35. The Best Sundae
You’ve had a long work week. All you want to do is go home and treat yourself to something yummy and delicious. How about some Nutella! You go the fridge and take out the jar. There’s just a little bit on the bottom of the jar — not nearly enough to spread on toast or put on something else. Still, you’re looking for your Nutella fix and don’t want to waste even a spoonful of it.
Here’s an easy fix. Go grab some vanilla ice cream (or chocolate if you are especially a fan of rich desserts). Put a couple of scoops of the ice cream into the Nutella jar. Throw on some toppings for good measure (whether it’s sprinkles, peanuts, whipped cream, or candy). Before you know it, you’ve got a delicious, decadent makeshift sundae.
34. I Hate Stems!
Strawberries are one of the more popular fruits around. Kids love them, adults love them, and they can be used in a number of different ways. The flavor of these berries is great, but some have an issue with the stems at the top. Kids have penchant for wanting their strawberries cut up without the presence of sprouting green leaves.
How can someone get rid of the stem without massacring the integrity of the strawberry? Use a straw. Poke a straw up from the bottle of the strawberry right up through the top of it. By doing so, you’ll cleanly get rid of the stem while leaving the strawberry itself intact.
33. Ice Your Coffee The Right Way
This is a no-brainer, and something many people probably haven’t even thought of before. There are plenty of us who go to coffee houses/chains/drive-thru to get our morning fix of caffeine. Over time, those prices can add up, especially if you go nearly every day in a full week. Iced coffee and cappuccino’s can also vary in terms of potency. Why trust someone else with your caffeine when you can do it yourself?
Get yourself an ice cube tray. Instead of filling up the tray with water, fill it up with coffee. You can even flavor the coffee so these ‘iced coffee cubes’ have some sort of personality. By doing this, you ensure that your coffee/iced coffee will be packing a strong punch rather than being watered down by — you guess it — ice cubes made from water.
32. Painting Hack
This is a brilliant idea, and one which is very simple. At one point or another, everyone has painted a room. You save money by doing so rather than hiring a professional team. However, with that comes the possibility that non-painters can make messes with paint splashing around.
Normally, you wipe off excess paint from your brush on the rim of the paint can. This can become messy if the paint drips down the side and gets on the floor/your body/clothes. Here’s the idea: When the paint can is opened, place a rubber band around the entire thing, so a large portion of the band is hanging above the open paint container. Use that band to wipe off excess paint. It’ll be a whole lot cleaner that way.
31. Homemade Taco Shells
It’s Taco Tuesday! You have all of the ingredients to have a total feast. Except, there’s one issue…taco shells. The store ran out of crunchy shells and you’re stuck without an option. This isn’t Burrito Tuesday or Quesadilla Tuesday…it’s Taco Tuesday!
No need to stress! Take a muffin pan/tin that you use. Turn that pan upside down so it almost looks like the side of a Lego. In order to get crunchy shells, take a tortilla and mold it in the middle of four muffin ‘bumps’/compartments. Spray the entire back of the pan so it’s greased with cooking oil. Once the tortillas are in place, bake in the oven for around 10 minutes (check your oven!) at 375 degrees. Once finished, you should have some molded taco shells.
30. Keeping The Bananas Ripe
Buying a bushel of bananas can have its issues. Unless you eat all of the bananas in a short amount of time, you run the risk of them spoiling. There’s nothing worse than a mushy banana with a brown peel. Some people try to refrigerate the banana, and others keep them out at room temperature. But, is there a way to prolong the freshness of a handful of bananas?
Wrap plastic around the stems of the bananas. This does a few things when trying to keep them edible. The plastic covering can help create a barrier that reduces moisture loss from the fruit. Bananas lose moisture as they ripen, and by covering the stems, you can help retain some of that moisture. This can prevent the bananas from drying out and becoming overly soft. Bananas also produce a natural plant hormone called ethylene, which accelerates the ripening process not only in bananas but also in other fruits and vegetables. By covering the stems with plastic, you can reduce the exposure of the fruit to ethylene gas. This can slow down the ripening process and extend the shelf life of the bananas.
29. Cold Water is a Must
When you’re on the go and in a hurry, normally a cold, chilling bottle of water is a perfect must-have. This is especially the case for the impromptu hike, visit to the gym, walk around the park, or trip to some sort of sporting event. Having a room temperature or hot bottle of water simply doesn’t get the job done.
Here’s a way to mitigate those issues. Take a few of your plastic water bottles. Fill them about 1/4th of the way with water. Turn them on their sides, and put them in the freezer. From there, whenever you want to take a cold bottle of water on the go, you just fill up the rest of the bottle with water and you’re good to go!
28. Light The Candle…Italian Style
The lighting of a candle can be finnicky. Sometimes, the lighter stick one uses can run out of juice. Some people don’t like using matches or even a smaller lighter, for the fact that burns could happen unexpectedly. Heck, even trying to light a tough-to-reach wick on a candle can be difficult with said lighter or match.
Here’s an unexpected trick that will work whenever you’re making a romantic Italian dinner. Take one piece of uncooked spaghetti/long and skinny-shaped pasta. Light one end of the piece of spaghetti. Then, use the ignited spaghetti and light the wick of the candle that way. It’ll be quick, easy, efficient, and painless.
