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10 Surprising Life Hacks That Use A Single Bobby Pin

Photographed by Emily Turner.
Bobby pins: They're everywhere, except when you really need one. (Seriously, check your bag or your desk drawer right now. We bet you find a few.) And they can do a lot more than just hold your hair back.
Did you ever realize a bobby pin could pit cherries and olives? They can also serve as makeshift clothespins in a pinch. While we're skeptical about some ideas — has anyone actually been successful in using a bobby pin to pick a lock? — the internet is filled with plenty of bobby pin hacks for every occasion, and some of them are downright genius.
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We've rounded up some of the most innovative, clever ways to make the most out of your bobby pins. Click through to discover the myriad things these little guys are capable of.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Pitting Cherries And Olives

Cherries are delicious — but spitting out the pit can make eating them a hassle. Luckily, bobby pins are the perfect size to perfectly pit a cherry, as Lifehacker discovered. The site also endorses using bobby pins to pit ripe olives.

Hold the bobby pin open so that the ends are on each side of the cherry pit. When the ends reach the other side of the cherry, pull the pin through, and the pit will pop out with it.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Toothpaste Clip

You don't need a gimmicky tube squeezer to get the last bits of toothpaste out of the container. A bobby pin works just as well at pushing the tube's contents to the top.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Holding Nails In Place While Hammering

Unless you're a professional, there's always the risk of accidentally hammering your finger during home renovations. But bobby pins can reduce the risk of hitting your precious hand.

Use a bobby pin to hold a nail while hammering, rather than holding it between your fingers, WiseBread suggests. You'll be able to keep the nail in place without whacking your fingers.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Nail-Art Tool

If you're a nail-art fiend, you may have seen this hack in YouTube and Pinterest tutorials. The ends of bobby pins are just the right size to create tiny polka dots on your nails.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Bookmark

Bobby pins are an upgrade from the old receipts you're probably using as bookmarks. And they won't fall out of the pages when you toss your favorite read into your bag.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Clip Down A Loose Belt End

If you're using a belt that's on the roomier side, you might be stuck with a flapping belt end that doesn't align with your pants' belt loops. Luckily, there's an easy fix — just clip the belt end down with a bobby pin.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Screwdriver

If you're screwing something into place, you'll probably need a real screwdriver. But for unscrewing something, a bobby pin can help, though it may take more time.

In a similar vein, if you need a pin to hit a tiny reset button on electronics, bobby pins are the perfect size.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Money Clip

If you don't want to carry around a bulky wallet, you'll probably want a money clip to hold everything together in your pocket or bag. But if you don't have one, a bobby pin does just as well at holding your cash.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Chip Clip

Out of chip clips? No problem — just use a bobby pin to secure the top of the bag. Voilà, you've got the perfect way to keep your snacks fresh.
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Illustrated by Elliot Salazar.
Tie Clip

If you use a dark-colored bobby pin and hide the bumpy side, no one will know that tie clip is really just a hair accessory.
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