Nicknames bring people closer together. They’re endearing and create a sort of intimacy that other people don’t share. This Reddit user fell into the habit of calling people “Big D” whose first letter in their name was D.
Shutterstock
When a large woman named Donna entered the workspace, he began calling her “Big D” without thinking of the repercussions. This is one of those good ideas that go right over our heads if we’re not thinking too much into it. Donna grew to dislike this Reddit user and we can see why (via Reddit).
In Kindergarten, we don’t think about the repercussions of lying. We don’t have a true understanding of what it means to lie, and what happens when we do. It’s part of the beautiful innocence of being so young.
Shutterstock
This Reddit user remembers one of their good ideas when they were in Kindergarten. They lied to their friend by telling an untrue story about a bunch of students trying to offer him cigarettes. Well, that idea quickly went South when his friend freaked out and told the principal. Then, he had to tell his parents, the daycare workers, and a cop. Surprisingly, he never told the truth and stuck to his lie (via Reddit).
Hitchhiking is one way to travel around for free. Even though it comes with risks, it’s still a fun way to save money and meet interesting people. This Reddit user admitted the complete failure of one of their good ideas when they played hooky from school and hitchhiked in their sister’s truck.
Shutterstock
Not only did he manage to end up two towns over, but he had to walk back, hitchhiked with a tranny, and still got caught by his parents. Even though it was an idiotic, epic fail, at least he has an entertaining story to tell (via Reddit).
Jumping onto a rope swing in the summer is everyone’s dream. It’s almost as if it’s the epitome of summer. One internet user admitted one of his good ideas when he was at a bachelor party. Lo and behold, there was a swimming hole with a rope swing. Even though he’s a runner, he had very little upper body strength, which meant he struggled to hold his own body weight.
Shutterstock
He accidentally let go of the rope as he flew into the water. His knee smashed into the edge of the water as he fell, and he ended up with a bloody leg. He ended up needing 12 staples in his left knee and had to get surgery. He also got three screws in his finger, and now, he has more scars than necessary for simply swinging on a rope swing (via The Brainy Penny).
Doing a good deed makes us feel better about ourselves. They usually seem like good ideas at the time, especially when you have other people’s safety in mind. A father and son in Uganda shared their experience trying to grab heavy, dangerous leaves from a tree so they wouldn’t fall on another person.
Shutterstock
When the son’s father told him to grab a specific leaf, he quickly realized there was a hive of Ugandan Mud Wasps living in that exact leaf. He ended up getting stung, and his dad described the experience as “an army of large, black blots” chasing him. Luckily, the son only suffered immense pain for three hours, and by the end of the day, the swelling was down. It was the worst pain he’d ever felt though (via The Brainy Penny).
There are some things in life that we buy for fun, even if they’re not the most practical thing to own. We need to find enjoyment in life somehow, and at times, it’s healthy to make these purchases as a treat to ourselves.
Shutterstock
Oftentimes, though, these purchases initially seem like good ideas, when in reality they end up being the biggest fails ever. This Reddit user admits he purchased an Alexander McQueen t-shirt for $200. There’s a lot you could do with $200, and buying a shirt isn’t one of them. At least he ended up with a souvenir from his idiocy (via Reddit).
One of the most relaxing things we could do for ourselves is to sit inside a sauna. It lowers blood pressure, relaxes our muscles, and soothes our bodies. Unfortunately, when people talk in the sauna, it can feel frustrating, especially when we’re trying to relax.
Shutterstock
What’s even worse is when someone completely ruins a sauna session by thinking they had one of those good ideas that end up being a complete and utter failure. This Reddit user admitted to the entire internet that he thought it’d be a good idea to pee on the steaming hot rocks during a sauna session. Once the entire sauna filled up with the smell of his own urine, he quickly realized his mistake. Every single part of that sounds unpleasant (via Reddit).
Once we learn we can do a new skill, there’s no turning back. Whether that’s licking our elbows or doing a headstand, we’ll do anything it takes to show off our newfound talent. Usually, these tricks seem like good ideas but end up being disastrous.