27. Hide Your Cash Appropriately
Whenever traveling or even going through the daily motions of life, it’s always smart to have a secret compartment for money in an emergency situation. Normally, you can hide money in some sort of small pocket, compartment, or even in your socks/shoes. Sometimes, though that’s not good enough.
As such, roll up a few dollar bills and keep them in a lip balm/Chapstick container. No one will ever think to check that if you are mugged or robbed. If you lose your phone or wallet, you can always pull out your lip balm container knowing there’s some money in there. The best part: It’s small, virtually weightless, and easy to carry around.
26. Shoes or Cleaning Supplies? Why Not Both!
Do you just throw all of your cleaning supplies underneath the sink in your kitchen — or perhaps your bathroom? A lot of us do, and then we’re scrambling to find that one item when there’s a virtual cluster of cluttered products chaotically assembled without any rhyme or reason. If only there were a way to organize said cleaning products…
Try a hanging shoe rack! Place it on the inside of your cupboard door, and see how easy everything is to find at that point. Nothing will be ‘hidden’ or crammed into the back of a dusty cabinet. You can also organize and orchestrate how you’d like your products to be laid out. By doing this, you also won’t risk the chance at losing anything.
25. Clip ‘Em Up
Surely, you’ve been in some sort of office setting — whether at home or elsewhere — where tons of loose cables are strewn all over the place. Sometimes you step on them, they can get caught underneath the wheels of your office chair, or can just be utterly annoying. Well, there’s a trick to help with that.
Binder clips help keep cables organized and prevent them from tangling. This is particularly useful in offices, homes, and workspaces with multiple electronic devices and cables. By using different colored or labeled binder clips, you can quickly identify and differentiate between various cables, making it easier to find the cable you need. Clipping cables together can help reduce the risk of tripping hazards, as it keeps cables off the floor and organized on a desk or along the edge of a workspace. Lastly, binder clips can protect cables from wear and tear, especially at points where they are frequently bent or twisted. This can prolong the life of your cables.
24. Smell Good and Feel Good!
We’ve all gone on a trip where the prospect of doing laundry is tough. This is especially the case when you’re abroad — going from place to place. At some point, you have to lug around dirty laundry in your suitcase. At the same time, you don’t want your clean clothes to smell bad. What can you do in this situation?
It’s simple. The next time you travel with dirty clothing, bring an extra bar of soap with you. This hack tells you to keep the bar of soap right in the middle of the dirty clothes pile. It’s said to prevent the smell of dirty clothes from getting to your clean ones. A bar of soap takes up very little space and adds minimal weight to your luggage. It’s a compact and lightweight solution for odor and moisture control. Also, Soap can absorb moisture and sweat from your dirty clothes, helping to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold. This can be especially useful if you don’t have immediate access to laundry facilities.
23. A Breakfast Trick
There are few things better than pancakes on a weekend morning. The fluffy texture of the treat combined with the sweet syrup and hot butter is simply sublime. For some, the making of the pancake can be challenging. Getting the right shape is also a chore for some who aren’t well-versed in cooking.
Here’s what you can do. Take an old ketchup bottle and fill it with pancake batter. From there, you can squeeze out perfect dollops of batter into a hot skillet. You won’t add more batter than you need, and you’ll be able to efficiently measure the batter in a good way. Even better, you can keep the excess batter in your plastic ketchup bottle and leave it in the fridge for the next time you’re in the mood for a pancake.
22. Cornbread and Condiments
For many within the United State, the perfect barbecue isn’t complete without cornbread of some kind. Cornbread muffins in particular are very popular with folks. The savory taste of the corn along with the unique texture and slight sweetness is a perfect pairing with vinegar-based barbecue sauce. At any barbecue or gathering, normally you put out a host of different condiments to use. Sometimes, dirty plates can stack up quick with one sauce in each bowl/plate. Space can also become limited quite quick. Well, we have a solution for you.
A muffin tin has multiple compartments, making it easy to keep different condiments separated and organized. This helps prevent cross-contamination and makes it simple for guests to find the condiment they want. Instead of using multiple small bowls or plates for each condiment, a muffin tin allows you to consolidate everything into one compact container. This frees up table space and reduces clutter. Lastly, muffin tins are usually made of non-stick materials, which makes cleanup a breeze. You can simply rinse or wash the tin when you’re done, saving you time and effort.
21. Make That Burger Juicy…With Ice
There’s nothing worse than a dry hamburger. We’ve all been there when wanting to bite into a juicy patty — only to find out that it’s essentially a dried-out hockey puck resembling meat. You’ve also been in situations where your neighbor or buddy attempts to ‘grill’ a burger — only to inevitably lose all the moisture by smashing the burger repeatedly with the spatula (Hint: Push the burger down initially when it hits the grill, and leave it alone).
When it comes to finding a life hack for keeping burgers juicy, look no further than ice. Yes, by placing an ice cube on each patty, the burger will retain moisture — and thus its juiciness when being cooked. ce cubes can act as a buffer against overcooking, especially for delicate cuts of meat, by lowering the temperature of the meat during cooking. When used in conjunction with marinades or seasonings, ice cubes can facilitate better flavor penetration into the meat, resulting in a more flavorful dish.
20. Making Fire With…Doritos?
This isn’t a joke. Normally when aiming to make a fire, you need to get some sort of kindling to put underneath a pyramid of logs. By getting small branches/twigs/broken up pieces of wood ignited, the theory is that those fire-starters will then help in igniting the bigger logs. Well, sometimes there are situations where finding dry brush is impossible (especially if it’s been raining in the area).
