We've all heard the phrase "money doesn't grow on trees"—meaning that it's not exactly an easy thing to come by.
That's not always the case, though...
Every now and then the money gods smile down upon someone and gift them with some seriously easy money.
Redditor Jelz asked:
"What's the easiest money you ever made?"
A Coke And A Smile
$20,000 for a Coca Cola commercial in which I did nothing but sit in a convertible and cheer like I was on my way to a college football game. I didn't get it all at once, but I added up the residuals over a 2 year period for tax purposes and that was the total.
- Okika13
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Sold My Spot
Was first in the queue at Apple regents street waiting for the new iPhone (5 I think) sold my space for £3k. I did it consecutively for 3/4 years probably made around £12-14k, got in some documentaries and TV shows because of it. Because I'm a fan boy I would take the week off work, and queue for 7 days, would normally sell the spot 2/3 days before launch morning. I would also have the person who bought my space buy me an iPhone.
Goodwill Goodies
Bought a second-hand jacket from Goodwill for $8. There was a $50 in the pocket.
I've found $50 and $100 bills used as bookmarkers in books from Goodwill. One time, there was a $20 bill in a signed hardcover first edition of William Gibson's Virtual Light. I bought it for $2.
- MrLeHah
I was showing my brand-new jacket I had just bought at a thrift store to the head of our legal department, and when I took it off a gigantic nugget of weed fell onto the floor. It was awkward, but, thankfully, his assistant was with me at the thrift store and could vouch for the fact that I hadn't put it in there.
- ljtwork
Pushing The Power Button
Went to a clients (I did computer repair) and he hands me a laptop and says "It's dead, if you can make it work, I'll give you $100. It is new."
I look at it, push the power button and it boots. So I figure it is not connecting to the internet or something. He freaks! Cannot believe I got it working. I show him the power button on the side. He says "Huh. Didn't know where it was."
He takes out a wad of cash, peels off 5 $20's hands them to me and the gives me another $20 as a tip. I was in and out in under 5 minutes.
- Fblonk
Flipping Cars
Bought a car that "didn't run" for $250, put some fresh gas in it and polished the paint, sold it for $2000 a week later.
- volvbro
Guardian Angel
As a waitress, I served a staff party and just did well. Really connected with one man at the table and told him I was getting married in 3 months. He tipped me $1000 and told me to use it for our honeymoon. I was floored. Reacted like Dr Grant in Jurassic Park when he sees a dinosaur in the flesh for the first time.
I was working three jobs at the time. We used the money to buy our wedding bands instead so we had a constant reminder that someone out there was rooting for us & the man who gave us the money heard about it and came to our wedding where he gave us $10,000. He changed our life & made it so we could afford fertility treatment.
Still doesn't feel real to this day & we hope to name our son after him if we ever get the chance. He was so lovely that sometimes I even think he wasn't real but was like a guardian angel. It sounds nuts, but strangers just don't do that kind of thing.
An Empty Plate
500 euros for an acting job as a waiter, I didn't have to say anything. I only had to place an empty plate on a table and walk out of the frame.
- RAMI_XXL
Happy New Year's
Three hundred bucks for my spot in line for the bathroom at McDonald's. It was new years eve. I took the money, walked far enough away and peed between two cars. Three hundred bucks was enough for me to have a little public leak.
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Babysitting
"Baby"sitting my mom's friend's 14 and 11 year old. We played video games all day (with their mother's consent) and I got 150 euros for like eight hours.
Manning The Beer Tent
I worked as a barman for a few years. A neighbors niece was getting married but needed someone to run the bar at the reception set on a field. The "beer tent" was huge and I was running it with 3 others.
I agreed to be paid "normal rate". I didn't ask for their definition but they paid me blind drunk and gave me cash in an envelope.
For 10 hours work I got paid £750 and was under strict instructions from the father of the bride to "help yourself" to any left over booze.
Dom Perignon crates each and we each filled our car boots with booze as a tip.
Staples And Copies
I earned $300 in 5 days when I was 14 by helping my friend's uncle remove staples from papers and photocopying papers.
The Muted Singer
I can't sing well at all but a part in a movie was for choir. I was just a normal extra but they were desperate for people to play singers. The director says $150 hourly for it which is insane of course. I said I'll do it but I'm unsure I'm good enough. I sang the only song I memorized "knocking on heaven's door."
It was late at night and the main actor said "good enough" they gave me a printout of the lyrics of "Last Christmas." I sung it in front of the camera and got about 500$ for it.
Later while watching it, they muted me and put someone else's voice over it.
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The Cookie Bozo
Got sent out on a temp agency job to help unload a semi at a local cookie factory. There must have been a miscommunication, because it turns out a company like that has a whole team of forklift drivers for that exact purpose and they don't want a bozo like me in the way. So, I got paid to stand around and bullshit with the truck driver all morning.
Being A Soccer Star
I used to play indoor soccer in the winters. For my grade I was on the younger side, so I sometimes would play my league and down one because I was young enough to qualify.
My uncle proposed that if he came to the game he wanted to see me score and us to win. So he said $20 for a goal and $20 for a win. That night I was playing down with the younger squad. At the time I was a winger, striker, attacking midfield player. I wasn't too selfish, but everything went my way that night. I made $100 in an hour.
Empty Pool
My job while I was at school. Worked at the school pool as a lifeguard, but it was almost always empty so I could sit in the office and work or watch YouTube videos and get paid £8.15 an hour for it.
Partying With Beer
Used to do craft beer tastings for conventions/events. It was a side gig through a friend. You basically stand there for an hour handing out beer and discussing it, and sometimes drinking if the patron asks to share with you. The events were always high class, so you'd get tips even though we weren't really a bar, more of a giant ice cooler. Basically I got paid to be at a party. Lots of networking too. Usually took home between $100 to $200 cash for the hour.
- Gravey9
Now look, most of this stuff is probably never going to happen to you, so don't get your hopes up ... but at the same time "never say never" right?
Maybe you'll be the next person to find money in a Goodwill coat or get paid a ridiculous amount of money just to walk past a camera!
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For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.
Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.
The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.
Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:
"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"
Serious Danger
"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."
"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."
oofboof2020
Waiting for Food
"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."
"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."
nowhereboy1964
Captain Hobo to the Rescue
"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"
"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."
FartAttack911
Survival
tsunami GIF
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"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."
faithfulpoo
These Tsunami stories are just tragic.
On the Sand
Scared The Launch GIF by CTV
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"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."
oyloff
Be Clever
"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."
OstneyPiz
Bad Jokes
"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."
Alegan239
YOU
Who Are You Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
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"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"
PrettyLola2004
Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.
No one should talk to others in the dark though.
Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
Hug GIF by The BarkPost
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...