Shutterstock
This internet user tells us a story about his friend who wanted to show off his backflip in school. When he went to do a backflip when the teacher was gone, his leg ended up going straight through a wall and into the other side, into a classroom full of students taking an exam. There has to be one student that was grateful for the sudden distraction (via The Brainy Penny).
They say tequila is an upper, and there’s a good reason for it. Tequila usually precedes a rowdy night and is best saved for times when you’re with your best friends, and don’t have to worry about any possibility of embarrassment.
Shutterstock
This Reddit user admits they brought a bottle of tequila to a work party and quickly realized it was one of those good ideas that took a turn for the worse. We can only imagine what it’s like getting drunk on tequila with your coworkers. Hopefully, they were all equally as drunk as each other, so no one has to live the rest of their days in sheer embarrassment in the office (via Reddit).
No one likes dealing with police, and everyone’s guilty of whispering negative comments about cops behind their backs. It helps make us feel better about ourselves, even though judgmental comments aren’t always the best way to achieve this.
Shutterstock
Most of us never admit to uttering these words, but this Reddit user took a stance and admitted his faults. He called the cops “bacon to go,” which is definitely hilarious. The cops didn’t think so, and it was one of those good ideas that only come out while drunk. Because of it, he ended up spending the night in jail. That’s a harsh punishment for a few meaningless words (via Reddit).
Preparing for a date is both nerve-wracking and exciting. The night can go any which way, which is why it’s so thrilling. Will you meet the love of your life or will it be a complete disaster?
Shutterstock
To prepare for this person’s night out with a girl, he tried to think of some good ideas to make sure he was ready. It looks like he was overly prepared by jerking off four times. He put in too much effort and ended up having an empty tank when he went home with her later that evening (via Reddit).
Picking up a hitchhiker takes a lot of courage. You have no idea who this person is, and what their true intentions are. Some of the time, hitchhikers are interesting people with fascinating stories to tell. On rare occasions, though, these hitchhikers can create more trouble than not.
Shutterstock
This person’s hitchhiking story started as one of those good ideas that seemed like it would be a great experience. After picking up the hitchhiker, they quickly realized their mistake. When the driver took the hitchhiker to their destination, they wouldn’t get out of the car. Luckily, a cop randomly came along, and the person told the hitchhiker they’d call the cop over if he didn’t get out of the car. The hitchhiker took that as a big warning sign and got out of the car. That’s probably the last time that person ever picked up a hitchhiker (via The Brainy Penny).
Good ideas, like traveling to a country alone, really help people grow in many different areas of their lives. This twenty-six-year-old went to Costa Rica by herself. And even though she barely spoke Spanish and was a petite female, she decided to go on an all-day hike deep in the jungle.
Shutterstock
She was flown on a small plane to the middle of the jungle, where she then had to begin a 26-hour walk to the next town. Once the plane took off, it was just her, the guide, and a machete. She quickly realized the mistake she made, but there was no going back after that (via The Brainy Penny).
Imagine peacefully sitting down for an exam, when, suddenly, a frisbee smacks you in the face. That’s almost as bad as sitting at the beach and having an umbrella fly into the air and straight into your head.
Shutterstock
This is exactly what happened to this high school student. When they were out playing frisbee at recess, a breeze carried the frisbee straight through an open window of a classroom. At first, playing frisbee seemed like one of those good ideas that are common amongst most students. When it went through the window, it ended up being a complete failure. It hit a kid right in the face during his exam. After reading this story, the classroom doesn’t feel like a safe place anymore (via The Brainy Penny).
Camping next to the pool is one of those good ideas that you’d think would stay a good idea. That is unless it’s a bunch of kids under 10 years old, who thought putting the tent into the pool was a better idea than keeping it on land.