No worries…all you need is to raid your pantry before you traverse across the wilderness or in any sort of camping situation. Apparently, Doritos are said to be highly flammable chips. The combination of oils and flavor powders seemingly work terrifically well with fire. Who would’ve thought that artificial bright orange food could make something combustible?! It’s important to note that while Doritos chips can serve as a fire starter in emergency situations, they should only be used when other fire-starting materials are unavailable. Additionally, exercise caution when handling fire and follow safety guidelines to prevent accidents and injuries.
19. Planning For Winter
There are places within the United States and around the world where winters can be treacherous. We’re talking about sub-zero temperatures — where the prospect of being outside for more than a few seconds is seriously a bad idea. While cats are house-trained to use a litter box, the same thing can’t be said for dogs. As a way to help dogs use the restroom safely during the winter months, there’s one life hack you can use…
As a means to give your dog a clean piece of green grass to use (even when it’s snowing), be sure to put down a large piece of plywood somewhere on your lawn. The wood will cover the spot when it snows, and all you have to do is lift the wood up for the dog to use. Even better, the dog will become accustomed to using that one spot rather than leaving poopy presents all over the place in random spots. Also by doing this, it provides a safe and accessible space for your dog to relieve themselves without struggling through deep snow or icy conditions, reducing the risk of injury.
18. Double The Ketchup
It’s always annoying when you have to go into a fast food joint and use those small, flimsy paper cups when getting ketchup. It’s even more frustrating when each ketchup cup only holds a small amount — thus forcing you to try and juggle six of them en route to your table. Well, we’ve solved the problem for you.
Simply put, one can double the amount of ketchup in a single paper cup by simply opening it up. By expanding the cup and unfolding it, you give yourself more surface area — and thus more space for excess ketchup. You can more easily pour ketchup onto your plate or piles of fries/burger this way. Additionally, it makes it more convenient for dipping food.
17. Double Up
Cooking food on skewers has been a practice long used by cultures all over the world. There’s something about the combination of grilled meats and vegetables which is overly satisfying. For those who aren’t well-versed in the arts of cooking, using skewers can be somewhat problematic in nature. There are moments when the food slides off the skewer — particularly when being turned on the grill.
As a way to ensure even cooking/disallowing food from falling off a skewer, it would be prudent to double-up on the skewer rather than using a single one. You’ll get more stability in general, and it acts as a preventative measure from ruining your food. Additionally, the stronger ‘footing’ the meat/vegetables have allows for more of an even cook on both sides. You won’t risk the chance that meat will be raw, or the vegetables not cooked all the way through with a solid char.
16. The Perfect Egg Shape
People are VERY particular as to how they cook their eggs. This is especially the case as it pertains to a breakfast sandwich. Normally, the average person doesn’t have a circular mold for making the perfect egg circle (a la a Sausage McMuffin). There are times where the egg is sloppily thrown on top of the sandwich — which could throw off the balance completely with an incorrect egg-to-meat ratio when taking a bite.
Well, we’ve got the solution for you — and it even involves another type of food. By using a raw onion ring, it functions as a de facto mold. All you have to do is put the ring in the skillet, and crack the egg within the middle of the ring. Cook it to your liking, and enjoy the breakfast sandwich! The sweetness of the onion becomes pronounced when caramelized in the pan. When combined with the richness of the yolk, you’re given a nice combination of textures.
15. Keep Your Windows Functional
For those living in cities where snow and ice can be a problem, you know it’s always an adventure as it pertains to one’s car. People have to get up early to chip ice off their windows, doors, and roofs just in order to operate their vehicles. The presence of ice and snow (and eventually moisture) can warp the car in a very negative way.
When it comes to your side mirrors, there’s one simple solution to keep the respective mirrors’ integrity intact. The use of Ziploc bags is a shrewd way in preventing ice and other elements from destroying the side mirrors. In cold climates, Ziploc bags may help prevent ice from forming on your mirrors overnight. This can make it easier to get your vehicle ready in the morning, as you won’t have to spend as much time scraping ice off the mirrors. Additionally, using Ziploc bags is a quick and low-cost solution to protect your side mirrors when you don’t have access to specialized mirror covers.
14. Expedite the Cooking Process
We’re going to use equal parts physics and logic when giving this next life hack. There are times where people want to freeze their meat as a means to save some for future events. Often times, large chunks of meat can take up a big amount of space in their freezers. Conversely, thicker pieces of meat tend to cook longer. The connective tissues in large slabs eventually get broken down, and only then will the meat be tender. But, when the meat is thinner in nature, it’ll be cooked more quickly.
As such, this is what we have here with a two-in-one life hack. You’ll save some room in your freezer, and you’ll have thinner pieces of meat which will take less time to thaw — and eventually will be cooked at a quicker rate compared to if they were thicker in nature. Even more efficient, you can better measure out meat for meals or even meal prep by doing this. If it were a large hunk of meat, things wouldn’t be as easy to break down.
13. Using What You Got
Believe it or not, there are people who will get in their cars and pick up pizza in person. Some don’t want to rely upon delivery, and others won’t want to pay the exorbitant tack-on fees associated with delivery apps. However, problems may persist depending upon how far away you live from the pizzeria. Namely, how will you keep the pizza warm when driving in the car?
