000.
Uh, yeah, no. Uh, this is... I'm, I'm the...
Sir, you don't sleep on a Cleff,
-you drift. -[Brian chuckles]
This guy's wasting no time trying to gouge me.
He's hacking me psychologically
by telling me I'm a man of quality.
If this happens to you, don't fall for it.
Come on. Let's start with what size you're looking for,
are you looking for queen, looking for king?
BRIAN: Know what size you want before you start shopping.
If you're a big person and you have
the space and extra bucks,
sure, go for a king.
Me, I'm more like the average person.
Interested in a queen size.
Are you looking for twin?
Is it for you, for your wife, for the kids?
To be honest, I'm more concerned with, like, how they feel, you know,
kind of like getting a little, getting a little sampler
to figure out exactly what I want.
KEN: May I suggest starting off
on this pillow top mattress?
It's a medium firm.
How does that feel, the back? How does it support?
Uh, I will admit, it's very comfortable.
Now, there are specialty mattresses that cost more,
but most people buy a conventional mattress
with an inner spring design.
It depends on your budget
and what feels comfortable to you.
The best way to test it
is to literally fall asleep on it.
I'm not joking.
Don't be shy, just take a snooze.
If it feels good after a nap,
it'’ll likely feel good after a full night's sleep.
[snoring]
How much are we looking at?
Well, we're looking at something
that's not gonna be here by one o'clock.
It's a sale for 1,100 bucks.
That's 50 percent off the regular price.
BRIAN: Ugh, mattress shopping is exhausting.
Let's take a break and check out
some quick and easy hacks at home
that can save you hundreds of bucks a year.
Wanna save money using your home entertainment system?
Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell you to cancel cable.
Just turn down the brightness.
Manufacturers ship them with the brightness
cranked all the way up
so they look good on the showroom floor.
This can save you up to 50 bucks a year.
Not bad for something you won't even miss.
Replacing 100 watt bulbs throughout your house
with compact fluorescents or LEDs
will save you $150 the first year alone.
Switching all your cleaning supplies to generics
can save you over $380 a year.
Or heck, you can even improvise your own.
Lemons can eliminate hard water stains.
Smells nice too.
Got to admit, not a fan of this one,
-but if you want serious power savings... -[beeping]
...set your AC to 78.
Every degree below that
uses three to four percent more power.
Same thing during the winter, set your furnace to 68,
because every degree above
uses that same extra three to four percent.
Washing your clothes in cold water instead of hot water
can save you 30 bucks a year in energy costs.
And get this, just keeping your lint trap clean
will save you another 34.
Here's a ridiculously easy way to save 50 bucks a year.
Keep your closets closed.
That's how much energy is wasted
heating and cooling that space.
With just a few simple tricks, I cut about $694
from my home's annual expenses,
and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
I've shown you how to save money around the house,
but wouldn't it be nice to shave something off
the mortgage payments too?
Instead of making single monthly payments,
make a half payment every other week.
Here's how it works out.
If you're paying monthly, you're only making
12 payments per year.
But if you pay every other week,
that's 26 payments.
It works out to the equivalent of 13 monthly payments
in the same time.
Psychologically, you'll barely notice anything's different,
yet you'll apply a full monthly payment
directly to the principal,
and over the life of the mortgage,
it makes a huge difference.
How big?
If you have a $200,000 mortgage at four percent,
over the 30-year life of the mortgage,
this will save you...
$23,000.
You could buy another house.
Of course saving money isn't the only way
to own your own home.
One guy bartered his way to owning a house.
What was the first item he started with?
Was it a red paper clip,
a luxury sedan,
an oil painting, or an old phone?
The answer is...
a single red paperclip.
A man from Montreal started with a red paper clip,
and 14 trades later,
he landed the biggest trade of them all.
A whole freaking house.
I bet he never had to haggle
with a mattress salesman, though.
Speaking of which, let's get back to the mattress mayhem.
My budget's around $1,000,
so I'm getting closer,
but I still want a better deal.