Shutterstock
What started as fun and games quickly went south. They were laughing and splashing around in the tent, which was in the shallow end until they accidentally pushed the tent towards the deep end. Once the tent was submerged, they realized they couldn’t unzip it because the zipper was stuck. Luckily, the one kid on dry land started screaming, and the dad heard the screams over the lawn mower. He ran over, pulled the tent out of the deep end, and ripped it open, freeing the kids inside (via The Brainy Penny).
When we go through a breakup, all we want to do is run away from the pain. This can come in the form of traveling, moving cities, or drastically changing our look. Some people get tattoos, while others get piercings. A lot of the time, we do things we’ve always wanted to do. Sometimes, though, we find ourselves doing things we don’t have a reason for doing.
Shutterstock
This Reddit user cut off their hair, even though they don’t like short hair. Their heart was in so much pain, that they figured the only way to escape the pain was to change their look. We get it, and we’ve all been there. At least they didn’t get a tattoo they regret. On the bright side, hair grows back eventually (via Reddit).
Before recreational marijuana was legal in Colorado, people had to go through various loopholes to get around the law. This internet user’s friend sold marijuana but couldn’t smoke it himself. So he had to test it out for his friend, who gave it to him for free in exchange for an honest report on the taste and feel.
Shutterstock
One time, his friend gave him an edible. He warned him to only eat a small piece and wait a couple of hours. He listened to his friend, waited a couple of hours, and still didn’t feel anything. After three hours, he decided to eat the rest of the edible, which was the size of his fist. He woke up twenty hours later and figured he’d somehow overdosed on marijuana (via The Brainy Penny).
There’s a reason bungee jumping uses a bungee cord. It’s because they’re elastic. That applies to every sort of bungee cord, even the ones you use to tie something to your car or wrap around a box.
Shutterstock
This Reddit user admits their big mistake when they pulled on one end of the bungee cord while the other end was stuck on something inside the trunk. It looks like it smacked them right in the face. It’s a surprise they still have both of their eyes (via Reddit).
Tattoos always seem like good ideas at the time. Unfortunately, they can quickly turn into massive regrets, especially if you get the tattoo in the wrong place or of the wrong thing, like an ex’s name.
Shutterstock
This Reddit user shared their tattoo regret. Not only did they get a tribal symbol, but they got a tramp stamp. This is one of the worst places to get a tattoo since it has a slew of negative connotations. Promiscuous people usually have tramp stamps. At the very least, it’s easy to hide, except when they’re at the beach (via Reddit).
It’s easy to accidentally overpay for a car, especially if you have no idea what you’re doing. It takes a lot of research and patience to correctly select the right car, and make sure you’re paying a good price for it.
Shutterstock
This guy admits he overpaid for his car by about $8,000. Even though it’s a brand new car with zero mileage, he made a huge mistake. There’s no going back now and he’ll never see that $8,000 again (via The Brainy Penny).
After reading these complete fails, that started as good ideas, we’re suddenly left feeling distrustful about the judgment of certain people. This is another schoolyard story where a group of kids played with their Beyblade during recess.
Unsplash
As they were trying to launch their Beyblade to see who could get it the farthest, the schoolyard filled up with other students. The Beyblade went straight into the face of another kid. The person who threw the Beyblade turned around and pretended nothing happened. They never saw their toy again. It’s a harsh way to try and stay out of trouble but as a kid, owning up to your mistakes is the last thing on your mind (via The Brainy Penny).
Cats have sharp nails. They’re also prone to sudden, twitchy movements. This is why it’s important to only hold cats when they’re calm and sleepy. Otherwise, you’ll get your eyeballs scratched off.
Shutterstock
This Reddit user shared one of their good ideas, which ended up being a complete fail. They tried to hold a cat while using a vacuum cleaner. Let’s just say they ended up with tons of scratch marks all over their face. It’s never a good idea to hold a skittish animal in front of a machine that makes a sudden, loud noise. At least they learned their lesson (via Reddit).
Getting a concussion while stargazing doesn’t happen often. Or, ever. All that stargazing entails is lying down on the ground and looking up at the sky. Somehow, this internet user managed to get a concussion while they were stargazing at Boy Scout Camp.