In a word, seat warmer. Now, not everyone has a seat warmer. For those who don’t, another life hack involves wrapping your pizza in a warm blanket en route to your house. However, for those who do have seat warmers, simply drop the pizza boxes next to you and crank up the heat. Your pizzas should be nice and toasty by the time you get back to the crib. This is an even better idea when getting into your car and picking up a pie when it’s cold, snowy, and potentially rainy outside. Your car will also smell like pizza (not a bad thing!).
12. Making Travel Easier
Traveling for a lengthy trip can be utterly annoying. There are times where you want to load your suitcase with tons of clothes — yet you don’t have the space for them. Or, you land in your destination — only to realize that all of your clothes are wrinkled. No need to worry, we’ve got the life hack for you!
It’s quite simple: Roll your clothes. It really works! You open up loads more space from within your travel compartment. Not only can you add more clothes that you’d normally have to abandon, but you also ensure that the clothes will remain wrinkle free. This is also a benefit when traveling. Think about it…there’s a high likelihood you’ll be bringing home some souvenirs. As such, folding this way will give you extra space for those items. It’s a total win-win!
11. Snacking…With a Twist
Dunking Oreos in milk is an activity we’ve practically all enjoyed at one point or another. There’s nothing like submerging the crisp, chocolatey cookie into the ice cold white waters of milk. In the process, the cookie slightly softens — thus giving us a mush-like mixture with chocolate and cream that juuuuust keeps enough in the way of texture.
However, the act of dunking does leave your hands rather dirty. The residue of chocolate black cookie can have a staining impact on your fingertips. As a means to have a clean cookie-into-milk dunk, try using a fork! That way, you get full coverage on the dunk while also not getting things on your hands. This also make a ton of sense when you’re wearing a nice outfit — or even your favorite shirt. Because really…who wants to take the time to try and scrub out black cookie remnants out of your clothing?
10. Freeze Your Avocado!
People love avocado. You can eat it when making guacamole, on a burger, or on toast. However, some people — depending on where you live — don’t always have access to high-quality avocados. Much of this has to do with climate and weather. As such, the risk in having a brown/damaged avocado is there. There are also times where you don’t want to be forced into chowing down on all of your avocados within a short timeframe. Sometimes, you just want to space it out and save them.
This is where freezing comes from. Extract the avocado from its black peel, discard the gigantic seed, mash up the avocado, put it in a freezer-friendly bag, and simply freeze it! That way, you can have avocado year around — and you will ensure that it will not rot/get brown. When you need avocados for a recipe, you can simply take them out of the freezer, eliminating the need for last-minute trips to the store. Freezing avocados can also help retain their nutritional value, including their healthy fats, fiber, vitamins (such as vitamin K, vitamin E, and some B vitamins), and minerals (like potassium).
9. Fix The Cord
We’ve all had this happen before. When you were a kid, you surely had a sweatshirt or a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring. For whatever reason, this seemed like a green light to chew on the string before pulling it out of your sweatshirt completely. While this behavior normally doesn’t exist as an adult, there are times where the drawstring on a sweatshirt gets pulled disproportionately towards one side or another. From there, the task in leveling the length can be a challenge.
According to those who became a bit inventive, a secret trick in fixing the length involves using chopsticks. Yes — the cord essentially can be pushed back inside the sweatshirt with a chopstick (which simulates a needle of sorts). Some also like to use a safety pin. If you’re using a safety pin, open it up and attach it to one end of the drawstring. If you’re using a paperclip, straighten it out and form a small loop at one end of the drawstring, then secure it with tape. This will serve as your threading tool. Carefully insert the safety pin with the drawstring through one of the openings. Push it through the channel or tunnel created by the hem or hood. Once the pin or paperclip emerges from the other opening, carefully remove it from the drawstring. Ensure that the drawstring is evenly distributed and not twisted inside the channel. Tie knots at both ends of the drawstring to prevent it from slipping back into the channel.
8. Keeping Lunch Clean
Working from home has become the norm for millions of people around the country. This inevitably involves working a ton from a laptop or a computer. Well, when it comes time to eat lunch, there are moments when you want to sit down in front of your computer and indulge in a messy meal. One of those can be a burrito.
At the same time, work could cause you to use your hands at any moment. Well, as a means to put your burrito upright without spilling its contents, simply use a mug! Yes, by placing the burrito in a mug, you’ll be able to get back to work quickly whilst also not making a mess. Use a tortilla and form it around the perimeter of the cup (or in this case a big coffee mug). From there, fill up the tortilla with your favorite items. This is especially a great hack if you’ve got some leftover ground beef. Throw that on there and heat in the microwave with some cheese. Once done, then you can add salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.
7. Who Needs Starbucks?
Flavored coffee is all the rage right now. Whether its adding a unique creamer, or heading to a chain drive-thru for your caffeine fix, people simply love flavoring with regards to their coffee. For those who want to save a few bucks and make coffee from home, we’ve got a trick for you.
Before brewing your coffee, simply add a pinch of flavoring to the coffee grounds. We’re taking about vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, or practically anything you’d want! Flavored syrups are a popular choice for adding sweetness and flavor to your coffee. Common flavors include vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, and cinnamon. You can easily find these syrups at grocery stores or online. Add a splash to your coffee and adjust the amount to your taste. Also, flavor extracts, such as almond, peppermint, or coconut, can be added to your coffee for a burst of flavor. Just a few drops can go a long way. Be cautious not to overdo it, as extracts can be quite concentrated.
