A Better Mousetrap – And the Personal Finance Lesson Behind It

I know that mice and money have very little in common at first glance. And while I typically write about finance, I feel compelled to share my “better mousetrap” story with you. In the end, this magic journey did bring to mind some important finance lessons anyway. But let’s get back to the saga.

You see, I was plagued by a clever little intruder-rodent for several days before I stumbled on a fast, free (humane) method that worked to get rid of the SOB. While I was under attack by this mini-monster, I could scarcely think of anything other than how to rid myself of this pest.

Of course I never saw the varmint but he kept leaving little black “clues” around the house to make sure I knew he had been there. I tried everything possible. I spared no expense. But nothing seemed to work. Whose house was it anyway? I became fixated on getting rid of Mickey.

Frequent trips to the hardware store came to no avail. What made matters worse was that the pesky little beast became bolder as my attempts to end his days in my domain intensified. Oh the humanity!

The Solution

I woke up around 3 a.m. to the sound of what I hoped was my 4-legged friend being trapped inside my snare. Lo and behold, the food inside the trap was gone but all I had to show for it was a pile of little black “reminders” that he had visited me yet again. Curses….foiled again!

Right then and there I decided I would not lay my head upon a pillow again until I came up with an alternative plan of attack.

I did some searching and found a wonderfully novel idea. All I had to do was:

1. Get the cardboard center of a paper towel roll.
2. Put a piece of peanut butter on the end of it.
3. Place the roll on a table such that it hangs over the side.

The concept was that once the hungry little guy crawled into the tube, his weight would pull the tube over into the waiting trash can and he would be mine. I could smell victory….but was it a mirage? Not at all.

Within 30 minutes of putting together my “tunnel of love” my uninvited guest went “plop” into the trash can. And within a few minutes he was whisked away to a secure location about a mile away from my house. He was still alive and I was victorious. Win-win.

Why do I share this story with you?

Two reasons. First, if you have a mouse, don’t waste your time with fancy traps. This works great and really fast.

Second, if you are sick and tired of something, it pays to get mad as hell sometimes. Yes. OCD can be your friend. You might be mad about your debt problem or the fact that you are in a career you want to get out of.

Whatever it is, know that if you are committed, ask for help and keep trying, you will find an answer. The most important lesson I learned was that it’s OK to admit it when you don’t know how to do something. There are plenty of resources and people who are dying to help. Just reach out and then implement the best ideas you can find. Forget the ego. Get the mouse.

Have you ever done battle with a mouse (figuratively or literally)? How did you solve the problem? If you are looking for other homemade DIY ideas, check out my friend Matt’s great site DIY Natural.