Shutterstock
Because they were overly enthralled, which is understandable, considering star gazing is an exciting activity, they leaped into the air. Forgetting they were over six feet tall and standing on a hill, they ended up smacking their head on the ground and rolling downwards. Even though they suffered a concussion, they’re appreciative of the story they now have to tell (via The Brainy Penny).
No one likes being outdone. When we come out on top, it gives us a nice ego boost and a reason to brag. An internet user told us a story about when they were out to dinner with their family at a German restaurant, eating pretzels. They were passing spicy horseradish mustard around the table, each person taking a bigger portion than the last.
Shutterstock
When it got to him, he took a huge dollop to try and impress his family. Once it hit his system, his sinuses went on fire. He said, “It felt like someone bottled fire and shoved it down my nose.” That doesn’t sound pleasant, at all. He began sweating, his face turned beet red, and he started crying. Needless to say, that was probably the last time he ever ate that horseradish again (via The Brainy Penny).
As children, we grew up playing hide and seek. Usually, we would hide, and the adults would try to find us. It was a game that could last hours upon hours if we were clever enough about our hiding spot. Even though it was a fun game as a kid, it’s not one of those good ideas we would continue to do now.
Shutterstock
One user on the internet tells us a story about a guy that loved climbing up into crawlspaces and exploring the unknown areas of a building. He figured out how to get into the ceiling of the vocational school they were at. One time, he disappeared for over 40 minutes. It turned out it was because he had fallen through the ceiling and into a locked supply room full of copper tubing. He spent the entire time trying to find the door to get out and hiding for fear of getting caught. Years later, he ended up in jail for breaking into a house and hiding in the attic (via The Brainy Penny).
The feeling of excitement that rushes over you when you get a text from your lover has to be one of the greatest feelings in the world. Unfortunately, you can get too excited about something, and when that happens, the results end up being disastrous. This guy finished his first Field Training Exercise, after being in the field for four days with little sleep and no shower. When they finally had a chance to shower, it just so happened to be the same day he received a letter in the mail from the love of his life. He couldn’t contain his excitement and thought the best plan was to read the letter while he showered, so he could both shower and use the light at the same time, which goes off at 9 PM.
Shutterstock
On his way to the shower, he decided that kicking open the door was a great idea. The next thing he knows, his friend is standing over him, puking. It turns out that because of the way he hit the door frame, he’d peeled back a chunk of his scalp. He tasted spinal fluid in his mouth, and his head was gushing blood. He ended up in the ER and never got to shower or read the letter. This is a story for the books and has to be one of the biggest fails of all time. This guy learned his lesson about good ideas, and, needless to say, will never make the same mistake again (via The Brainy Penny).
Shooting arrows can get repetitive, especially if you do it all day long. Sometimes, you need to change it up a bit so there’s that spark of excitement that was initially there when the game started. This internet user shares one of their brother’s good ideas, when he lit the arrows they were shooting in the backyard on fire. After soaking the arrows in gas and lighting them on fire, they’d targeted every flammable thing they could in the yard.
Pixabay
Suddenly, one of the arrows ended up in the woods and lit an entire meadow on fire. They stomped out the entire fire. His oldest brother ended the evening by saying, “dad never hears a word about this.” They’re lucky they didn’t cause a massive wildfire, because their evening would’ve ended up quite differently (via The Brainy Penny).
There are good cops and bad cops. When you interact with a good cop, it gives you a feeling of hope. But, when you interact with a bad cop, there’s no saying what will happen. These are the cops that have huge egos. They run around and tell people how to act, and might even end up causing more harm than good.