6. Children…Be Quiet!
When you’ve got multiple children, the risk of those tots fighting is rather high. This is particularly the case when they are young and impressionable. The immaturity can be exacerbated even further for whatever reason when taking any sort of drive — whether its a road trip or a short jaunt to the store. The screaming, quarreling, and fighting can be absolutely infuriating for the driver and everyone else.
If we’re talking about small children, we’ve got a solution. Simply put, use pieces of cardboard as dividers between each seat in the back row. That way, the kids won’t have any reason to fight with their siblings if they can’t see or touch them. This is also a very important thing for the driver. Distractions can happen quite easily, and if worried about what’s going on in the back of the car, it could result in an unsafe driving situation — whether an accident or something else. The drive needs a true peace of mind when operating a car, especially with children present.
5. A Game Changer For Pringles
As the commercials for Pringles says, “Once you pop, the fun don’t stop.” These chips are densely packed together on top of one another. While they’re fun to eat, sometimes it’s difficult in getting them out of the can one at a time (especially for those who don’t want to consume an entire can in a single sitting).
Well, we do have a trick which will make life much easier when consuming these crunchy treats. When opening a can, take a piece of paper, slightly fold it, and slide it down one of the side of the can. That way, the chips can come out of the can in a neat way where you can grab them one by one. If some chips are stuck near the bottom, you can give the can a gentle shake to encourage them to slide out. Be careful not to shake too vigorously to avoid breakage. By following these steps, you should be able to get your Pringles out of the can with ease and minimal breakage. Remember to handle the can and chips gently to keep them intact.
4. Slow Down, Pup!
There are many animals — especially dogs — who can be ravenous eaters. Whenever the bowl is placed in front of them, the pooch will scarf the food in mere seconds. There are problems with this. For one, the dog could get digestive problems by eating so quickly. Secondly, the dog could still feel hungry — thus resulting in your feeding the dog more. You could be spending more money than needed on dog food, and the dog could gain a couple of extra pounds in the process.
As such, there’s a solution where the food can slowly trickle out to the point that the dog will get its nutrients — while at the same time you don’t run the risk of overfeeding. All you need is PVC pipe with two end caps. After filling the pipe with dog food, drill holes all over the pipe. The kibble will then slowly come out when the dog ‘plays’ with the pipe.
3. Give Your Legos a Quick Wash
Legos are often a fun activity for children (and even some adults). However, these little colorful pieces can get quite dirty. We’re talking about when they’re played with outside…and invariably sucked on by small children. With colds and other illnesses often exchanged during winter months, it makes sense to clean the Legos. But, how would you go about doing this? Cleaning each piece one by one doesn’t seem to be very efficient.
Well, here’s an idea for you! Using a dishwasher safe/laundry bag, throw all of the Legos in there and wash using a dishwasher. You won’t lose any Legos since they’ll all be in one bag. Additionally, they’ll all be quickly disinfected for your child to use! Kids are not the most clean people in the world. They’ll take their toys to school, and the rates of kids coming home with a cough or cold is usually pretty normal when they’re at a young age. Washing the Legos will — in theory — help protect against your child getting sick.
2. Keep Your Wine Cool
Now this is a life hack everyone can get behind — particularly if you are of age, and enjoy alcoholic beverages. When drinking a white wine or lighter blend, there’s always the issue in wanting to keep one’s glass cold. This is particularly the case when savoring a glass of wine. It also exists when the weather outside gets a bit too toasty. Well, look no further than frozen grapes.
Frozen grapes act as a terrific substitute for ice cubes. Unlike ice cubes, frozen grapes won’t dilute the wine. Duly, they soak up wine to act as little ‘flavor bombs’ by the time you finish your glass. It’s a win-win all the way around! Even nicer, the grapes will add a sweetness to the wine, but not so much so that it changes the flavor profile. Plus, there’s a nice element of texture in play when chomping down onto a crunchy, refreshing grape in the midst of a buttery glass of wine.
1. You’ve Never Seen This Before
You may think this looks strange. There are plastic forks placed in the middle of flower beds/garden beds. However, there’s a strange method to the madness which actually makes a ton of sense.
Placing plastic forks in the soil, particularly around plants you want to protect, can help deter weeds from taking root. This method creates a barrier that prevents weed growth by obstructing their access to sunlight and space. While this might look wonky and a bit weird, it has been proven to be quite effective! Plastic forks with their tines facing upward can act as a deterrent to animals like cats, rodents, and birds. When they encounter the forks, they are less likely to walk or dig in the flower bed, helping to protect your plants and soil. This even includes your pets! Plastic forks are durable and can be reused season after season. They are also easy to clean and store when not in use.
Students Talk About The Worst Teachers You’ve Ever
25. Picking On The Deaf Kid
I’m deaf and wear two hearing aids. As punishment, my third grade teacher used to take off my hearing aids and make me sit in the hallway alone.
She did this several times, I don’t really remember how long it lasted since it was 26 years ago, but my best friend told my mom. I didn’t know it was even wrong. I trusted the authority of teachers.
I can’t even remember what I did, but I know it didn’t take much to set her off. She also absolutely loved singling kids out in class and embarrassing them.
