DIY Life

I can imagine that cracking a safe under pressure would be somewhat frustrating. If you are unsuccessful, though, it is probably not a good idea to leave an angry note.

News of the Weird reports that not only did the amateur thieves express their displeasure at being unable to cut into the safe ("[expletive] you and your safe"), but that they were caught speeding away from the scene, license plate in full view of the on-the-ball security officer.

Now, I'm not saying it is easy, but I wonder if this father and son team did their research before they tried to break into the safe at the Iowa golf club they attempted to rob. A simple Google search will get you videos on how to crack a safe and a complete guide on how safe-cracking works.

Perhaps these would-be robbers should have started small, and read Francesca's post on how to crack a combination lock in twelve seconds. They might have gotten away with at least a cool bike or something....

You reach for the jar of salsa. A dollop of that on each plate, and dinner's done! Except that the jar is still sealed, or perhaps is just stuck, and you can't get it to open.

There are a few things you can try. First on the list is the ever-popular "give it a whack" strategy.

That gentle tap shown in the video is a far cry from my version. In our home, we deliver a series of lusty wallops around the edge of the lid with the handle end of a sturdy butter knife.

What happens in the movies can't always be accomplished in real life. For instance, jumping out of a window in a movie looks easy, but if you try it for yourself, you might not walk away like that cute actor did.

If you have seen someone (whether in reality or not) open a door with a credit card, then you may want to keep that particular ability in the front of your memory, as it really can help you to get in your house if you have misplaced your key.

Keep in mind that you really have to work hard to make the credit card open the lock, so you may want to use an old beat up credit card or gift card that is no longer valid.

You've done it again. After writing your long letter to Aunt Martha -- on your homemade fabric flower cards, perhaps -- you've sealed the envelope, only to realize that you've forgotten to include little Harry's latest school photo.

You could either rip open the envelope, pop in the picture, and tape it closed, or you could try a sneaky way to open the envelope -- an undetectable way.

There's always steaming open the envelope, TV detective Veronica Mars' method of choice. This is wet and messy, though, so you may want to try putting the envelope in the freezer instead. Just a few hours in the zero -- or subzero -- environment, and the envelope should open on its own. You can reseal it after you put in Junior's picture.

I hope you aren't getting any illegal ideas, now that you're an expert at this....

I'm sure it's happened to you: off on a summer camping trip, you've got the hot dogs on sticks, waiting to be toasted in the fire. Now all you need to do is open the can of beans. Surely you remembered to pack the can opener... but where could it be?

When you are done placing blame with your camping buddies about who was supposed to pack the can opener, pull out your camping knife, open that can of beans, and get your dinner cooking.

Instructables has a handy video to help you learn how to open that can with just a knife. Honestly, there's not much to it; simply stick the knife into the can and hack away! A word of caution: those edges look sharp!

So never fear -- your camping trip is not ruined, and neither is your dinner. Continue roughing it in style.