Shutterstock
When this guy saw a car blaring its horn at a taxi in New York City, he succumbed to an act that’d fit the category of “good ideas that went horribly wrong.” After throwing a snowball at the car, two guys got out and started shouting at him. They told him to come here, and he replied, “Why!? What are you gonna do, call the cops!?” To which they said, “WE ARE THE COPS!” They were sitting in an unmarked cop car. He told them to screw off, and they ended up arguing. The cops tried to tell him not to go to the party because he was too drunk, but he didn’t listen to them and went to the party anyway (via The Brainy Penny).
We’ve all heard so many stories about people who tried to dye their hair at home, only to have it come out as a completely different color than they originally planned. Since it happens so often, it’s surprising that people still attempt to do it themselves.
Shutterstock
This teen tried to dye their hair a red color, as they were going through an emo phase. Well, it didn’t go as planned. They ended up with a huge red splotch on the top of their head when the dye clumped together. Their mom said, “wow, you really screwed that up, didn’t you?” She laughed, and then went to the store and bought them black hair dye so they wouldn’t have to walk around in public looking like that (via The Brainy Penny).
Cutting corners always feels like one of those good ideas that’ll never have any repercussions. You’re doing your job, just more efficiently and quickly. Sometimes, though, you can cut too many corners and end up causing more harm than good. When these retail employees tried to save time when they were collecting the remaining carts in the parking lot, they ended up damaging tons of goods.
Shutterstock
Instead of making four cart lines, they made one huge line. Because the line of carts was so heavy, they couldn’t stop them. The carts blew past the cart rail and ended up denting a refrigerator and breaking a TV. Needless to say, the store manager was not happy (via The Brainy Penny).
Alcohol messes with our inhibitions. Things that seem like good ideas when we’re drunk usually aren’t good ideas at all. This especially holds true when we’re in our twenties. Stealing things while drunk is a pretty common occurrence and something that happens more often than not. Most of us are probably guilty of stealing an object or two while drunk. This internet user admits he tried to steal a solar light from a neighbor’s yard when he was out drinking.
Shutterstock
As he was trying to steal the light, he fell off of the concrete slat and onto the ground. At first, it felt like he hurt his funny bone, but after a week of pain, he finally went to the doctor and discovered he’d broken his elbow. Insurance covered $23,000 worth of surgery, of which he only had to pay $1,000. He’s much older now, and it wasn’t until recently that his wife made him throw away the light (via The Brainy Penny).
When you’re 12 and you and your friends suddenly build a makeshift adrenaline activity in your backyard, it’s life-changing. You’re left wondering how your little brains thought of something so intricate and clever. A group of twelve-year-olds decided to make a homemade zipline in their backyard. They tied one end of a rope to a tree at the top of a hill, and since they didn’t have anywhere to tie it at the bottom, decided to hold the rope taut while they took turns going down.
Shutterstock
The first person crashed. But that didn’t stop them from trying again and again, with a crash every single time. Oftentimes, when you’re a kid, safety is the last thing on your mind (via The Brainy Penny).
Kids will be kids. There’s no stopping that. They’ll try anything and everything until they learn their lessons, which usually end up being the hard way. In one math class, in particular, students would toss things back and forth between the adjacent classroom they shared a wall with while the teacher wasn’t looking.
Shutterstock
One time, a student launched his textbook towards the window. Instead of going straight through the window, it slammed into it and took down a shelf as it fell. Three math teachers immediately scolded them. As they were getting reprimanded, a lone marker flew through the window, like a lone warrior (via The Brainy Penny).
Sliding across a piece of plywood covered in algae seems like one of those good ideas only kids would have. This group of kids decided to have a “wipe out” contest to see who could wipe out the best. The game was going well until one of them wiped out. He tripped, slid across the algae-covered board with his hand, and punctured a part of his palm with the plywood.
Shutterstock
He had to go to his neighbor’s house for a cleaning, then ride up to his brother’s house on a dirt bike to clean it with peroxide. Afterward, he needed to go to the ER, only to be told they couldn’t do stitches in case the plywood was still in his hand. If they did, it could cause necrosis. But the good news is that he won the game (via The Brainy Penny).