She would dump the contents of your desk out in front of the class and make you clean it up while everyone watched if you took too long getting out a book or pencil.
Once we had swimming lessons. Afterwards I couldn’t find my underwear, but I was so afraid of being late that I just went commando and later tried to whisper to her that I couldn’t find my underwear. She yells out in front of the entire class, “You’re not wearing your underwear!!??”
Her name was Mrs. Baron. In the 5th grade I won a writing contest about the evil Red Baron who got shot down in the skies by Ace, a top dog fighter. I got my revenge through the pen. Oh, and my bulldog of a mother. 🙂
24. A Hands-Off Teacher
I had a math teacher who literally didn’t teach math at all. He just wrote the numbers on the board for the problems we had to do in the textbook. All class long he would just sit at his desk on his office chair and stare at his computer.
And every time he had to move around the classroom, he would just roll around in his office chair waddling his feet against the ground.
Every time I turned in work, he would just stare at the paper for literally 3 seconds, make a huge check mark on it with his pen, and write down 100% in his grade book.
He never checked the answers. I tested it one day. A friend and I wrote “p****” for a few answers on our work, and made him check our work. Did he notice? Nope. Did we get an ‘A’? Yup.
He had the counselors make me skip Pre-Algebra and go straight into an Algebra I class. Had no clue what I was doing.
(deleted)
23. Is This Normal in South Africa?
When I lived in South Africa, we had corporal punishment in school.
I had a math teacher who had it out for me. He’d cane me for offences like bad handwriting. One time I got 98% on a test. I [scored higher than] everyone in the class — including his favorites.
Result? He gave me two licks anyway. Why? So next time I wouldn’t miss the remaining 2%.
(mqrocks)
22. A Leap Year Loyalist
I had a history teacher who was a major d*** to everyone. There was a guy who was born on February 29th, and this teacher constantly bullied and harassed him. This teacher said ‘Oh, you’re only four years old! No wonder you’re so stupid!’.
What do you know, that guy ended up leaving the school in the next few weeks.
Anyway, I aced all the exams, and I ended up with a big fat B-. ‘Very poor book decorations’ he said on my report. It was history class not f****** art class.
21. A Total Creep
I had a teacher in freshman English who would give the girls bonus points and extra credit for wearing short skirts to class.
He also was guilty of some pretty consistent touchy, caressing, grabby personal space violations with them too.
It wasn’t until I was older and he was out of the school that I realized how wrong it was.
20. A Diabetic Issue
I am a diabetic and my blood sugar had started to go low. My teacher told me I could wait until the bell (in 5 minutes) where I could quickly go to my locker in between classes for my jellybeans. I nearly started crying from panic (low blood sugar is quick and dangerous) and I just walked out. He later had to apologize to me.
I went to school in a rural area in Australia. I have been given the option of glucose tablets, but they are not commonly used in my area (especially with younger kids). My diabetes educator said that the glucojel jelly beans are perfectly fine. I should have had some on me, yes.. but I’m human and I was a teenager.
I never thought about taking the matters any further, I didn’t even tell my parents this time as it happens quite frequently (ignorance). The school had my medical record, but I doubt every single teacher will go through those files and find out who is diabetic and so on.
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19. Anger Management Issues
I went to school in an upper-middle class suburb. For the most part, the kids in school were not mean. They were tame, but that didn’t mean they didn’t mess with teachers.
Our 9th Grade Spanish teacher had the reputation for having a short fuse. There were rumors he’d ride his bike to work, and shower in the locker rooms before school because he couldn’t stand traffic. We had also heard he had a breakdown the year before, where he climbed up the tree right outside of his classroom. The stepstool he had in class was definitely taped up (presumably from throwing it out of anger).
There were some weird things, too. As a way to teach us vocabulary, he’d blind fold us and have us ‘act out’ the verb he’d give in Spanish. But weirdly, the blindfolds were made from parts of old wet suits (gross).
Anyway, there were times in class when a kid would have a big bag of grapes for lunch. Others kids would have those little cups of cream cheese from the snack line (the ones that came with bagels).
The bag of grapes would be passed around, and — in the middle of class — we’d have ‘grape wars’. You’d see grapes all over the walls splattered when he had his back to the class.
As a way to make us learn, he had a guitar he’d often play. On the last day of school, one of the kids decided to be a major rebel — and threw grapes inside of the guitar sitting on the back counter. As the final bell rung, everyone scurried out of the class. Right outside seconds later, we heard a gigantic scream.
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18. The Cooler?
My high school teacher was a total psycho.
He was one of those dudes with a short fuse. Whenever a kid was acting up or talking out of turn, he’d send them for 10-to-15 minutes to ‘the cooler’ (aka the storage closet in the back of the room).
There was a small rectangular window coming from that room, so he could see the student, and the student could see back towards the classroom.
One day, my friend got sent there. He blew on the window with his mouth as a joke to make a loud noise. Everyone laughed…except our teacher. In one fluid motion, he turned from his stool to the whiteboard, grabbed a marker, and chucked it towards the door.
Except…he hit a totally unsuspecting kid in the head. After he apologized to the kid, he made my friend get out of ‘the cooler’ and outside — where we all watched them have a full-on argument from inside.
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17. You Are Lying!
My 10th grade science teacher was Mr. Sloan. On the last day of school, we had our finals. I had a 89.3-percent in that class.
