Sometimes, dumb ideas do work!
I can’t say it’s ever really happened to me, but it definitely does for some folks out there.
And you’re about to read about them!
Here are some very entertaining stories from AskReddit users.
1. Wow! That’s crazy!
“In my freshman year of college, my grades were really not great. And my parents were really strict about getting good grades. When my dad asked to see my grades, I panicked and did the inspect command on the computer where you can change type faces on the screen to read different words and letters.
I changed all of my shitty grades to good grades. My dad was so happy that I did “good” my first year of school. He asked me to print my results. I did, and turns out he had to send them to our car insurance company for a “good student discount”. Ultimately, I committed insurance fraud by accident. But I got the discount.”
2. You look weird, but it works.
“Wearing a motorcycle helmet while snowblowing.
I did it because i missed riding, it kept my face warm and when snow would fly back at me the visor would protect me.”
3. A dangerous idea.
“A storm broke a limb on a tree hanging over my house in my back yard, but it was still hanging on by a few splinters. I didn’t want it to fall, and it wasn’t in a place where I could use my ladder to get to it.
So I found some rope, tied a brick to it, threw the brick and rope over the limb, made a crude rope swing, and swung and pulled at the branch until it finished breaking.
It wasn’t until I was using the chainsaw to cut it up that I realized how many times during my stupid idea I could have easily hurt or even killed myself.”
4. That’s pretty good!
“Our power was out due to a storm. I had a campstove to use for boiling water to make a coffee pour-thru, but I couldn’t use my electric grinder for the coffee beans. I tried fashioning a mortal and pestle but it was taking too long.
So, I put the coffee beans in a couple of ziplock bags, placed the bag right behind a car tire, then ran over it back and forth a couple of times to crush the beans. Worked like a charm.”
5. V.I.P.
“A friend and I once snuck 15 people into the Warped Tour by giving them some bracelets from a party supply store and clipboards full of paper.
Walked up to the side gate and said we were with Rock The Vote. The security guard waved us right in.”
6. You’re hired!
“I forgot to bring a resume to a job interview, but I had an index card in my bag. I cut the index card in half and wrote my name, my contact info, and “creative problem solver” in my best handwriting, and gave a copy of my “business card” to both the interviewers.
I got the job.”
7. This is great.
“When I was young and broke I bought a sofa from a used furniture store. I had no way to take the sofa home.
I went to a used car lot a couple of blocks away and took a truck for a test drive…”
8. Just like on TV!
“I’m stuck on a cliff, but if I jump at a really sharp angle at that gravel field, I could just slide down there and be fine, just like in TV!“
Every time I think about this I am amazed I’m not either flattened by a rock, or impact against something.
Childhood really is just the tutorial level sometimes.”
9. Congratulations!
“In college I was taking a class that required me to purchase an online textbook and workbook that was registered under your name, basically ensuring that each student would have to buy a new online copy each semester instead of buying used textbooks.
I had a friend who took this class a semester before me so we came up with the idea to message customer service and explain that I had recently gotten married (so my last name had changed) and I legally changed my first name from [my friend’s first name] to [my first name] and I would need them to change it in their system.
It totally worked and the rep even congratulated my on my marriage.”
10. This is smart.
“Real estate told me I had to have the carpets professionally cleaned (wasn’t in the contract) or I’d lose my $800 bond.
I did some research and found out I could become an accredited carpet cleaner as there are no official licencing boards in my state.
So, I did what any sane person would do. I paid the $85, did the online course and got my certificate. Registered a business name, ABN etc etc. (all free)
Handed the property management a copy of my accreditation and an invoice for services.
I became a professional carpet cleaner and launched a vacate cleaning business that is still going 6 months later.
I did clean the carpets. They claimed I didn’t and required a professional cleaners invoice as proof. So I gave them the proof.
I did not charge the real estate agency, it was a copy of the invoice they claimed to require.
I do professional house keeping and cleaning for vacating a property at the end of lease to enure you get maximum bond back.
I help people who are being unfairly treated by their property management and advise them on what steps to take in regards to cleaning, repairs etc
-With the return of the bond, and some smart shopping, I was able to purchase my own equipment to continue the job, I then claimed those costs back on tax.”
11. Blind luck.
“This idea could’ve easily gotten me fired if it went wrong.
I was working as art-director at an animation studio, making videos for clients. One client was especially pesky about the use of yellow in the background. They wanted it to be that of their logo, which was this horrible neon-piss yellow.
We advised against it, but after numerous calls we had to cave and gave a version with that colour. They hated it, and asked for a change. What followed were 12 versions with numerous calls in between tweaking the colour over and over.
Eventually I got tired of it and just sent the original version again, I didn’t even bother to rename the file. The client said “this looks exactly the way I wanted, thank you”!
How that ever went right I still have no idea.”
12. When in Rome…
“Dressing like a redneck to pick up chicks. Went to college in the south but the guys there were all very preppy. I thought because a lot of the girls grew up in the south, they would be drawn to more of a redneck vibe that not many people on campus had. so I bought a camo fishing hat.
Literally had three girls start conversations with me that day.”
13. Very satisfying.
“There was a swarm of hornets that had made a nest under the front of our porch with only one specific narrow entry in or out.
Spray wouldn’t work and it was right under our front door, so had no way to keep exterminating them.
Then I realized “why not whirring blades of metal?”. We DID have an old 50s metal fan and I could maybe blow them away from the entrance so they had no way to get in.
The unanticipated effect was that it worked, though after a few hours had created a Civil War battlefield of dead or dying hornets piling up like a zombie tower in World War Z. Every few moments you’d hear “thunk” as another hornet fell into the trap.
So satisfying.”
14. Fakin’ it.
“Was really REALLY desperate to leave past employer after 15 years. Had been applying and interviewing and striking out. Finally got an interview at a place where (at the time) I felt, “meh, I am not really sure this is right for me, but anything is better than where I am at.”
Instead of prepping for the interview, rehearsing answers, etc…I pulled an “office space.” I was cocky, brash, unconcerned, made it seem like I was happy where I was at and didn’t really care if I got the job or not.
They called me back the next week and I waited a week to return their call. Same deal with the second interview. When they offered me the job, I hemmed and hawed, said I needed to think about it really hard, and that it was a “big move” for me, etc., etc. I came back and demanded well over $15,000 above what they were offering in salary. They accepted.”
15. Just like Costanza.
“It probably wouldn’t work in this day and age but back when I was young I was tired of retail and wanted an office job. I just lied my ass off and pulled a total George Costanza what with friends coached to answer their phones as a business and such.
Got hired as an admin assistance and been steadily moving up since.”
Color me impressed!
I guess I’ll have to give more dumb ideas a chance once in a while.
How about you? Have you had any dumb ideas that actually ended up working out?
If so, please tell us about them in the comments!