Stealing things when you’re a teenager seems like one of those good ideas that never turn out well. Teens never really think about the repercussions of their actions, which is why they end up causing more damage than not. While drunk, this group of teens tried to steal a coke vending machine by tipping it into the back of their Ford Ranger pickup. They managed to get it into the truck, but they forgot to unplug it.
Shutterstock
As his friend drove away, with his brother standing on top of the vending machine as if he were riding a horse, the vending machine fell out of the back of the truck and crashed to the ground. Not surprising. Their grand plan of having copious amounts of coca-cola in their garage for eternity didn’t end up happening (via The Brainy Penny).
Hunger and thirst are two human needs. Without them, we wouldn’t survive. This internet user gladly shared their story about trying to catch a fish in a stream in New Zealand, akin to a bear leaping into a stream. He thought he could dunk his hands in and catch the fish much like a majestic animal with a clean catch, but his idea quickly went downhill.
Shutterstock
Completely naked, he leaped off the tree. His wet feet slipped and he sprawled out into a full stretch, like a frog. Then, he belly-flopped into the bone-numbing cold stream and was swept downstream, keeping his head above water until he managed to find a spot he could steady himself. He managed to get some air into his lungs and clambered back onto dry land. He looked like a drenched rat as he climbed back up to the house he was working at. His biggest lesson was the recognition that he needs to stick to kitchens (via The Brainy Penny).
As we’ve seen many times before, kids think of good ideas that rarely end well. This internet user is no exception. When he was a kid, he and his friends squirted a bottle of dishwashing soap at the entrance of a mall. The entrance had a downslope and was extra slippery when wet.
Shutterstock
As a car barreled down the road, they decided to photograph the driver’s surprise when he got to the slippery part of the road. Within seconds, the driver crashed his car, causing six other cars to crash behind him. The kids ran away, tossed the film, and didn’t tell a soul (via The Brainy Penny).
If the water is deep enough, rope swings are a fun way to get into the water. But when they’re hanging over shallow water, there’s no saying what could happen. Usually, slamming into the bottom of a shallow river never ends well.
Shutterstock
This is exactly what happened to this kid. After a bike ride with his scout troop, they went to a rope swing along a shallow river. His parents arrived to pick him up, and because his mom was in a good mood, she let him take one last swing. Well, that was a bad idea. He swung into the water, landed on his wrist, and broke his arm. Let’s just say his mother was not pleased (via The Brainy Penny).
You don’t understand how quickly a fire can spread until you witness it firsthand. If fire catches the wrong material, it’s only a matter of time before an entire fire is spreading across a field or house, with no signs of stopping.
HSSE World
When this internet user was 17, his friend was playing with fire. He ended up setting an entire field up in flames. His dad was incredibly angry and ended up taking money out of his college funds to pay for the damage to the field and the hunting camp lodge, which had burned down. While his friends went off to get degrees, he had to stay at home and work. Sadly, this one mistake had a ripple effect on the rest of his life (via The Brainy Penny).
In school, practicing for a fire drill was annoying but necessary. Without it, we wouldn’t know what to do in the case of a fire. Because it was so repetitive, some students would try to make it feel more exciting. Usually, we would watch them crack jokes or cause a disruption, but other times, something else happened.
Shutterstock
In this particular school, students had to hold a sign with their teacher’s name on it, so the class wouldn’t get lost. A group of kids convinced one student to throw the sign like a spear through a small window. He threw it, shattered the window, and ended up having to pay $160. It was one of those good ideas only kids would think of. At least they appreciated their teacher’s priceless reaction (via The Brainy Penny).
Running with your eyes closed seems like one of those good ideas that quickly turns bad. This 14-year-old thought it was a good idea to run across the street with his eyes closed. Even though he didn’t get hit by a car, he ran straight into a tree.
Shutterstock
He cut open his face and knee. We’re not sure why he thought of this idea in the first place, but there was no way it was going to end well. At least he didn’t get hit by a car, because the repercussions of that would’ve been a lot worse (via The Brainy Penny).