Knowing that, I studied so hard wanting to get an A. The test ended up being a scantron exam — meaning he could run them through the grader and we’d be able to know how well we did before leaving for summer vacation.
To be fair, the test was really easy. I was confident I did well.
Mr. Sloan went to the other room to grade them with like 15 minutes left until the final bell. He came back in, and said “I think you guys cheated on this team, you all did so well.” We all thought he was joking, and we were happy as a class to learn that we did well.
He then goes, “No, I think you all actually cheated. I don’t think I’m going to count this.” I looked at my exam, and received a 96-percent (which would’ve given me the ‘A’ in the class).
A month later, I got my final report card in the mail. Mr. Sloan gave me a B+. It still annoys me to this day 20 years later.
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16. Whose Phone Was It?
We weren’t allowed to have our phones on during class in high school. This was roughly 20 years ago when phones weren’t as common as today.
During our class, someone’s phone went off. Our teacher stopped teaching and asked who’s phone it was. Crickets. This irked him so much, that he wouldn’t let us go when the recess bell rang until someone came forth and gave him their phone (at that time if you got your phone confiscated, you’d have to go pick it up at the office).
The recess bell rang. He wouldn’t let us go. The class was getting antsy. One girl — sacrificing herself — gave the teacher her phone (even though it wasn’t hers that went off). He took the phone, but said we still had to wait another 10 minutes until the real culprit came forth.
We had a set of troublemaker twins in the class, and knew it was one of their phones. Still, neither one of the twins budged. At this point, our teacher got on the classroom phone, called the office and screamed for the dean to come into the class.
At this point, he wanted to conduct a backpack check. At this point, we were all frustrated. We just wanted the twin to give up their phone so we could leave. Eventually, kids in his row ratted the twin out, and his phone was taken.
This is the type of kid that would whine and complain. He kept doing it, and asking why his phone was taken. All of a sudden, out teacher blew a gasket. He shoved the cart where the overhead projector was sitting, and the projector fell off and hit a girl in the front row.
Slamming his fists on the twin’s desk, he kept screaming “DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT — DO YOU HAVE ANY G****** RESPECT?!” The twin’s face went white as a ghost. We ended up leaving the class, and the twin got suspended for one day due to his behavior.
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15. Don’t Mess With This Guy
My senior year high school History teacher was a tough dude. Very well respected and liked, but he didn’t put up with anything he deemed as disrespectful.
I don’t remember which branch, but he was a part of the military in some capacity. One day, the Pledge of Allegiance came on over the intercom (as it did every morning).
In the middle of the Pledge, one kid came into the classroom slightly late. With everyone standing up, he was sitting in his desk quickly getting his books and notebook out.
Once the Pledge ended, our teacher walked up to him and sternly said “The next time the Pledge of Allegiance comes on, you get your f****** a** out of that seat immediately.”
The kid was never late for class again.
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14. Flying Dictionaries
My Pre-modern History teacher at Sixth-Form was a bit of a tyrant (but also shocking at teaching). At the start of the year, he dumped a 4 centimeter thick pack of handouts on everyone’s desk. The instructions every lesson were “continue to read and highlight.”
The guy would go mental any time someone spoke, moved or even looked up from the booklet.
He threw a dictionary at a guy’s head when he asked for a definition.
Thankfully, he was sacked after the incident.
13. Satisfaction Indeed!
My grade 10 English teacher told me flat to my face I’d never amount to anything, and that I’d never do anything post secondary. Essentially, she thought I’d fail at life.
I always got horrible marks in English in high school because I just didn’t get it. I don’t know if she thought I didn’t care or what her problem was, but it had the opposite effect.
It crushed me, made me feel worthless, and made me give up on ever understanding English.
My marks in grade 10 plummeted. I barely passed, then barely passed grade 11 as well. Another teacher who actually cared turned me around. The only reason I got into university is I because absolutely destroyed math and science.
I phoned her up the day I got my Engineering degree to gloat. The phone call basically went with me calling the main school number, asking to speak to her, and saying “Hi, this is [my name], I remember what you told me in grade 10. I just wanted to let you know I am receiving my Bachelor’s in Engineering with Honors today, no thanks to you.” She hung up on me.
She wasn’t the only teacher I called that day, I also called several to thank them for being a positive influence.
12. The Music Teacher
I was in the second grade. We had a new music teacher that year. The longtime music teacher ended up taking a year off to work on some personal issues. We loved Mrs. Hall, and were sad to see her go.
In comes the new teacher, a woman named Mrs. Taylor. Even though I was an 8-year-old kid, I could tell she was not nearly as nice as Mrs. Hall.
One day, we had this activity in music class where we had to do this ‘parade’ style choreographed march throughout the class. I ended up turning the wrong way and sort of screwed up the pattern (give me a break — I was 8 years old).
In front of the whole class, Mrs. Taylor yelled “Okay, who’s the idiot who didn’t follow me in line?” Kids pointed at me. I was so embarrassed that I started crying.
I told my mom when I got home. Being the protective Italian woman that she was, she marched right to the school office.
Mrs. Taylor was fired the next day.
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11. The Real-Life Professor Umbridge
My trigonometry teacher in 11th grade. I had loved and excelled in basically all the other math classes I had taken up to this point, but after her class it was all over.
