c/failed-plans-club

My neighbor's garage sale made me question my whole 'side hustle' plan

I spent three months collecting stuff to flip online, but my neighbor Frank said, 'You're just moving junk from your house to someone else's for five bucks.' That hit hard because I had about $300 in old tools and books just sitting in boxes. Has anyone else had a simple plan fall apart after one blunt conversation?

I thought my garden plan was solid until the deer showed up

I spent all spring planting a vegetable patch with tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers, sure I'd have fresh food all summer. I even built a small fence, about 3 feet high, thinking it was enough. Then one morning in early June, I saw the whole lettuce row was just gone, and there were clear hoof prints in the dirt. That was the moment I realized my whole plan was wrong because I never actually checked what kind of wildlife was around here. I learned that a plan can look good on paper but fail if you don't know the real problem you're solving. Now I'm looking at much taller fencing or maybe even a full enclosure. Has anyone else had a garden plan wrecked by animals they didn't expect?

My 'simple' deck expansion in Denver turned into a structural headache

I planned to add a 10-foot section to my back deck last spring, thinking it was just more of the same framing and decking. Halfway through, I found the original ledger board was only nailed on, not bolted, and it was pulling away from the house. I had to stop everything, get a permit I didn't think I needed, and replace the entire 20-foot ledger with proper lag bolts and flashing. The whole thing took an extra two weeks and about $800 in unplanned materials. Anyone else had a 'small' project blow up because of something the last guy did wrong?

Update: I picked the wrong wood for my kitchen table and had to redo it

I had to choose between using maple or oak for a table I was building for my apartment in Cincinnati. I went with oak because it was cheaper, but it ended up being way too heavy and the stain looked blotchy. After three months of hating it, I finally took it apart and rebuilt the top with maple, which cost about $80 more. Anyone else ever pick the wrong material for a project and have to start over?

My boss in Toledo told me my project updates were too long and people just tuned out.

Showerthought: My plan to fix a friend's fence in Phoenix went sideways in one minute.

I had all the tools and a new bag of concrete mix, ready to reset the post, when my neighbor Frank walked over, pointed at the cracked wood, and said 'You're patching a rotten stump, kid.' He was right, the whole base was gone. Has anyone else had a simple fix turn into a much bigger project because you missed something obvious?

I tried to surprise my friend with a birthday trip to Chicago that fell apart completely.

I booked a fancy hotel and concert tickets for her birthday last month. When I told her, she just looked at me and said, 'I have a huge work deadline that week, I can't go.' I was so focused on the plan being cool that I never checked if she was free. It cost me about $400 in non-refundable fees. Has anyone else messed up by not asking the basic questions first?

My uncle insisted I buy a $2,500 pressure washer for my new side hustle, but after 3 months I've only had two jobs.

Turns out the 'if you buy it, the work will come' advice only works if you actually know how to find customers first... anyone else start a business by buying the tool instead of getting the clients?

I planned a 3 month road trip to work from my van and quit after 11 days

My plan to get a business loan fell apart after a talk with my accountant

I was set on getting a $25,000 loan to upgrade my pressure washing rig, thinking it was a sure thing. My accountant, Dave, looked at my numbers and flat out said, 'Your cash flow can't handle that payment right now, Stella.' It hit different because he showed me the math on a single piece of paper, and he was right. Has anyone else had a financial plan completely flipped by a simple reality check?

I planned a whole bathroom remodel around a 'standard' tub size that wasn't standard

I was doing a full demo on a 1920s house in Pasadena and the plan was to drop in a new 60-inch tub. Measured the alcove, it was 60 inches on the dot. Ordered the tub. When it showed up, the actual tub body was 60 inches, but the total width with the finished flange was 60 and 3/4 inches. That extra 3/4 meant the tile backer board I'd already hung was now in the way. Had to tear out a whole wall, reset the studs, and push the job back a full day. Who else has been screwed by a product's 'finished' dimensions not matching the listed size?

Tried to fix my leaky sink with either duct tape or a $7 kit from the store.

I chose the duct tape because it was already in my garage, but the whole thing blew apart at 2 AM and flooded my kitchen floor. Has anyone else had a quick fix turn into a total disaster?

PSA: My plan to photograph the supermoon from the Santa Monica Pier was a total bust because of one thing I didn't check.

Drove out there last night with my camera and tripod, ready to get that perfect shot over the water. The plan was solid, the gear was ready. What I didn't plan for? The marine layer. The whole sky was just a flat, gray wall. Couldn't even tell where the moon was supposed to be. I stood there for an hour hoping it would clear. It didn't. Learned the hard way that checking the basic weather forecast isn't enough for coastal spots. You need to look at the specific marine forecast for fog. Who else has had a photo plan completely wrecked by something simple they overlooked?

