31 Brilliantly Simple Solutions That Prove We're Just Not Trying Hard Enough

John Summers • Contributor

Mar 13, 2025 9:00 PM EDT

I absolutely adore clever solutions to problems that are barely problems at all. Seriously, it just proves that you don't need to wait for a full-blown crisis to kick your brain into gear—creativity can strike at any moment! Ever tried frying food and ended up repeatedly assaulted by sizzling hot oil splashes? Easy fix: just wear an enormous banana leaf apron with eyeholes poked out—problem solved in the most stylishly organic way possible.

Or how about when it's time to bake a birthday cake for someone turning 27, but—tragically—the store has run out of candles shaped like 2 and 7? Obviously, the sensible solution is to buy a 3 and a 9 candle and throw in two standard candles as a makeshift multiplication sign. Math genius? Absolutely. Did I feel incredibly silly for never thinking of it before? You bet!

These 31 examples of human ingenuity are precisely the type of creativity we all secretly aspire to. They're proof that life's tiny obstacles aren't roadblocks—they're opportunities to flex our inventive muscles, and maybe even make the world just a little bit more hilarious along the way.

Add as a preferred
source on Google

01

via The Chive
02

via The Chive
03

via The Chive
04
The clever part is doing it next to a first aid kit

via The Chive
05

via The Chive
06
Tail wagglingly cute

via The Chive
07
It saves ink!

via The Chive
08

via The Chive
09
Oh, is your arm br...? But how did it happ...? Is the dog fi...?

via The Chive
10

via The Chive
11

via The Chive
12
Roger Roger

via The Chive
13
Is it clever though?

via The Chive
14

via The Chive
15
I'm the king of the road!

via The Chive
16

via The Chive
17

via The Chive, @HaskinsElizondo
18

via The Chive
19

via The Chive, @sciencefunn
20

via The Chive
21

via The Chive
22

via The Chive, jordanreviewsittt
23

via The Chive
24

via The Chive
25
It's... A Walken Freezer!

via The Chive
26

via The Chive
27

via The Chive
28

via The Chive
29

via The Chive
30
We stand no chance!

via The Chive
31

via The Chive