KEN: What do you think so far?
Well, I think I've nailed it down to one of these three guys.
How many coils are you looking for?
Uh, as many as it takes.
Eight hundred coils, six hundred coils,
five hundred coils.
-The more coils it's gonna be, the firmer the mattress. -Okay.
So long as you have a minimum number of coils,
five hundred's a good amount,
it should be a decent mattress.
Anything above that is just a matter of how it feels to you.
This is the one. I want this bed in the queen size.
May I stop you, sir?
You want a king, sir.
Kings are huge.
This guy is unbelievable.
He's still trying to tell me what I want
and upsell me to a more expensive item.
When a salesman does this to you, stay firm.
See what I did there?
To be honest, I'd rather be on a queen.
Then you know what, it's sold, but let me just say this,
take the extended warranty.
Buying an extended warranty isn't necessarily worth it
because it doesn't cover wear and tear,
but do make sure there's a label sewn into the fabric.
If there's no label, do not buy the mattress.
It's likely to be used or recycled,
and you'll have no recourse if it's defective.
I think I'm gonna go with this bed
and no extended warranty.
You take it off my hands today,
we get up to 40 percent off, $900.
Is this the manufacturer's minimum price?
Asking about the manufacturer's price
let's him know that I'm an informed buyer
and that I demand a good deal.
Well, it's the most my manager will allow me to take off.
I think that's out of my price range.
Stand firm on your budget.
As long as they're making money,
you should be able to negotiate a fair price.
Well, listen, I'm gonna give you
an additional ten percent discount.
I think we have a deal.
Right on, boss. Appreciate it.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Finally.
Once he realized I couldn't be intimidated,
I got the price I wanted.
I saved 50 percent on a mattress
that usually sells for $1,800.
That's $900 of savings.
Not bad for an hour's work.
I'll sleep well tonight knowing that so far
my hacks have saved me nearly 25 grand.
So, you got a good night's sleep,
now you want a cup of coffee.
One report reveals that we spend
almost as much on a java jolt per year
as we do on commuting.
We all know that cutting out expensive treats adds up,
but here's a reminder of just how much.
Let me get that Mayan mocha.
Just five dollars a week invested at eight percent,
in five years turns into $1,596.
After 20 years, it's nearly $13,000.
Keep doing it for 30 years,
and you have over $30,000 of cold, hard cash.
BARISTA: So do you want the coffee or not?
[clicks tongue] I don't know.
Looks more expensive now.
Cutting out fancy drinks may be
an option for some of us,
but there's a few necessities we all need.
Food, water, shelter, clothing,
and haircuts.
According to one survey,
hair salons are the third most patronized businesses
in the United States.
The only place we spend more time
is pizza joints and car washes.
And some people are spending huge amounts of money
to invest in, let's face it,
something that's not gonna last very long.
If you want to save some of that hard-earned cash
and put it into something that will pay a better dividend,
I got a hack for you.
The Bureau of US Labor Statistics
estimates that we're gonna need
13 percent more cosmetologists,
barbers, and hairdressers between 2012 and 2022.
And where do you think they get trained?
Beauty schools like this one.
With a constant demand for trained professionals,
there's thousands of schools like this all over the country.
You can often get a great haircut for free
or just pay a small tip, and if you don't like it,
in four weeks you can try again.
The average guy spends $28 on a haircut.
Women spend an average of $44.
Over the course of 30 years,
this one trick can save you $10,000 or more
for a once-a-month trim.
I like it. Feeling good.
[buzzer sounds]
Just kidding.
Nice job, Needia.
Thank you.
Cost of my haircut, zero dollars.
Of course I did leave a tip...
in cash.
Now we can't talk about financial hacks
without mentioning those little cards
that put the average American household into...
oh, I don't know.
Just $15,000 worth of debt.
Credit cards. If you're like most Americans,
they make it way too easy to impulse buy
and rack up the debt.
Jason, what's the last thing you bought
with your credit card?
Uh... it was a Mr. T alarm clock.