She was a short, bitter, older woman with longer curly hair and a terrible attitude. If you didn’t get a concept at first, she would talk down to you like you were some inferior being — and would actively avoid actually explaining the process to you.
Her terrible attitude and lack of teaching made me hate that class so much.
10. Blow It Up!
Not worst, but definitely the most crazy.
We had a science teacher that got off on blowing up s***. The class was Earth Science (rocks, volcanos, etc). There was no physics or chemistry in the curriculum, but he would just throw in random chemistry and physics demonstrations because s*** would explode.
Some of the crazy s*** he did:
Hung a test tube from the ceiling, filled with water, plugged the top and put a burner under it. Cork shot out of the room, across the hall.
Demonstrated a dust explosion. Had a metal paint can with a rubber hose in the side. Put a candle inside, some corn starch in the tube, hammer the lid shut, and blow. 6 foot high flame and the lid knocked out the ceiling tiles, and broke the metal grid for the drop ceiling. He repeated this about 6 or 7 times just so that we understood what was happening.
Put Sodium and Potassium in water. Sodium didn’t react fast enough for his taste, so he would use a lighter to ignite the hydrogen coming off of it to speed things along. He went up to almost a tablespoon of Potassium and it exploded a 5 gallon batter jar.
Filled a beaker with sugar and poured in some Sulfuric Acid to make a black char “snake”.
There was this big area above his desk where the steel beams were corroded. He wouldn’t talk about what happened.
9. A Bathroom Accident
My first grade teacher. A friend of mine, not a troublemaking student by any means, mind you, had asked politely to go to the bathroom several times for two hours until she couldn’t hold it any longer and peed herself.
Then instead of calling a janitor, the teacher shamed her by making my friend clean up the puddle herself, on her hands and knees with paper towels.
8. What Sort of Teacher is This?
Grade 9 ‘science’ teacher by far.
He was only a one year substitute for the actual teacher. I can’t remember what happened to her. But he was assigned to the class.
He was an awful teacher. Mr. Davis if you’re on here and see this, f*** your teaching style.
He was really a math teacher, but I don’t know why he was ‘teaching’ biology. We literally had 4 or 5 tests a week. We would get a worksheet and finish it In class, then get a test over it the next day. Then we would get another worksheet when we handed the test in. Then when we came In the next day, we would have a test. That repeated all year.
He had juniors and seniors from his other classes grade our papers.
He sat on his a** everyday with his feet on his desk listening to music on YouTube.
We did one experiment/lab that whole year. And we didn’t even f****** finish it.
Somehow passed with a B.
7. Can You Just…Let Me Be, Please?
My fifth grade teacher. Back in fifth grade, I had terrible stomach issues (later turned out to be an ulcer) and each day I was supposed to go to the nurses for some medicine and crackers.
One day, my stomach was worse than usual, but my f****** teacher refused to let me leave.
I threw up on her desk and ended up at the hospital the next day. F*** you, Mrs. H.
6. Creepy Dude
I had a relatively young teacher who had clearly peaked in high school, and was back to hang out with the cool kids.
If you were popular, you got away with anything. If you weren’t, you could see the pain on his face when he had to give you some of his time.
The guy also liked to go to high school kids’ parties and creep out on the girls. He was everything I aspire not to be.
5. What Sort of Curriculum is This?
We had a business teacher who said he was a big fan of ”group learning”, so he would put us in groups and make us correct our own homework.
We would teach each other while he spent the class time gambling online.
We all failed business.
4. Finding Nemo Again?!
My eighth grade French teacher. I’m not even sure she spoke French. She usually just put on a movie, usually in French with English subtitles, sometimes not if she couldn’t figure out how to change the language. It was almost always Finding Nemo.
I learned nothing in her class except that there is a limit to the number of times someone can watch Finding Nemo before going insane.
Apparently, a lot of people have had a teacher like this. Good to know that I’m not alone.
3. Why Can’t You Believe Me?
I had a teacher who used the proof of my grade improvement as proof that I was cheating.
That was the only proof.
It got so absurd she made me take a test in an empty room with her watching with nothing around me. Still got the highest grade in the class, she still accused me of cheating publicly. I told her if she was so sure to bring up formal charges.
2. It’s Called Being Resourceful
First class of community college. I was assigned to write a paper answering 15 history questions. The paper must be at least 20 pages in length. As it was my first class in college, I go to work — writing complete thoughtful answers with good sources.
When I turn it in, the history teacher (aka the rodeo coach) says “Wait here and I can grade it for you,” and proceeds to COUNT THE PAGES and gives me a 100%.
At the same college the next semester, I had a government teacher (aka the basketball coach) assign a 20 paper over “government”.
So I turned in the same paper (from the previous semesters history class) with a different cover sheet. Got another 100%.
1. Reckless and Dangerous
My 10th grade chem teacher. First day of class I was sitting in the front row as that’s where I normally like to sit. She took two chemicals, threw them both into a ziploc bag together and informed us that that chemical reaction was creating a gas that was toxic and would kill us if we breathed it in.
She then carelessly tossed the bag onto her desk right in front of me. I never sat in the front row of her class again.
One time, she decided to take that phosphorus you have to keep in liquid out so we could see how it burst into flames when exposed to the air. She thought that putting it on a stand with a fan behind it blowing towards the door would be enough ventilation.
It wasn’t. We had to evacuate the classroom.