Man wakes up every week at 3 AM to move pesky neighbor's trash cans 6 inches to the left, convincing neighbor he's going insane: 'Saw them standing in the driveway praying over the trash cans. I almost felt bad'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jan 14, 2026 10:00 PM EST

Have you ever put a mountain of effort into messing with someone? Would you?

A good prank is worth its weight in gold. But there are way more bad pranks than good pranks. Most pranks are too big and instill too much fear into the victim. Even if it's for a moment, they feared for their lives, and that's not chill. The best pranks get someone on a human level. They get under their skin and make them rethink something. The best pranks understand a person's habits and use them to exploit a situation. The best pranks are also done to people who deserve them. This story has both. 

If something in your life was ever so slightly different and you didn't know why, you might freak out. You might question your sanity. You might start imagining the presence of ghosts. Imagine if you came home and your closet was rearranged. Not in an immediately noticeable way, but let's say your long sleeves are usually on the left and your short sleeves are usually on the right. Then you come home one day, and it's the opposite. You would be confused and more than a little disturbed. You might wonder if someone broke into your house and changed it around. You might question whether you had a sleepwalking episode and did it yourself. You slowly drive yourself to madness, one question at a time. Lo and behold, it was your sister who was getting back at you for borrowing a shirt and never giving it back. Lesson learned. 

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  • A grey haired man in jeans stands in front of a lawnmower in his lawn.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • That's what one neighbor set out to do after his neighbor caused some minor problems in his life. He snitched on him to the HOA about a small issue and ended up costing him some dough. So the aggrieved party set out to make his nosy neighbor's life just a little worse. He had the perfect plan to drive him crazy without getting caught, and it worked. But he wanted to finally get it off his chest, so he took to the internet with the full story. Read on for all the details and see what you would have done. 

  • I've been waking up at 3am to move my neighbor's trash cans slightly every week and he hired a priest last month.

    this started 2 years ago. my neighbor gary reported me to the HOA because my trash cans were "visible from the street" on a non-trash day. i got a $50 fine. i said okay gary. okay. every wednesday night i set an alarm for 3am. i go outside in dark clothes. i move his trash cans about 6 inches to the left. that's it. just 6 inches. then i go back to bed.
    via u/kubrador
  • he's started bringing them inside his garage now. so i've pivoted to moving his welcome mat 2 inches every week instead. i will never stop. i don't even remember what being normal feels like. the HOA created me.
    via u/kubrador
  • the first few months he didn't notice. then one morning i saw him standing in his driveway just staring at them. he moved them back. next wednesday. 6 inches. he started putting a rock in front of them to mark the spot. i moved the rock too. he installed a ring camera. i approached from the blind spot behind his bushes. i know his yard better than he does at this point.
    via u/kubrador
  • EDIT: since people keep asking about the ring camera - the welcome mat is by his side door. camera points at the driveway. but i'm not taking chances so i bought the same ring camera model and spent a month testing angles in my own house. there's a 2 foot blind spot if you approach from the left hedge. 10 second delay before recording starts. i can be in and out in 8 ;)
    via u/kubrador
  • last summer his wife came over to ask my wife if we'd "noticed anything strange in the neighborhood." my wife said no. i was standing right there. i ate a granola bar and nodded. in october he had the house blessed. i watched a priest walk through his front door. i saw them standing in the driveway praying over the trash cans. i almost felt bad. almost.
    via u/kubrador

  • Commenters came in with praise and opinions.

    allmykitlets I hope this is real, because I'm absolutely loving it >
    via u/allmykitlets
  • A woman puts something into the trash outside
    via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • OP kubrador LOL he's started parking his car slightly different every night like that's gonna help. it won't gary
    via u/kubrador
  • Middle_Pineapple_898 >he installed a ring camera & >so i've pivoted to moving his welcome mat So the welcome mat is in a blind spot? That Ring camera must have terrible coverage...
    via u/Middle_Pineapple_898
  • OP kubrador i replied this to someone but whatever - i bought the same ring camera model and tested the angles in my own house for a month. i know exactly where to stand.
    via u/kubrador
  • Ki77ycat Just out of curiosity, answer me this: regarding this 3 am awakening, if you're partnered, how does he/she feel about being disturbed in the middle of the night and also, by the time you are dressed, out the door, sneaking over, making adjustments, and sneaking back, after your titillating fun, are you able to go back to sleep and not feel crappy at work?
    via u/Ki77ycat
  • OP kubrador she has no idea. we've been married 6 years and this is the only secret i keep from her. honestly it's kind of romantic. every marriage needs a little mystery
    via u/kubrador
  • usernamelieshere How are you moving his welcome mat if he's installed a ring camera though?
    via u/usernamelieshere
  • OP kubrador i bought the same ring camera model and tested the angles in my own house for a month. i know exactly where to stand.
    via u/kubrador
  • eccatameccata My husband got into it with a colleague who was a peer. They were both directors but this old guy keeps telling my husband what to do. So my husband who often came into work early would open old guy's office door (he had a key because the office used to be his) and would turn on his lights. Then he would lock the door. It drove the old guy bonkers because he couldn't figure out how his lights would automatically turn on.
    via u/eccatameccata
  • Fred Dingleberry I mean at this point don't even worry about the ring cam. Just dress like a demon and don't forget to whisper his name into the ring cam. Don't make him wonder. Make him shit his pants.
    via u/Fred_
  • CodenameZoya "I ate a granola bar and nodded.
    via u/CodenameZoya
  • sushirollsyummy You should skip one week so the neighbor would think finally everything is normal.
    via u/sushirollsyummy
  • Minute-Telephone7125 Take Rain-X and rub it with a fingertip into an upside down cross or pentagram on his driver side window. It won't be noticeable until wet...
    via u/Minute-Telephone7125
  • Direct Surprise2828 Oh my God, this is so funny! I wish I'd known about this when my neighbour from hell was still living next door although what I did sure got him out of the neighbourhood! He thought I was a witch and told a number of people I was and turned a lot of people against me. Thank God they don't burn witches at the stake anymore. So I got online and did a Google search for "how do witches get rid of bad neighbours." I found a recipe for "hot foot powder". It's supposed to do exactly
    via u/Direct_Surprise2828

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neighbors neighborhood drama drama neighborhood neighborhood-drama community drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories petty revenge Bad Neighbor
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