When DIY Goes Wrong: 11 Money-Saving Projects That Failed Hilariously

Pinterest is a DIY playland.

There’s something about carefully staged photos showing each step coming together seamlessly into a beautiful finished project that makes anything seem possible.

But if you’ve ever plunked down your cash at the craft store counter and ended up hating your project (and maybe yourself, just a little) a few hours later, you know that achieving those Pinterest-perfect projects is harder than it seems.

It only takes one slip of the hot glue gun for a money-saving DIY project to go horribly wrong.

Here are a few DIY fails that ambitious Penny Hoarders will sympathize with:

1. Trying to make holiday gifts for your family members instead of buying them, even though you’ve never been super crafty:

This is how people end up in line at Walmart on Christmas Eve. Because they think they have this under control… until they really don’t.

2. Cutting corners on wedding costs by making cake pops at home.

They might be edible, but… actually, they might not be edible. Put that down.

Sometimes the cake pops go so wrong they don’t even make it onto the sticks.

3. Finding something cheap that isn’t quite your style, but you think you can spruce it up with a little spray paint.

And then you hate it.

And then you try to strip off the spray paint.

And then you realize how much money you spent on spray paint and paint remover and that you could have just bought new lamps a long time ago.

4. Convincing yourself you don’t need to call a repair tech because you’re going to follow the steps exactly as shown on Pinterest. It’s going to be fine. You’ve got this.

Any DIY that ends with a call to the fire department is a bad DIY.

5. Planning one amazing day to do all your freezer meal prep:

…but managing to burn half of it.

6. Manicures are expensive. It can’t be that hard to pamper yourself by trying a little nail art at home, right?

It’s times like these when you wonder if the universe is trying to tell you to be less vain.

7. Knowing your house could use a few improvements, but admitting your budget isn’t exactly at the Love It or List It level.

Sometimes you can’t gloss over that whole “Measure twice, cut once” thing.

8. Not wanting to shell out for the newest version of that cool thing you already spent too much money on.

Why not make the most of what you already have and improve on style with a $4 investment?

Again with the painting regrets. Some things just weren’t meant to be marbled.

9. Making a pantry stockpile from your extreme couponing scores.

Are you trying to get organized, or are you working on building a cushiony soft interpretation of the Iron Throne?

10. Speaking of furniture… you can make anything out of a wooden pallet, right?

 

 Measure twice, cut… oh, forget it. I cannot even with the splinters.

11. Raiding your kitchen to make your own beauty products because that drugstore stuff is just too expensive. And Kool-Aid is so cheap!

Everyone, take a deep breath. It’s time to step away from the Pinterest.

Your Turn: Have you ever had a money-saving DIY project go horribly wrong?

Lisa Rowan is a writer, editor and podcaster living in Washington, D.C. Please don’t make her go to the craft store.