Why am I not surprised?
It's an alarm clock,
but it's Mr. T, and it says "I pity the"--
It sounds stupid when you say it out loud.
No, actually, that's perfect.
That's exactly the kind of thing
that you think you need
and then maybe regret later.
When I was getting out of debt,
I didn't wanna cut up my credit cards
because I knew I might need one for an emergency,
so I used a commitment device.
[humming]
Here we go.
Is that my credit card?
Yup.
Why? Why-Why would you do this?
Because you still have it for emergencies,
and if there's something you really want,
you have to wait for it to thaw out.
And if it is an impulse buy, maybe you'll think twice
about that Mr. T alarm clock.
No, I don't want to carry around my ice chest
while I'm shopping.
Then spend cash.
Psychologically, it tricks you into being more frugal,
and the higher the denomination bill
and the crisper it is, the less you wanna part with it.
All right. So Jason's clearly not buying into this hack,
but if he had, he might have been $15,000 richer.
If freezing your credit card seems a little extreme,
another way to get ahead is to just make more money,
and one of the best ways to do that
is to simply ask for it.
My buddy Adam here,
he's been working for the same company
for over a year
and while he's been taking on more and more responsibility,
he hasn't been taking in more cash.
That's where I come in.
I'm gonna be keeping an eye on you,
and I want you to listen to my cues, all right?
I told Adam to arrange to meet his boss
at a local coffee shop.
It's neutral ground and a good place
to make him feel comfortable.
I know the owners, and they're allowing me
to monitor events from nearby
using hidden cameras and microphones.
Can you hear me? Check, check, check, check.
-You'’ve got this, man. Come on. -All right, all right.
-Chin up. Chest out. Power pose! -All right.
While Adam meets with his boss,
I'll be able to coach him through a small earpiece.
Deep breath, man. You got this.
Asking for a raise can be nerve-wracking.
Remember what we talked about, bro.
Make him comfortable.
Don't let him get on edge.
All right. Here we go.
I understand the kind of constraints that you're under
and I also understand if your answer is...
um, not right now.
-No! -But I just thought that it would be
healthy to open up the lines of communication.
Now, we got to see if we can turn this around.
Oh, I'm glad you can be reasonable.
Ask him for the same thing.
All I'm asking from you is the same in return.
Absolutely.
Asking your boss to be reasonable
is a non-threatening way
to gain more control over the conversation.
It sets a bar for his decisions,
but it doesn't feel like you're asking for too much.
You're a vital part of the team.
It's just that times are tough all over right now.
Ugh, we've all heard this one before.
When you hear something like this,
it's time to break out your secret weapon.
CPI. CPI. Mention CPI.
The CPI alone has gone up two percent just this year.
Okay. So this is a bit of a bluff.
Truth is, Adam doesn't have a clue
exactly how much the Consumer Price Index
has gone up this year,
but we're banking on the boss just being impressed
with his overall awareness.
Hope it works.
So what are you looking for?
What I'm looking for is ten percent.
I want a ten percent increase.
Now...
surely by now, I've proven my worth as an employee.
Now we're talking. I like that confidence.
Ten percent?
Ten percent.
Well, I'll tell you, I'll sit down with accounting,
and I'll see what we can do.
No, no, no, no. You need them to make
a commitment now if possible.
Is it possible I can have an answer by the end of the day?
I'll see what I can do.
BRIAN: Ask him what he thinks you're worth.
What do you think I'm worth?
BRIAN: By asking him to put a value on you,
it forces him to commit to something.
More importantly, it puts him on defense
because he has to explain why you shouldn't get a raise.
Well, I-I agree that you're a valuable employee.
-And, uh... -Thank you.
This is good. He knows he's underpaying you.
Ten percent isn't unreasonable.
BRIAN: I'm calling that a win.
Shake his hand. Get the hell out of there.
-All right, yeah. -That's all I can ask.
-Thank you. I'm not gonna let you down. -BOSS: All right.
Dude, you freaking killed it.