My plan to fix a leaky kitchen faucet with a YouTube video and a prayer

I was sure I could save the $150 a plumber quoted me by watching a 10-minute tutorial and using my basic tool kit. The problem was a steady drip from the handle, and the video made it look like a simple washer swap. After turning off the water and taking everything apart, I found the cartridge was cracked, a part I didn't have. The hardware store was closed, so my kitchen was out of commission for a whole evening while I waited with a bucket under the sink. I learned that diagnosing the exact problem before you start is way more important than just having the right tools. Has anyone else had a home repair go sideways because you missed one small, broken piece?

I planned a whole garden around a single planting chart and nothing grew right

I followed a zone 6 planting schedule I found online last spring, putting everything in the ground on the exact dates it said. My tomatoes went in May 15th, but we had a late frost on May 22nd that wiped them out. The chart didn't account for my specific microclimate or that cold spring. I lost about $75 worth of seedlings and two months of growing time. Now I check the local 10-day forecast and soil temperature, not just a generic calendar. Has anyone else found their local conditions make a bigger difference than the official zone guide?

Serious question, I used to plan every move for a big job down to the minute. After a disaster in St. Louis last year, I think that's a terrible way to run things.

I was sure my friend's 'freeze your credit card in a block of ice' trick was just silly, but it actually stopped my impulse buys for a full month.

I spent $400 less than usual because the 20-minute thaw time made me rethink every online cart. Anyone else try something they doubted that actually worked?

PSA: My plan to completely automate my garden watering with a smart timer backfired

After the controller failed during a 95-degree week in July and killed my tomatoes, I learned to always keep a manual backup system. Has anyone else had a 'smart' device totally flop on a basic task?

My big plan to fix my own water heater cost me $400 and a weekend

I figured replacing the heating element in my water heater would be a simple job, so I bought the part for $60 and set aside a Saturday. I watched a few videos, turned off the power and water, and got to work. The problem was I didn't have the right socket wrench for the deep-set element, and I ended on stripping the threads trying to force it. That meant I couldn't get a seal, and when I turned the water back on, it leaked everywhere. I had to call a pro on a weekend emergency rate to fix my mess, which cost $340 on top of the part I ruined. The whole thing was a huge waste of time and cash because I was too stubborn to admit I didn't have the right tools for the job. Has anyone else tried a home repair that spiraled because you were missing one specific tool?

Spent 6 months trying to fix my old car before a single test drive showed the real problem

I was set on rebuilding the carburetor on my '78 Ford, buying parts and watching videos every weekend. After months of work, I took it for a test spin and it still ran rough. My neighbor, an old mechanic, heard it from his porch and yelled 'sounds like a vacuum leak, kid'. I'd been chasing the wrong fix the whole time. Ever get so focused on one solution you miss the obvious issue?

Spent $200 on a fancy meal kit subscription to save time, but it just made more dishes

I signed up for one of those services that sends you pre-portioned ingredients and recipes. The idea was to stop eating takeout and save the hour I spent at the grocery store each week. After three boxes, I realized I was still spending 45 minutes cooking, plus I had to wash all the tiny ingredient cups and the extra pans the fancy recipes required. The $200 I spent basically just moved the work from the store to my sink. Has anyone else tried these and found a simpler way to make weeknight dinners?

TIL my plan to make a perfect sourdough starter from a 100-year-old recipe was doomed from day one.

I followed the instructions from a library book to the letter, using rye flour and well water, but after two weeks it just smelled like old gym socks. Turns out the book's author lived in San Francisco, and my apartment's dry air here in Phoenix was never going to work. Has anyone else had a starter disaster because of their local climate?

I thought the 'freeze your credit' thing was just fearmongering until someone opened a $5,000 loan in my name in Phoenix last year.

I spent 6 months trying to build a perfect morning routine before a single 5am alarm going off showed me the flaw.

My plan to become a '5am person' failed because I was trying to force a system built for someone else's life, not mine, so what's a realistic first step that actually sticks for you guys?

Showerthought: My trip to the new downtown park in Cincinnati made me rethink 'green spaces'

Everyone says adding more parks fixes city problems, but the one I saw was just a flat, empty lawn with no shade or seating, so nobody used it. It cost over 2 million dollars and feels like a total waste that planners just checked off a list. Has anyone else seen a public project that looked good on paper but failed in real life?