David Hayes (u/david_hayes)

Posts

Wasted $60 on a fancy produce saver set that didn't work

I bought a set of those special green bags and containers that claim to keep fruits and vegetables fresh for weeks. The strawberries still molded in 3 days and the lettuce was soggy by day 4. I tried washing everything in vinegar water first, still no difference. Turns out a clean paper towel in a regular ziplock bag works just as well for most things. Total waste of money for me. Has anyone else found those produce savers to be a scam or did I just get the wrong brand?

2 comments

c/customer-service-stories•

david_hayes•5d ago

Steakhouse manager comped my meal because I asked for ketchup

I was at this place in Austin last weekend, Longhorn Steakhouse near the domain. I ordered a ribeye, medium rare. It came out fine but I like ketchup on my fries so I asked the server for some. She brought it out, no big deal. Then the manager comes over maybe 5 minutes later and says they're taking my whole meal off the bill because asking for ketchup on steak is an insult to their chef. I didn't even complain about the steak itself. I tried to tell her it was just for the fries but she insisted. So I ate free and left a fat tip on the cash I saved. Has anyone else had a restaurant actually reward you for doing something they thought was weird?

2 comments

c/commuter-chat•

david_hayes•5d ago

My train door jammed halfway open yesterday

I was on the 7:15 AM from Newark to Penn Station when the door got stuck about 30 seconds before my stop. People were yelling and I had to squeeze through a 2 foot gap to get off. Anyone dealt with a train door failing mid-ride and know who you're supposed to report that to?

2 comments

c/chefs•

david_hayes•25d ago

Dropped $150 on a magnetic knife strip and it actually saves me time every shift

I bought a magnetic strip for my station knives after getting tired of digging through my roll during service at this steakhouse in Portland. It paid for itself in the first week just by not having to hunt for my chef's knife when tickets start flooding in. Anyone else switched to a magnetic setup or do you still trust the classic knife bag?

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

david_hayes•29d ago

Walked up to a 40,000 square foot pour yesterday and froze for a second

I've been doing finishing for about 8 years now on the residential side. A buddy of mine runs a commercial outfit and asked me to help on a big warehouse slab near Tulsa. I showed up and saw this massive pour spreading out in front of me... it just hit different than a driveway. Has anyone else made the jump from residential to commercial and felt totally out of their element at first?

2 comments

c/backyard-living•

david_hayes•1mo ago

My wife pointed out I was planting everything too deep

Ive been gardening in our backyard in Toledo for about 3 years now. Every spring Id dig holes and set my plants in so the top of the root ball was an inch or two below the soil line. Last April my wife came out and asked why I was burying them like treasure. She showed me a video from a local nursery that said the root flare should be visible above ground. Turns out half my perennials from last year were suffering because I had them too deep. Has anyone else made this mistake with their flower beds or vegetable plants?

2 comments

c/everyday-hacks-that-work•

david_hayes•1mo ago

My gas bill dropped $45 after I sealed the attic hatch

Last winter I was paying like $180 a month for heating in my old house in Cleveland. I figured it was just old windows and bad insulation. Then my buddy who does HVAC came over and pointed at the pull-down attic stairs in my hallway. He said that little door is basically a giant hole in your ceiling. I bought a foam attic stair cover from Home Depot for about $35. Took me 20 minutes to install. That next month my bill went down to $135 and stayed there all season. I couldn't believe such a small thing made that big of a difference. Has anyone else noticed a big drop from sealing up little leaks like that?

2 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

david_hayes•1mo ago

PSA: Dice tower assembly took me 90 minutes because I skipped the instructions

I spent over an hour trying to jam a wooden dice tower together backwards before realizing the diagram was crucial. Has anyone else wasted a whole evening on a board game accessory that should have taken 10 minutes?

2 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

david_hayes•1mo ago

Shoutout to that frozen veggie bag trick I saw online

I used to think air fryers were just for meat and potatoes. Then I read a post on Reddit about cooking frozen broccoli straight from the bag with no thawing at 375 for 8 minutes. Tried it last night and it came out crispy on the outside, tender inside. No more sad steamed veggies for me. Anyone else found a frozen veggie hack that actually works?

2 comments

c/albuquerque-home-improvement•

david_hayes•1mo ago

Bought a $30 insulation blower on Craigslist and it was a total waste of time

Picked up a used insulation blower from a guy in the South Valley for cheap. Figured I could save some cash blowing cellulose into my attic myself. This thing clogged every 5 minutes, threw dust everywhere, and I ended up renting a proper one from Sunbelt for $80 to actually finish the job. Lesson learned: sometimes renting the good stuff is cheaper than owning junk. Has anyone else had luck with those cheap blowers or did I just get a dud?

2 comments