-How does it feel? -It feels really good.
You feel a little taller now, right?
I do, yeah.
Are you tall enough to buy me a drink now?
Adam negotiated another $7,500 a year just by asking.
Earning more money is great, but saving money helps too.
Which billionaire stays in budget hotels while traveling
and buys practical cars that have high gas mileage?
Is it Sir Richard Branson,
Frederik Meijer, or Bill Gates?
The answer is...
Frederik Meijer.
Meijer was raised during the Great Depression
and made his fortune from the Meijer grocery
and merchandise chain.
I mean, you can't blame a guy from that era
for buying practical cars.
ANNOUNCER [on speaker]: Ladies and gentlemen,
we have a beautiful four-door luxury sedan.
BRIAN: A luxury car sounds sexy, doesn't it?
Sleek, smooth, fast...
and expensive.
But what if you could get an older one cheap?
Like this Lexus.
We're gonna start the bidding off at $1,200.
Twelve hundred dollars. We have $1,200.
I can get 1,300.
Thirteen hundred dollars...
BRIAN: Good car auctions could be hard to find.
I need $1,600. $1,600.
We have 1,700. I need $1,800.
We have $1,800. The number 19. I need, I need...
BRIAN: But if you're looking for ways to save money...
We have $1,800, going once.
BRIAN: ...and you do your research...
Eighteen hundred dollars going twice.
BRIAN: ...you could get a great deal
on a car you might not otherwise
ever be able to afford.
Sold!
-Come on up here, sir. -[laughing]
Now, you won't find the car of your dreams
in a place like this,
but you could find a reliable truck
or a good first car for your kid.
With a little bit of research, preparation, and support,
you could save thousands on your next car purchase.
First, try to find a public bank or government auction.
These guys just want to make a few bucks
on a losing investment or old vehicle.
Do your homework.
Look up online beforehand which cars are for sale.
Often times, they'll list the VIN
so you could do a complete vehicle history search.
If you can, bring along a mechanic
or at least know what you're looking for,
and limit your searches.
I found this luxury sedan valued at over $5,000 used
and I got it for under two.
Inspect that car like you're a detective.
Look for major body work that might be concealing damage.
All right. Let's take a look here.
Here's a counter-intuitive one.
Check out the radio presets.
If you get a bunch of easy listening or oldies stations,
maybe the car was owned by somebody older
and more responsible,
which means proper maintenance.
With a little bit of legwork and research,
I was able to get this car
for less than half of its booked value,
and the best part is, I won't get bent out of shape
first time it gets a dent.
With a few super simple hacks, I've shown you ways
to save almost $100,000 in a matter of no time.
But that's not all.
I bet you didn't know there's 42 billion dollars
just sitting out there waiting to be claimed,
and some of it is probably yours.
Every state in the US has an unclaimed property program,
where they keep track of money
from abandoned savings accounts,
overpaid bills, uncashed payroll checks,
and more.
So I'm out on the streets
to see how many people actually have
unclaimed money owed to them.
It's Free Money Friday. Who wants money?
-What was your name, man? -Resum.
-Resum, where are you from? -I'm from LA.
BRIAN: All it takes is entering your name
in an easily searchable database
to find out if there's any money owed to you.
Ah! It says sorry, at this time
you're not owed any money.
-Thank you very much. -You got it, man.
Hey, buddy. You're blinged out better than I am.
-What's your name, man? -Greg Donavan.
-You hold on to that. -Okay.
Cash reported, $100.
Wow. [laughing]
-Hey, boss, I'm Brian. What's your name? -How you doing, sir?
-Mr. Muscle. -Mr. Muscle.
-Over $100. -Oh, really?
-Woo! -You know.
You are owed just under a hundred dollars
by the State of Texas Transportation Department.
I knew they owed me some money.
-Congratulations! Well done. -Yeah, boy!
A hundred dollars! Yeah!
BRIAN: Now, who says money can't buy happiness?
-I mean, not this guy. -You know!
Captioned by Point.360