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TikTok at its best shows us that there’s a better way to use a cheese grater.
In 2024, everyday people taught us how to play the game of life… that takes place within the game of life. At the margins. Where we gain an edge. Their hacks went megaviral and changed norms. I think TikTok is why Jeep’s sales plummeted by 20% Q3: Drivers left and right were disparaging the products as inconvenient.
Here are the top 10 hacks we learned this year from TikTok, in descending order, according to our internal traffic numbers.
🟢 🟢 🟢
⮩ 🚘 10) Getting a deal on your trade-in car
As Rebekah Harding broke down in her reporting, this is a four-step process:
- Don’t reveal your trade-in at first.
- Consider sales tax because the dealership will use that $1,000-swing against you.
- Don’t walk-out with the salesperson to inspect your trade-in
- Factor in upgrades and tout them at trade-in. Think: all-weather mats, tool kits, tires, and cameras.
⮩ 🧼 9) A little-known use for Dawn dishwasher soap
Scrubbing your car with Dawn can prevent your windows from icing or fogging in the winter, according to a TikToker. “Just take a rag and wipe it in. You don’t want to add water,” he says. “Just wipe until it disappears from your windshield.”
⮩ 🛒 8) You want those damaged items at Target
Grab the item with frayed edges and bruises. Remember: It’s what’s on the inside that counts. Then take that baddie to the register and enjoy an automatic 10% off.
It’s damaged, after all.
⮩ 🍽️ 7) Your server is lying to you
The server forgot your order and wasted your time. She’ll send a stand-in server and have them tell you a lie: The printer ran out of ink, and we can’t read the order. Can you repeat it? It’s diabolical.
But this is when you, the consumer now empowered by this intel, throw a glass of lemon water in their face and leave a 1-star review on your way out the door.
⮩ 🍜 6) Should you avoid buying Maruchan ramen from Walmart?
It’s a timeless product, but it’s actually more expensive to buy a 12-pack of Maruchan vs. 12 single ramens, according to a deals expert. You know the old adage: Buy 12, get the illusion of safety free.
⮩ 🤑 5) Spend $500, win the lotto
This year, we went to the gas station and partook in a dangerous gambit.
Buy a whole roll of scratch-offs for $500 and worst-case scenario, the folklore went, we’d win our money back. I love using the Underdog app in-game to hedge against Desmond Ridder in the late window as much as any degenerate, but this is a losing game.
Take this woman, who wound up down $220 when she finished scratching.
⮩ 🥤 4) DIY ginger ale
Yes, George Costanza was right.
Some restaurants just mix Pepsi and Sprite. That means you are getting unexpected caffeine when you order ginger ale.
⮩ 🍞 3) Start me up, I’ll never stop
You go to Texas Roadhouse and begin your journey with a plate of white bread.
One Roadhouse roll is 24 carbs. So now your blood sugar is compromised and you’re in overdrive, more susceptible to woofing down a Texas-sized steak and even craving dessert. And who’s there to satiate that tickle in your tummy?
The (road) house always wins.
⮩ 🪑 2) Here’s what’s really up with those seemingly awkward, low-to-the-ground, angled lawn chairs you see everywhere
⮩ 🥣 1) Sour cream, at home, for less
If you think Daisy sour cream is outrageously priced, but want it at your fingertips, it’s just two ingredients.
And while we’re at it, ditto teriyaki sauce.
This was our most-read hack of the year. And while my first blogging impulse is to make a Carl Weathers reference about cheapness, this knowledge was power to many online who looked for any edge when it came to making ends meet. And when President-elect Donald Trump won last month, we should have seen it coming in the newsroom; all of these hacks are really about inflation.
The Daily Dot looks back at the year that was in our 2024 Year in Review.
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