Discovered a 10 year old trick with Facebook targeting that still works today

I was struggling to get leads for a local roofing client back in 2018. Everyone says to use lookalike audiences but they were burning through my budget. Then I tried something dumb - I made an audience of just people who had clicked on our ads but didn't convert, then excluded the converters. It was a tiny list, like 200 people, but the cost per lead dropped from $45 to $12 in a week. Now I use that for every campaign. Has anyone else found old hacks that still beat the fancy new tools?

Overheard a kid at the parts counter say "torque to yield is a scam"

I was waiting for a thermostat gasket at the NAPA on Broadway last Thursday. Some young guy, maybe 19 or 20, was telling the counter guy that torque to yield bolts are a scam invented to sell more bolts. I almost choked on my coffee. That stuff is basic engineering, head bolts stretch for a reason. I remember my first time doing a head gasket on a 5.4 Triton about 12 years ago. I reused the TTY bolts like an idiot and had a coolant leak within 500 miles. Had to tear it all apart again, cost me a whole weekend and 60 bucks in new gaskets. That kid will learn the hard way just like I did. Has anyone else had a new guy argue about something basic like that?

Neighbor told me my patio was draining wrong, saved me a mess next spring

My neighbor came over last week while I was pouring a concrete pad for my new patio. He pointed out I had the slope going toward the house foundation. I had to bust up a whole weekend of work and redo it sloping away. Took me an extra 8 hours but he showed me the right angle to aim for. Has anyone else had a neighbor catch a mistake before it was too late?

Can we talk about the old way we used to fish wire through finished walls

I was running a new circuit in a 1960s house last week and realized my old steel fish tape was way better than those modern glow rods... the flexibility just ain't the same anymore. Spent 45 minutes fighting that fiberglass stick before I gave up and dug the old tape out of the van, got it done in 10 minutes flat. Anybody else notice the newer tools just don't hold up like the stuff we started with?

Old timer's tip about filler shrinkage saved my bumper job today

I've been in the trade about 6 years now but a guy named Dave at the parts counter told me to always use a skim coat and let it shrink before sanding. He said "just trust me, come back in 20 minutes." I did exactly that on a 2018 Honda Fit rear bumper and the finish came out glass smooth. First time I didn't have to redo a repair because of pinholes or low spots... anyone else get advice from the old guys that actually works?

Overheard a project manager say 'always ask for the deadline twice' and it clicked for me

I was at a coffee shop near my office in Denver last Tuesday and heard a PM talking to a junior dev. She said you ask once to get the date, then ask again to see if they actually mean it. I tried this on my last project at work. The first time my boss said 'next Friday,' then when I asked again he laughed and said 'okay next Wednesday is real.' Now I do this with every assignment and it saves me from rushing on fake deadlines. Has anyone else tried something like this to figure out which deadlines are real?

Chat with a health inspector near the library food truck hub last Tuesday

I was waiting on a tamale truck downtown and a health inspector grabbed the same picnic table. He told me over half the trucks he visits don't hold cold items at the right temp, like 45 degrees instead of 40. Made me wonder, how many of you actually check the temps of what you're ordering?

Paid $600 for a home inspection and missed the big mold problem

Inspector pointed out a tiny water stain in the attic, said it was old and fine. 3 months after moving in, found black mold behind the drywall in the same spot. Cost another $3k to rip it out and fix. Anyone else feel like inspectors just check boxes instead of actually looking?

Snapped my T-square in half on a Friday afternoon job in Phoenix

I was leaning too hard to cut a 12-foot sheet and the aluminum just gave out, sent me stumbling into a bucket of mud - has anyone else had a favorite tool fail at the worst possible time?

Had to choose between a 3/8 wall tube or a 1/2 inch for a high-pressure feed line repair. Went with the 3/8 and it's holding, but I'm still second-guessing it.